5 Seconds of Summer

5 Seconds of Summer at their EP launch gig at The Metro Theatre on 25 November 2012

5 Seconds of Summer formed in 2011 when Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, and Calum Hood, who all attended Norwest Christian College, began posting videos of themselves performing covers of popular songs together on Hemmings' YouTube channel. Hemmings' first video, a cover of Mike Posner's "Please Don't Go", was posted on 3 February 2011. In December 2011, they were joined by drummer Ashton Irwin,[24] and the four-man lineup was completed.[25] On December 3, 2011, the band played their first show at Sydney pub, Annadale Hotel, reportedly playing for only 12 people.[26][27] In 2020, the band paid homage to their first performance in their "Old Me" music video, which featured a video clip of their Annandale Hotel performance and a recreation of the show.[28][29]

The band attracted interest from major music labels and publishers and signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing.[30] Despite having no promotion apart from on Facebook and Twitter,[30] their first music release, an EP titled Unplugged, reached number 3 on the iTunes chart in Australia and the Top 20 in both New Zealand and Sweden.[30] 5 Seconds of Summer spent the second half of 2012 writing and developing their sound with Christian Lo Russo and Joel Chapman of Australian band Amy Meredith, with whom they wrote two songs ("Beside You" and "Unpredictable") that were featured on their second EP Somewhere New.[31] The EP was also co-produced by Chapman. The band released their first single "Out of My Limit" on 19 November 2012. The video clip received over 100,000 views within the first 24 hours.[32] In December 2012, the band embarked on a songwriting trip to London where they wrote with various artists including McFly,[33] Roy Stride of Scouting for Girls, Nick Hodgson of Kaiser Chiefs,[34] Jamie Scott,[35] Jake Gosling, Steve Robson and James Bourne of Busted.[36]

As their fame and dedication to the band grew, the band members eventually dropped out of school, with Clifford leaving school two years prior in Year 10, later completing a year at TAFE, and Hood dropping out in Year 11 in 2012 due to the band's move to London. Irwin had already graduated from Richmond High School in 2012, and studied music performance at a TAFE college, before choosing to leave to pursue the band. Hemmings continued with distance education up until 2013, dropping out in the final year of secondary schooling: year 12, due to the commitment of the band.[37][38]

On 14 February 2013, it was announced that 5 Seconds of Summer would support One Direction on their worldwide Take Me Home Tour.[39] The tour kicked off at the O2 Arena in London on 23 February 2013, and 5 Seconds of Summer joined One Direction for shows in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand, including seven shows at Allphones Arena in 5 Seconds of Summer's home town of Sydney.[40] While on a break from the Take Me Home Tour, 5 Seconds of Summer returned home to Australia where they played a national headlining tour, with all dates selling out within minutes. It was around this time when the band began to gain popularity and become more well-known.[41] On 21 November 2013, the band announced that they had signed to Capitol Records.[42] On 5 February 2014, 5 Seconds of Summer listed their debut major label single "She Looks So Perfect" for pre-order on the iTunes Store. On 5 March 2014, it was announced that 5 Seconds of Summer would join One Direction again, supporting them on their Where We Are Tour in the US, Canada, UK and Europe.[43]

In late March 2014, the band's single "She Looks So Perfect" was released in UK. Despite spending only one day on top in the British iTunes store and ending its week in the lower end of the top 10, 5 Seconds of Summer became the fourth Australian band to have a UK number-one single, and the first to do so in 14 years.[44] On 9 April 2014, their third EP She Looks So Perfect debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 Chart.[45] On 9 May 2014, they released their second single, "Don't Stop". It debuted at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, 3,000 units behind Ella Henderson's "Ghost".[46] It peaked at number one in 4 countries and was in the top 10 of 8 countries overall. Billboard said that, "In the vein of Green Day's "She" and Blink-182's "All The Small Things," "Don't Stop" is 5SOS' bid for a deceptively charming pop-punk anthem, with lyrics that are stickily sweet in their awkward flirtatiousness. The bridge could be more polished, but that hook is a highlight of the whole album."[47] On 15 June 2014, the band released their fourth EP Don't Stop which was not available to purchase in the US, Canada and Mexico.[48]

