SERIES PREMIERE

YOUNG VOCALISTS GO HEAD-TO-HEAD ON THE TWO-HOUR SERIES PREMIERE OF ABC'S 'BOY BAND'

Singer Rita Ora to Host, With Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter, Spice Girls' Emma Bunton and Super Producer Timbaland Serving as Architects

Winning Band to Receive Recording Contract With Hollywood Records

"Meet the Boys" - The ultimate search for the next great music group, "Boy Band," premieres on THURSDAY, JUNE 22 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network. Host Rita Ora welcomes 30 of the best young male vocalists in the country to Hollywood, where they audition before musical icons Emma Bunton, Nick Carter and Timbaland. Only 18 performers will make the cut and advance to the next round. Thus begins the mixing and matching, as the architects form three groups of six to compete in the next phase of the competition.

The young talent competing for boy band superstardom include:

· Drew Ramos (19) - Bronx, NY

· Jon Klaasen (19) - Greenwood, IN

· Cameron Armstrong (22) - Columbia, SC

· Andrew Butcher (17) - Greenwood, IN

· Miles Wesley (19) - Marble Falls, TX

· Santino Cardinale (18) - Las Vegas, NV

· Gianni Cardinale (16) - Las Vegas, NV

· Marcus Pendleton (16) - Nashville, TN

· Gavin Becker (18) - Philadelphia, PA

· Sergio Calderon (16) - Redwood City, CA

· Cam Jackson (19) - Willingboro, NJ

· Michael Conor (17) - Cleveland, OH

· Nate Wyatt (20) - Cincinnati, OH

· Jay Gilbert "J Hype" (14) - Las Vegas, NV

· Jaden Gray (16) - Hawthorne, CA

· Chance Perez (19) - Seal Beach, CA

· Alan Ayala (18) - Monterey, Mexico

· Timmy Thames (17) - Malibu, CA

· Zack Taylor (24) - Kansas City, MO

· Dylan Rey (17) - Plano, TX

· Andrew Bloom (19) - Yorba Linda, CA

· Matthew Dean (19) - Thousand Oaks, CA

· Lukas James (15) - Sarasota, FL

· Stone Martin (18) - Hartsville, SC

· Mikey Jimenez (17) - East Los Angeles, CA

· Dorian Tyler (15) - Memphis, TN

· Brady Tutton (15) - Shorewood, WI

· Paul Toweh (21) - Liberia, Monrovia

· Jordan Grizzle (22) - Fort Lauderdale, FL

· Devin Hayes (17) - Springfield, IL

In "Boy Band," undiscovered young talent from across the country battle it out to become a member of the next great music sensation. Hosted by singer Rita Ora, the 10-episode series will chronicle the journey of young male vocalists who will compete for a chance to show the world that they have what it takes to win a coveted spot in America's next great boy band and receive a recording contract with Hollywood Records. And for the first time ever, viewers at home will vote for their favorite five band members, live, creating a group America can truly call its own.

At the start of the season, thousands of talented singers audition for one of 18 spots and will need to impress the architects (and America) to evade elimination and capture one of the coveted five spots. Each episode will feature a different theme, and the architects will shuffle contestants to find the best combination of voices to perform live for America. Architects will critique each band's performance and collectively determine two contestants who are up for elimination. After performing solo "survival" songs, viewers at home will vote for their favorite to remain in the competition. In the finale, America's favorite five band members will be announced, and they will perform their brand-new single together for the first time.

"Boy Band" is produced by Matador Content. Todd Lubin, Jay Peterson, Jane Mun and Joel Relampagos serve as executive producers.

"Boy Band" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format with a 5.1 channel surround sound.