Why Don't We
American band From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Why Don't We, shortened to WDW, was an American boy band consisting of Jack Avery, Corbyn Besson, Zach Herron, Jonah Marais and Daniel Seavey. They formed in 2016 and released two studio albums and six extended plays. Because of a lawsuit, the group took a hiatus and cancelled their tour in 2022, and eventually lost the rights to the group name in February 2025, marking the official end of the group.
Why Don't We | |
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 Why Don't We at the 2018 B96 Jingle Bash in Chicago. From left to right: Daniel Seavey, Corbyn Besson, Jonah Marais, Zach Herron, and Jack Avery. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2016–2022 |
| Labels | Atlantic |
| Past members |
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History
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Perspective
2016–2017: Career beginnings
The band originally formed on September 27, 2016,[1] after having all met in Los Angeles, California a year prior.[2][3][4] On October 20, 2016, the group released their debut single "Taking You", a track from their debut EP, Only the Beginning, which was released on November 25 of the same year.[5] They embarked on their first headlining tour, the "Taking You Tour", the next year. Their second EP, Something Different, was released on April 21, 2017.[6][7] Following the release of their second EP, they embarked on the "Something Different Tour", their second headlining tour.[8] The group's third EP, Why Don't We Just, was released on June 2, 2017.[9] In September 2017, the band signed with Atlantic Records.[10] That same month, Invitation, their fourth EP, was released.[11] On November 23, 2017, they released their fifth EP, A Why Don't We Christmas.[12][13] In 2018, in support of the Invitation EP, they headlined the "Invitation Tour".[14] Additionally, the band has appeared in several vlogs of YouTuber Logan Paul.[15]
2018–2019: 8 Letters and 12/12 era
On August 31, 2018, they released their first album, 8 Letters.[16] The record debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200,[17] and was preceded by three singles: "Hooked", "Talk", and "8 Letters".[18][19][20] In March 2019, they embarked on the "8 Letters Tour".[21]
Why Don't We released a new song each month (except September) in 2019. On January 16, they released "Big Plans",[22] and a music video was released three days later.[23] The song received a gold certification from the RIAA in April 2020.[24] On Valentine's Day, the group released "Cold In LA",[25] along with a music video two days later.[26] On March 20, 2019, they released the humorous song "I Don't Belong in This Club" featuring American rapper Macklemore.[27] It was certified gold by the RIAA in August 2020.[28] On April 20, the group released "Don't Change", which was featured on the soundtrack album of the animated film UglyDolls.[29] In May, the group unveiled their fifth song of the year, "Unbelievable".[30] In June, they released "Come To Brazil", inspired by fans frequently asking them to visit the country.[31] On July 26, the band released the song "I Still Do".[32] On August 23, they released "What Am I", penned by Ed Sheeran, who previously wrote "Trust Fund Baby".[33] The song was certified gold by the RIAA in June of the following year.[34] On October 25, they released "Mad At You".[35] The following month, the group released the Christmas song "With You This Christmas".[36] On December 30, the group released their eleventh and final song of 2019, "Chills".[37] The group then took a nine-month break shortly after the music video release.[38]
2020–2025: The Good Times and the Bad Ones and lawsuit
On September 29, 2020, the band released "Fallin' (Adrenaline)", the lead single from their second album, The Good Times and the Bad Ones.[39] It debuted at number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, their first ever entry.[40] Their second single from the album, "Lotus Inn", was released on December 4, 2020.[41] They starred in a YouTube documentary titled 30 Days With, which showed the last stages of development and behind the scenes content of their then-upcoming album for 30 days.[42] Their third single from the album, "Slow Down", was released on December 17, 2020.[43] On January 15, 2021, The Good Times and The Bad Ones released. The album was largely self-produced, though it also features the productions of Travis Barker, Skrillex, and Timbaland.[44] The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, making it their highest entry on the chart.[45]
The band released the single "Love Back" on October 6, 2021. The band then released a cover of Justin Bieber's "Mistletoe" in December that same year. In January 2022, they released their next single in collaboration with Jonas Blue: "Don't Wake Me Up",[46] followed by "Let Me Down Easy (Lie)" in April,[47] “Just Friends” on May 13, and “How Do You Love Somebody” on May 31.