5 Seconds of Summer performing at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney, Australia on 30 April 2014

On 13 May 2014, the band announced that their debut self-titled album would be released on 27 June 2014 in Europe and Australia. The album debuted on the top of the Billboard 200 Chart, peaked at number one in 13 countries, and peaked in the Top 10 of 26 countries.[49] On 15 July 2014, the band released their third single, "Amnesia." Billboard described the track as "a surprisingly affecting vocal performance and the most searing lyrics on the album. [...] Taking older listeners back to the relative heartache of dissolving high school romance." Billboard further stated that "Amnesia" demonstrates the versatility of 5SOS, and one wonders why it's buried at the end of the group's debut album."[47] On 5 September 2014, the band released their fifth EP Amnesia which was not available in US and Mexico.[50] On 12 October 2014, the band released their fourth single, "Good Girls", and the music video logged over two million views within 48 hours.[51] On 16 November 2014, they released their sixth EP Good Girls which topped the UK iTunes Chart.[52] The band released a cover song "What I Like About You" by American rock band The Romantics as the first single from their live album LIVESOS.[53] The band released their first live album, LIVESOS, on 15 December 2014.[54]

In May 2015, the band embarked on their first headlining world tour, the Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour, taking place across arenas in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and North America.[55][56][57]

On 17 July 2015, the band released "She's Kinda Hot" as the first single from their second studio album. On 12 August, they announced that their second studio album was titled Sounds Good Feels Good. On 28 August, they released their seventh EP, She's Kinda Hot, in the UK and Ireland only.[58] On 9 October, they released "Hey Everybody!" as the second single and announced their Sounds Live Feels Live World Tour. Sounds Good Feels Good was released worldwide on 23 October 2015. It became the band's second number one in their home country and the first in the United Kingdom. In the United States, 5 Seconds of Summer became the first band (not vocal) to have their first two full-length albums debut at the top of the charts. The band released their third single "Jet Black Heart" on 17 December 2015, together with a music video which featured some of their fans. In 2016, the band embarked on their Sounds Live Feels Live World Tour which included sold out stadiums and arenas. They toured across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.

5 Seconds of Summer performing in Verona, Italy during their 2016 headlining tour Sounds Live Feels Live

On 3 June 2016, the band announced their single "Girls Talk Boys". The song was included on the Ghostbusters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) and was released on 15 July.[59] On 2 December 2016, the band announced the release of their B-sides and rarities, titled This Is Everything We Ever Said, to celebrate their fifth anniversary as a band.

After years of intense touring and the completion of the massively successful Sounds Live Feels Live World Tour in October 2016, the band announced that "2016 for 5SOS [had] ended," and that they would be taking the remainder of the year to rest and develop the sound for their next studio album.[60] The break lasted nearly two years, with Hood later stating "After six years of being on the road, we needed to get our heads right for the longevity of the band." [61] Hemmings later admitted that the band had briefly considered breaking up due to their intense schedules, stating: "'Seven years as a band may seem like a long time, but we were teenagers when we started." He further went on to say: "We had to look at each other and say 'are we going to stop now, or do this forever? Because if we continue, then we have to go further than we ever have before.'"[61] Ultimately the band chose to continue to release new music and explore new musical directions.[62]

On 13 January 2017, the band was featured on Japanese rock band,One Ok Rock's song, "Take What You Want."[63] On 11 May 2017, the band announced the dates for their summer tour, playing at several music festivals across Asia, Europe, and South America from August to September 2017, including Brazil's Rock in Rio. The band spent the remainder of the year creating their third studio album with Alexandra Tamposi, Andrew Wotman, Rivers Cuomo, Andrew Goldstein, and various others. In a Billboard interview, Irwin stated that outside of working on the album, the band spent time "redefining who [they were] as adult men" after years of intense touring.[64]

