Big Time Rush on new album, band's future
The same day Kendall Schmidt visited CBSNews.com in New York City, he was stopped not once -- but twice -- by two girls who wanted him to sign a piece of paper with a song title and lyric. This wasn't just any regular piece of paper, though; both ladies planned to bring Schmidt's handwritten song title to a tattoo artist so they could get inked with a permanent tattoo.
"They get that tattoed on their body forever!" said singer/guitarist Schmidt. "I don't think they realize the significance of that."
That's the kind of die-hard enthusiasm that surrounds Big Time Rush -- both the boy band and the Nickelodeon series of the same name. The show is currently in its fourth season, and Schmidt, along with Logan Henderson, James Maslow and Carlos Pena, Jr. of Big Time Rush, will release their third studio album, "24/Seven," on Tuesday. Fans have been clamoring for new material ever since the release of Big Time Rush's last album, 2011's "Elevate."
Schmidt, 22, co-wrote at least six songs on the new set. "You walk in with sort of an idea and then something just comes out of nowhere, and then you're like, 'That sounds great.' And it's really not up to you to decide. It really comes down to playing it and someone likes it," said Schmidt, who says he also hopes to one day write and produce for other artists. "Writing a song -- creating something from nothing -- is really great," he said.
Schmidt is already tackling writing with his side project, Heffron Drive, a band he started even before he joined Big Time Rush. He recently toured with Heffron Drive, playing original songs and covers -- and hopes to do more with it soon. Schmidt actually had been pursuing a career with Heffron Drive before he landed the role with Big Time Rush, an opportunity that almost never happened.
"I went on an audition. Then I got a call-back," Schmidt said. "But then they hired the guy I think they shot the pilot with. Then I didn't hear anything for a long time. As far as I was concerned I forgot about it." He later ran into Scott Fellows, the creator of the show, who asked Schmidt to audition again. "I got another call-back and didn't hear anything for another three months...then I got called into 'boy band boot camp.' We would spend hours with the choreographer." Schmidt also had to sing as part of a competition with the other guys auditioning for the part. The rest is history, and he's been one quarter of Big Time Rush since 2009.
Big Time Rush will be on tour throughout the summer. And then? "I don't know how you can possibly dismantle a band like Big Time Rush. It's such a huge entity...We don't fight," Schmidt said. "We argue and bicker over little things. We're all so different that we never compete with each other...It's always going to be a huge part of my life -- and our lives. As long as the fans want content, and they want us to keep filming, I think they will keep us filming."
For more on the guys from Big Time Rush, check out our interview with Kendall Schmidt above.