The band's North American tour, The Good Times Only Tour, was scheduled to commence in June 2022, but was canceled due to the litigation between Why Don't We current manager Randy Phillips and former manager David Loeffler.[48] The band rescheduled the tour with new dates beginning in July.[49] However, on July 6, the band announced that due to ongoing legal battles with their former management, they would be cancelling the tour and taking a hiatus.[50]
After 4 years of legal battles, a trial was finally held in February 2025. Concluding on the 27th, it ended with a mixed verdict. The members (excluding Daniel) would only need to pay a dollar each for breach of contract, but they lost the 'Why Don't We' name and brand to Signature. With this verdict, the band officially ended.[51]
Musical influences
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The band has cited Justin Bieber as their main musical inspiration, in addition to 5 Seconds of Summer, Boyz II Men, The Beatles, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Childish Gambino, Jon Bellion, Post Malone, Frank Ocean and CNCO.[52][53]
Band members
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Jack Robert Avery
Jack Robert Avery (born July 1, 1999) was born in Burbank, California, but raised in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania.[54][55][56] Avery released a solo single called "Liar" in 2016 and was part of the meet-and-greet tour "Impact", which members Zach Herron and Corbyn Besson were also a part of.[57] He also starred in a short film called Fearless Five.[58] On April 22, 2019, Avery's former girlfriend, Gabriela Gonzalez, gave birth to their daughter.[59]
Corbyn Matthew Besson
Corbyn Matthew Besson (born November 25, 1998) was born in Dallas, Texas,[60] but raised in Virginia. Besson went to high school in Centreville, Virginia.[61] Besson's cousins are Dutch girl group O'G3NE.[62] Before Why Don't We, he had a following on YouNow and released a solo single called "The Only One" to iTunes in 2014. His other acoustic single, "Marathon", was also released on the platform.[63] After Why Don't We went on hiatus, Besson released 2 singles on his own. ''Love Me Better'', a song originally recorded and written by Why Don't We, on February 7, 2024, and ''Like That (feat. Armani White)'' on April 12, 2024. On August 2, 2024, Besson released the song ''Panic'', a collaboration with Swedish duo NOTD. They released a piano version of the song titled ''Panic (After Hours)'' on September 13, 2024. Besson released the single ''Don't Run'' along with a music video on October 2, 2024. He has been in a relationship with social media influencer Lera Clark since 2021.[64]
Zachary Dean Herron
Zachary Dean Herron (born May 27, 2001), the youngest member of the group, was raised in Dallas, Texas.[60] Growing up, he sang in the choir. Before Why Don't We, Herron covered songs on YouTube and also produced two singles himself, "Timelapse" and "Why".[65] Herron released his first solo single since Why Don't We went on hiatus called 'Caroline' on July 26th, 2024.
Jonah Marais Roth Frantzich
Jonah Marais (born June 16, 1998), the eldest member of the group, grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota.[66][67] Before Why Don't We, Marais had a following on YouNow and released an album, When the Daylight's Gone, in 2016 and went on the 2014 DigiTour.[68] Alongside Seavey, Marais co-wrote "I Got You" for TWICE in 2024.[69] On June 7, 2024, Marais released two solo songs called ''TWISTED LULLABY'' and ''Heaven''. On June 28, 2024, Marais released a 5-track mixtape titled 'The Jonah Marais Mixtape'. On November 15, 2024, Marais released the song ''Slow Motion'', a collaboration with American record producer Ryan Lewis. On Valentine's Day 2025, Jonah revealed in a joint Instagram post that he is dating singer and songwriter Zia Victoria.[70]
Daniel James Seavey
Daniel James Seavey (born April 2, 1999), born in Vancouver, Washington. He grew up in Portland, Oregon.[71][72] A main producer of the band, he can play over 20 instruments by ear.[73] As a child, his father would take him to do street performances on the city's art walks.[74] Seavey competed on season 14 of American Idol and finished in ninth place. He also has released multiple songs on his own including his newest singles "Bleed on Me", "Can We Pretend That We're Good?", "Runaway" and "I Tried".[75] The songs were featured on his debut EP 'Dancing in the Dark' released August 11, 2023. Seavey released the single "The Older You Get" on May 9, 2024. The song is the first single from his upcoming debut album, "Second Wind". Seavey released the song ''Other People'' on August 30, 2024. On January 31, 2025, Seavey released "Second Wind", another track from his debut album "Second Wind", which was released on March 7th, 2025. He has been in a relationship with social media influencer Katia Castellano since 2022.[76]
Tours
Headlining
- Taking You Tour (2017)
- Something Different Tour (2017)
- Invitation Tour (2018)
- 8 Letters Tour (2019)
Discography
- 8 Letters (2018)
- The Good Times and the Bad Ones (2021)
Awards and nominations
iHeartRadio MMVAs
iHeartRadio Music Awards
MTV Europe Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
Radio Disney Music Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Themselves | Best New Artist | Nominated | [86] |
| "These Girls" | Best Song to Lip Sync to |
Teen Choice Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Themselves | Choice Music Group | Nominated | [87] |
| "Trust Fund Baby" | Choice Song: Group | |||
| 2019 | Themselves | Choice Music Group | Won | [88] |
| Themselves | Choice Summer Group | Nominated | ||
| "8 Letters" | Choice Song: Group |
References
External links
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