On 22 February 2018, the band released the single "Want You Back" which reached several charts in over 15 countries and peaked in the top 40 on thirteen charts, including the US,[17] the UK,[65] Ireland,[66] and Australia.[67] Following the release of "Want You Back," the band announced they would be embarking on a 2018 promotional tour entitled 5SOS III.[68][69] The tour sold out within approximately three minutes[5] with the critics praising it as a "a nice teaser for what [would] be a much larger-scale fall tour."[5] The tour began on 20 March 2018 and ended on 6 June with the band performing at intimate venues across Europe, US, Singapore, Australia, Mexico, and Brazil. Besides the tour, the group performed at music festivals, had acoustic sessions at radio stations, and made TV show appearances to promote the upcoming album. On 9 April 2018, the band announced that their third studio album, Youngblood, would be released on 22 June 2018. The band announced the dates for their fourth headlining world tour, the Meet You There World Tour, which took place at various arenas across Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, United States, and Europe.[70]

On 22 May 2018, the album's title track was released as the second single. "Youngblood" achieved massive worldwide success, and peaked at number one in Australia in May 2018[71] and stayed on top of the ARIA Chart for eight consecutive weeks. It also stayed at number one on Official New Zealand Music Chart for four consecutive weeks, hit UK Official Charts’s Top 5, hit Canada's Top 5, and hit US Billboard Hot 100’s top 10. In the radio format, it became the band's first single to top US's Pop Songs chart and Adult Pop Songs chart, and Canada's Contemporary Hit Radio chart. As of 2020, the track is certified 10x platinum in Australia, 4x platinum in Poland, 3x platinum in New Zealand, 2x platinum in the US, the UK, Norway, Denmark and Sweden and platinum in Canada, Belgium, and Italy. On 1 June 2018, the band announced that the release date of the album was moved forward to 15 June 2018. Youngblood was a commercial success and debuted at number one in Australia and the US Billboard 200, becoming their third consecutive number one album in both countries. It debuted in the top 3 in the UK and seven other countries. Overall, the album reached the top 10 of 20 countries.

The band performed their lead single "Want You Back" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 11 April 2018[72] and on The Voice (U.S. season 14) on 8 May 2018.[73] On 25 May, the group performed for selected fans for a Spotify Fans First Event in Sydney, Australia. The band performed their second single "Youngblood" on The Voice Australia[74] and on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge on 12 June 2018.[75] In June 2018, Apple Music released "On the Record: 5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood", a documentary detailing the band's two-year break and return. To celebrate the release of the documentary, the band held a one-night sold-out show in New York.[76] On 22 June 2018, the band performed on The Today Show’s Summer Concert Series.[77] On 25 June 2018, Tumblr organized an intimate show in New York City, as part of its Tumblr IRL event series, where the band performed for their fans whilst they celebrated their album debuting number one in the US.[78] In August 2018, the band released a Spotify-exclusive version of their track "Lie to Me", along with a cover of Post Malone’s song "Stay".[79] In October 2018, the band was featured in an episode of Billboard's Pop Shop podcast, talking about the making of their single "Youngblood", and their upcoming third single "Valentine".[80] In December, they performed at the 2018 ARIA Awards in Australia, where they won three awards.[81] On 21 December 2018, the band released a rendition of their "Lie to Me" track which featured Julia Michaels.[82] The accompanying music video for the track was released on 18 January 2019.[83] An acoustic version of the single was then released on 1 February 2019, along with the accompanying music video.[84]

In December 2018, the band was listed on several Billboard year-end charts, including being named in the Top 10 of the "Top Artists - Duo/Group" chart. The band also made appearances on the "Top Artists," "Hot 100 Artists," and "Top Billboard 200 Artists" charts.[85] The band's third album, Youngblood, was listed in the Top 100 of the Billboard 200 Albums[86] and Top Canadian Albums charts.[87] The album's single, "Youngblood", was listed in the Top 20 of the Billboard Pop Songs chart, the Top 40 of the Hot 100 Songs, Radio Songs, Adult Pop Songs, Dance/Mix Show Airplay Songs, and Digital Song Sales, as well as making an appearance on the Canadian Hot 100 charts, the Top 100 of the Streaming Songs and On-demand Songs charts.[88] "Youngblood" was the top selling single in 2018 in Australia.[89]

