by Elizabeth Kuster for CosmoGIRL! Yes, they could all be models (have you seen those dimples?), and they sing awesome harmonies, but what we really love about the BBMak boys is their determination. Christian Burns, Mark Barry, and Ste (short for Stephen) McNally have each been performing in different bands since their early teens. But none of them tasted success until they hooked up with each other--and even then it didn't happen overnight. "Four years ago, music was just a hobby for us," says Christian. "I was a care salesman, Mark was at school trying to be a fireman, and Ste was a security guard. We quit our jobs and sacrificed everything to focus on the band." Mark even sacrificed a girlfriend. "When we started BBMak, I had to move from Manchester to Liverpool," he says. "My girlfriend and I were together for two years, but I had to call it quits because it would've been impossible to keep our relationship going long- distance. I didn't want to end it, but I had to. It was really upsetting. We both cried." To make things worse, no jobs meant no income--the guys were broke. "We would just get together and write songs. At one point, I got completely discouraged and wanted to just go out and get a job," says Ste. "But Mark and Christian told me, 'No. We have to stick with this.'" Finally, BBMak came up with a tactic that worked: Get out and get heard. They went to London and--as Mark puts it-- started "butt-kissing record companies." They stood outside the offices of a bunch of major labels with a guitar and sang their hearts out for hours, hoping to get noticed. It paid off: The guys set up a show in Liverpool soon after, and a rep from every single U.K. record label showed up. The very next day, BBMak was faced with a brand-new dilemma: choosing among eight different record deals. Nice! Mak Attack Since then, there's been no looking back for the Mak: Their song "Back Here" became a big hit; the video made the top ten on TRL for a few months. They've been performing live on lots of TV shows and touring nonstop (including a cool gig opening for Britney Spears last summer). Unlike their tour mates, there's one thing you'll never catch these Brits doing onstage--dancing. But it's not that they don't know how. (We can vouch for that: The guys busted some funky moves for us at our photo shoot!) "I really love going out and dancing," says Christian. "But it's pretty hard to jump around when you're playing guitar and singing live!" Reality Check There's no doubt that Mark, Christian, and Ste are living the good life now, but thankfully, it hasn't gone to their heads. "We really appreciate everything we get, because we came from nothing," says Christian. That's part of the reason we love these guys: Unlike lots of other pop groups, they've actually lives real lives and had a few good learning experiences on the way. "I remember the one time I defined my parents," says Ste. "I was hanging out in the kitchen with my older brother, and he gave me a cigarette. We were sitting there, smoking away, when we heard my father come home. My brother threw his out the back door, but I panicked and threw mine in the garbage bin--and it caught on fire. My dad smelled the cigarettes, saw the fire and knew exactly what we were doing. So he bought a pack of cigars and told us, 'Smoke the whole pack.' I lit one, had one puff, and got sick. I had to run to the bathroom. I never ever smoked again." Christian had to learn some lessons the hard way too. "One night I went on a date with this girl, and the next night I went on a date with this other girl," he says. "It turns out these girls were best friends. The next week I was in a pub and saw the one and she said hi. Then I saw the other one and she said hi. I went 'Uh-oh.' One of them poured a beer on me and the other one punched me. There was nothing I could do, so I had to take it like a man. I walked out with my head down, and all the girls booed me. I got what I deserved and learned my lesson: I've never done that again. Three for the Road Christian, Mark, and Ste have always had a Three Musketeers mentality, and touring has bonded them even more. "We've learned a lot about each other on the road," says Christian. For example? "Ste hums in his sleep. We used to have to stay in the same hotel room, and he'd be humming away, and I'd be like, 'Ste! Wake up! You're humming!' Mark's annoying quirk is that he spends too long in the shower--like, thirty minutes! And I lose things-- CDs, cameras, mobile phones...we have to get insurance on mobile phones 'cause I lose them so much. "But you know, the three of us just laugh at everything, because we've been through so much together. Whenever one of us is feeling down about something, the other two will pat him on the back and remind him how far we've come." Back To Mags Back Home [ CosmoGIRL! Grooves with BBMak ]
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