The first gig we ever played was at a pub in Sydney called the Annandale Hotel to approximately 12 people. It was the best/worst gig of my life. I’ll… - 5 Seconds of Summer

I think having fame as a musician is different to ‘regular’ fame. It doesn’t really mean the same thing. Like, if that fame were to leave, you’d still feel the same way. You’d still feel confused about your feelings, you’d still have something to express, regardless of whether anyone listened to you or recognised you. Rather than chasing fame, you’re chasing an unknown feeling inside of you. If we stopped having this level of fame, we’d still write songs.

I think at the beginning we all had a joint feeling that something about [the band] was special. Call it delusional or driven but we felt like we would get there with everything we had. When we saw how devoted our fans were (and still are) it was a huge moment to see how much we meant to people.

I think all artists change their sound because they’re not satisfied in the art they’re making. We started out, very angsty, trying to get out of the hometown, and people called us a boy band, but we played pop punk music, it was written like that. As you get older, your music taste becomes more diverse and you get a bit smarter about it. You just bring in those kind of elements and you want to remain happy in what you’re making.