"Youngblood" peaked in more than 15 other year-end charts in 2018, was officially certified Australia's 2018 song of the year[90] and won the ARIA Award for Song of the Year.[91] 5 Seconds of Summer became the first homegrown act in 13 years to top ARIA year-end tally and remain the second longest stint at number one atop the ARIA chart in history.[4] The song was ranked at number seven in The UK's Official Top 40 Biggest Song of the Summer 2018.[92] In 2019, "Youngblood" peaked in more than 10 year-end charts and has since received official platinum and gold notable achievement certifications in over 15 countries.[93] As well as appearing on a multitude of weekly and year-end charts over several countries and receiving multiple certifications, "Youngblood" impacted the ARIA decade-end chart (2010-2019), which ranks the most popular songs of the decade, at number thirty-seven.[94] In the ARIA Australian decade-end chart (2010-2019), ranking the most popular songs of the decade by Australian artists, "Youngblood" ranked at number four.[95] "Youngblood" has sold over one million adjusted copies[96][97][98] and is the most streamed Australian song of all time on Apple Music.[99][100] In February 2020, 5 Seconds of Summer were honored in the APRA AMCOS’ The 1,000,000,000 List, for "Youngblood" having been streamed over 1 billion times.[101] As of May 2020, "Youngblood" has spent over 110 consecutive weeks (over 2 years) in the Top 20 on the ARIA Australian Singles chart.[102]

On 5 February 2019, the band shared teasers for their upcoming single "Who Do You Love", a collaboration with American DJ duo The Chainsmokers.[103] The single was released on 7 February, along with the lyric video on YouTube.[104] The song peaked in several countries and weekly and year-end charts, including peaking at number one on the Australia Dance chart[105] In March, the band performed the single, along with The Chainsmokers, on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the official music video was released on 25 March 2019.[106][107] The band later joined the duo on the North American World War Joy Tour, alongside Lennon Stella during the last quarter of 2019.[108] The band's performance on tour was very well received by critics, who praised the band for having "captivated everyone’s attention" with their "incredible energy" and for "turning the concert into their own as [...] a 5 Seconds of Summer concert with a free EDM show to follow."[109][110][111]

On 23 May 2019, the band released "Easier" as the lead single from their upcoming fourth studio album and the first with their new label, Interscope Records. The song charted in several countries,on both weekly and year-end charts and included peaks at number twelve in Australia,[112] number twelve in the US Mainstream Top 40 [113] and number twenty-seven in the UK.[114] "Easier" was nominated for the ARIA 2019 Song of the Year Award.[115] Billboard included the song on their 100 Best Songs of 2019 list at number 79.[116] The album's follow-up single, "Teeth", from Season 3 of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, was released on 21 August 2019.[117][118][119] The song charted in several countries and included peaks at number fifteen in Australia,[120] and number twenty-one in the US Mainstream Top 40[113] The song features Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, who provides the guitar riff in the outro of the track.[121] In 2020, the song was nominated for the prestigious Song of the Year award at the APRA Music Awards of 2020.[122] At the end of the decade, 5 Seconds of Summer were named on Billboard's Top Artists of the 2010's Chart, which lists the most popular and successful artists of the 2010-2019 decade.[123]

On 5 February 2020, the band announced their fourth studio album Calm, which was released on 27 March 2020, and released "No Shame", the third single off the album, at the same time.[124] On 16 February 2020 the band performed at Fire Fight Australia, a televised concert at ANZ Stadium in Sydney raising money for bushfire relief. Their performance, which included the very first live performance of "No Shame", was widely praised both by critics and viewers and dubbed the "best performance" of the show,[125] with Billboard writing "They were raised playing stadiums and as such were, perhaps surprisingly, the perfect warm-up act for Queen -- though such a term diminishes the impact they had in fifteen short minutes."[126] On 21 February 2020, the band released "Old Me," as a promotional single from Calm, before releasing it to radio as the album's fourth single on 6 March 2020.[127]. Although the song was given very minimal promotion, it charted in a number of countries, including a peak at number thirty-nine in Australia[128] and number twenty-six on the US Mainstream Top 40.[113] On 25 March 2020, the band released "Wildflower" as the fifth and final single from Calm. With song promotion halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the song peaked at number twelve on the Australian Artists chart.[129]

