O-Town says people “confuse them for a Diddy band” and it’s hurting their career

nme.com:

O-Town have said they are being mistakenly confused as “a Diddy band” and it is hurting their career.The boy band were formed on the first season of the reality TV series Making The Band in 2000, the show that later featured the disgraced rap mogul as a central figure that selected the talent and mentored the aspiring young artists.However, on O-Town’s season of the show, Diddy was not involved, with Backstreet Boys and NSYNC manager Lou Pearlman – himself also a highly controversial figure – acting as the mentor figure.Despite having no connection to Diddy, O-Town have stated that it hasn’t stopped bookers and agents from distancing themselves from the group. “Of all the bands in Making The Band, we’re the only one not tied to him,” the band’s Jacob Underwood told The Hollywood Reporter.“The more people confuse us with a Diddy band and post our pictures with his story, the more it goes against us.

We make a living touring and can’t afford to have [bookers] Googling us to find the latest Diddy clickbait.”O-Town’s agent Matt Rafal said one large gaming company withdrew the group from a billing due to their supposed association with Diddy. “The offer was pulled due to the perception of the group being attached to Diddy,” Rafal said. “We made it clear O-Town’s Making The Band had no association with Diddy, but the company worried guests may be confused.

Since the Diddy news, we’ve received questions and hesitancy from several talent buyers, especially for soft tickets like fairs and theme parks, as well as city-funded events.”Instead of Diddy, the band are connected to Pearlman, about whom the Netflix miniseries Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam was released last year.