"Exclusive (No Excuses)" has been the running song associated with the five men of MTV's hit reality show "Making the Band 4."
Make sure you don't get caught calling them "the guys from 'Making the Band,'" because the official name for the men known as Willie, Qwanell, Mike, Brian and Robert is now Day26.
"The band formed on Aug. 26, 2007, the day all of our lives changed," Willie said. "That's the day we became a band, got signed, everything."
The name was chosen from a throng of prospective names that were sent in from fans and viewers across the country, but according to the guys, Day26 was the only one that felt right.
"It had meaning to us," Willie said.
"Making the Band 4" (MTB4) is now in its second season. Cameras follow the newly formed group as they embark on the strenuous journey of recording a freshman album - in five weeks, when most new artists have at least a year.
Even though the stress from competing for a coveted spot in the band is over, a whole new avenue of pressure has emerged in the form of creating the No. 1 album that would be expected from Diddy's latest reality show.
"We took it back to that Jodeci-type singing," said Brian, as he hummed an old school R&B tune. "We were thrown into the situation and we had to learn to adjust to one another. We weren't gellin' at first, but now I think we sound great."
Not only have the guys had to learn to adjust to each other, but they also had the difficult task of staying on task with five young women living right down the hall.
In addition to Day26, the season features Danity Kane, the winners of "Making the Band 3," and Diddy's solo pick, Donnie. Despite the fights, antics, and hookups that have taken place so far in the season, the guys say that even though editing can be a form of manipulation, nothing that happened on the show was false.
When asked about Qwanell's budding relationship with Danity Kane member Dawn, he responded, "Stay tuned to 'Making the Band 4,' Monday nights…"
With "MTB4," being the highest-rated show to date on MTV, the guys' celebrity status has skyrocketed over night, making them the object of affection for many young girls across the country.
Each member told a story about the colossal effect they had when going to a mall, movie theater, or other public place and then being told not to come back.
"This one mall I went to told me I caused too much commotion and I could never come back," said.
Despite the attention they now demand and the busy schedules they follow, it makes it hard for the two dads in the group to maintain close relationships with their young children.
"It's hard," Willie said, referring to his 3-year-old-son. "We make very short trips home and it's equally as hard to leave him. But I know that I'll be able to do a lot more things and provide him with a lot more."
The experience is similar for band mate, Brian, who also has a young son at home in Houston.
"It gets harder every time," Brian said. "He's growing so much, and he screams so much when I have to leave. He's starting to understand that daddy's on TV and daddy doesn't stay long. Every time we go to the airport, it's like 'daddy where you goin?' over and over."
Howard students who attended the 2007 Homecoming comedy show remember when the audience was told that the guys from "Making the Band 4" were going to perform their single, "Exclusive (No Excuses)."
Some can also remember the confusion and disappointment they felt when they saw only one part of the fivesome, Robert, perform the song.
"It was a misunderstanding, and it was very last minute," Mike said. "We didn't really know what was going on."
Qwanell said, "Yeah, we're new artists, and we can't be turning down no performances.But we're sorry and we're here now. We love Howard…HU!"
Day26's album will be released on Bad Boy Records on March 25, and will include the new single, "Got me Going."
"There's no more 'Exclusive,'" the guys said, laughing.
Robert said, "That was a show song, kinda made for promotion of the show. But it's about our album now."