On 27 March 2020, the band released their fourth studio album Calm. The album was a commercial success and received generally positive reviews from critics who praised the band's artistic growth and maturity.[130] The album charted in more than 25 countries on numerous charts, and debuted atop the charts at number one in Australia,[7] the UK[131] and Scotland.[132] The album peaked in the top 10 on 17 charts,including number two in Mexico[133] and number four in Austria,[134] Estonia,[135] Ireland,[136] New Zealand[137] and Portugal.[138] In the US, due to an alleged shipping error, approximately 15,000 copies of the album were released early, which resulted in Calm debuting a week early on the Billboard 200 chart. Had the shipping error not occurred, Calm would have debuted at number one in the US, earning the band's fourth consecutive number one in the country.[139][140] Despite the shipping error, the album peaked at number two in the US, earning the band their fifth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 chart.[141] In June, Billboard named the album in their Top 50 Best Albums of 2020 list.[142]

With Calm earning the band their fourth consecutive number one in their home country, 5 Seconds of Summer became the second Australian band in history to have their first four full-length studio albums debut at number one on the ARIA albums chart.[143]In the US, Calm remains the ninth best-selling pure album of 2020.[144]

The band is set to embark on the No Shame Tour, their fifth headlining world tour in late 2020.[145]

Luke Robert Hemmings, born on July 16, 1996 (age 23)[146] in Sydney, Australia, is a singer-songwriter, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of 5 Seconds of Summer. His father—Andrew Hemmings—was previously employed as a maintenance worker, while his mother—Liz Hemmings—is a former high school mathematics teacher, now working in photography.[147][148] Hemmings was raised in Riverstone, New South Wales and has spoken on his working-class upbringing; elaborating: "[The band's] beginnings were so humble. [...] I grew up in a small house in the middle of nowhere."[147] Hemmings further has two older brothers: Ben and Jack.[149] He attended Norwest Christian College, starting in Year 7 where he met future bandmates Calum Hood and Michael Clifford, later revealing that he initially disliked the latter.[150] Prior to the formation of the band, Hemmings busked throughout his tween years.[151]

In 2011, at the age of 14, Hemmings began posting YouTube song cover videos, under the name "hemmo1996." After Hemmings' covers began gaining traction on the platform, he invited friend and classmate Hood and later, Clifford to join his videos. The trio eventually added mutual friend Ashton Irwin to their videos, forming the current 5 Seconds of Summer lineup.[152] Following the band's rise to fame, Hemmings continued with his high school education, opting to switch to distance learning. In 2013, he choose to not finish year 12, the final year of secondary schooling in Australia.[37][38]

Apart from the band, Hemmings has also pursued modelling. In February 2019, Hemmings attended New York Fashion Week,[153] walking the runway for Philipp Plein's Autumn/Winter 2019 Ready-To-Wear collection.[154] In July 2019, Hemmings starred in Numéro Homme's video editorial.[155][156] Further, Hemmings was featured as the cover star on the Winter 2019 issue of Glass Man magazine.[157][158]

He began dating singer Sierra Deaton in February 2018.[159][160]

Calum Thomas Hood, born on January 25, 1996 (age 24)[161] in Sydney, Australia, is a singer-songwriter, vocalist and bassist of 5 Seconds of Summer. His father—David Hood—is a former Coca-Cola employee, while his mother—Joy Hood—worked in the retirement-fund industry.[162] Through his father he claims Scottish descent, and through his mother he claims Māori descent. Hood has an older sister named Mali Koa.[163] Raised in Riverstone, New South Wales, Hood attended Norwest Christian College and took a keen interest in soccer, for which he visited a Brazil training camp in order to pursue the sport as a career.[163] However, after the formation of the band and due to the band's move to London, he ultimately decided to stop playing soccer to instead pursue music. In a Rolling Stone interview Hood later recalled, "I remember there was a period of a month where my parents thought I was making the worst decision of my life. My mom threw out all the clothes in my closet. And I left [...] just being like, I made one of the biggest decisions. But now it's worked out."[164] Following his decision to quit playing soccer, he dropped out of school in 2012 after completing Year 11.[37][38]

Michael Gordon Clifford, born on November 20, 1995 (age 24)[165] in Sydney, Australia, is a singer-songwriter, vocalist and the lead guitarist of 5 Seconds of Summer. He is the only child of parents Karen and Daryl Clifford, who ran a computer business based outside of Sydney.[166] Clifford attended Norwest Christian college where he learned to play guitar in the school's church band.[164] Admitting in a People magazine interview that he "spent a lot of time away from school," his irregular attendance eventually resulted in him dropping out of school entirely when he was in Year 10 and instead, completing a course at TAFE.[37][38] Clifford became bestfriends with Hood in the second grade, and befriended Irwin in the ninth grade. He revealed that he initially "hated" Hemmings for "a solid year" before becoming friends and forming the band.[150][151]

At the NAMM Show in January 2019, Clifford, in collaboration, with Gibson, revealed the Michael Clifford Signature Melody Maker guitar. The guitar was released for purchase in May 2019, with Clifford citing his main inspiration for the guitar being his own first guitar, Joan Jett's Melody Maker.[167] He stated that the goal of his Melody Maker was to "be an homage to the Joan Jett Melody Maker" and that he hoped the guitar would "inspire" someone, just as Jett inspired him.[167]

In June 2019, it was revealed Clifford had partnered with Nightfood Ice Cream in developing a custom chocolate flavor for the brand.[168]

Apart from the band, Clifford has expressed interest in gaming.[169] His Twitch account, which he uses to live-stream game sessions, has amassed nearly 65,000 followers.[170][171] During the Australian Bushfires in January 2020, Clifford held a charity twitch live-stream, in which all proceeds were donated to Australian Red Cross.[172]

He began dating model and talent manager Crystal Leigh in January 2017.[173] The couple got engaged in January 2019,[174][175] with the wedding date set to take place in January 2021.[176]

On 14 June 2020, an anonymous Twitter user accused Clifford of sexually assaulting her during the band’s 2013 tour supporting One Direction. Clifford denied the accusation on Twitter, stating the allegation to be "beyond untrue". Multiple twitter users pointed out discrepancies in the accuser's story, including the fact that she had initially stated the wrong date and her description of the assaulter did not match Clifford's at the time.[177] On 15 June 2020, the accuser withdrew her claim, apologizing to Clifford and posting a statement stating that she had learnt the actual perpetrator was a different, now-deceased man.[178]

Ashton Fletcher Irwin, born on 7 July 1994 (age 25)[179] in Hornsby, Australia, is a singer-songwriter, vocalist and the drummer of 5 Seconds of Summer. Raised in Richmond, New South Wales, his father, who is an American, left the family when Irwin was two years old. His mother struggled with alcoholism,[180] and as a result, he spent his childhood "hanging out with drunk people at pubs."[181] He later elaborated, "My upbringing is […] interesting, I didn’t have a father, my mom has struggled with alcoholism my whole life. I’ve grown up kind of bringing other people up…I’ve had to be relentlessly positive, and I have a very depressed mind."[180] Irwin's uncle was a drummer in a death-metal band and his step-father played drums in a punk-rock band.[181] Irwin helped raise his younger siblings, half-brother Harry and half-sister Lauren, whilst attending Richmond High School from which he graduated in 2012. During his high school years, prior to the formation of 5 Seconds of Summer, Irwin formed a jazz-funk band called "Swallow the Goldfish" with his classmates.[181][182] Ultimately departing from the band, Irwin pursued a year of higher education at a TAFE college, studying music, before choosing to leave due to his commitment to 5 Seconds of Summer.[37][38]

Irwin was previously dated model Bryana Holly, with the pair dating for a year before splitting in June 2016.[183]

5 Second's of Summer have experimented with several musical and artistry styles through each of their albums and throughout the span of their career.  The band has expressed that they do not want to be confined to a single genre, stating in a 2019 GQ interview:

"It doesn’t really matter what genre [our music] fits in, if it’s fitting in an area that works for people who connect to it than that’s all that matters."[184]

— 5 Seconds Of Summer

5 Seconds of Summer's musical style has been described as pop,[185][186][187][188] pop rock,[189][190][191][192] pop punk,[193][194] power pop,[195][196] and new wave.[197] In 2015,Rolling Stone magazine called them "emo-gone-pop"[198] and John Feldmann of Goldfinger stated that, "[5 Seconds of Summer] is the best pop-punk band I've ever heard".[199] In 2017, Matt Collar of AllMusic described the band as having a reminiscent of "'90s punk-pop" and "2000s boy band pop" in their sound.[200] Through the release of Youngblood and CALM, the band has evolved from their pop-punk roots to explore musical depth within pop and pop-rock.[201] The band's quintessential developing sound has now been described as "classic pop-rock sentiments setting up the layering for the catchy hook."[202]

For their first studio album the band heavily cited Blink-182, Green Day, All Time Low, Good Charlotte, Nirvana, Mayday Parade, Busted, McFly, A Day to Remember, Boys Like Girls,[203] and My Chemical Romance as their influences[204][205][206][207]

For their second album, Sounds Good Feels Good, they cited All Time Low, The Used, Yellowcard, State Champs, Good Charlotte, INXS, Sugarcult, Green Day, and Mayday Parade as influences.[208]

5 Seconds of Summer has been labelled a boy band by the media.[209] Largely due to their past affiliation with English-Irish boy band One Direction and previously having a mostly female audience.[210] Members of the group have long rebutted claims that they are a boy band,[211] with Irwin, in the past, comparing the band's fanbase to Fall Out Boy, who also boast a large female fanbase. John Feldmann, frontman of Goldfinger, attributed 5 Seconds of Summer's fanbase to "a fundamental change in the pop punk demo[graphic]", mentioning its gradual shift away from the majorly-male audiences of early 1990s pop punk acts, such as Blink-182 and Green Day.[212] Hemmings previously described the band as being a pop rock band with a boyband fanbase.[213] In a 2018 interview with Vice, in response to a question about the band's thoughts on being mistakenly referred to as a boy band, Irwin responded:

"Some of the bands we look up to have been amazing vocalists but I think the term "boyband" embodies youth. And when we’re not a youthful band anymore, that’s when we’ll have problems. Labels are for people who are scared of themselves, and we’re not."[214]

— Ashton Irwin of 5 Seconds Of Summer

The band's third studio album, Youngblood, cited inspiration from the likes of Gorillaz, The Beatles, and Queen.[213][215] Hemmings described the title track single of the album as the lifestyle the band were living at the time of writing the song and further referred to the Youngblood 'persona' as dynamic waves of "give and take".[216] The distinct musical differences from their previous albums to Youngblood was credited to the band's desire to move out of their sonic comfort zone of pop punk. Clifford later stated that in order for the band to feel satisfied as artists, they had to push themselves "to make something new" and that the unpredictability that resulted was "the best thing" for the band.[217]

For their fourth studio album, Calm, the band stated that there was an intentionally "darker sound" and that they were "inspired by dark, synth-heavy groups of the Eighties and Nineties" including Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, and Nine Inch Nails' song "Closer".[218] They also stated that the direction of the album had been influenced by their listening to Gesaffelstein, Health, St. Vincent, Disclosure and Bob Moses.[218] The band's lead single for their fourth album, "Easier",was inspired by Nine Inch Nails' song "Closer with the band citing inspiration "as a "derivative of the driving drum groove."[219] The second single off the fourth album, "Teeth" featured Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, who provided a guitar riff solo on the outro of the track.[121]

On the band's diverse and ever changing musical style change, Hemmings has stated:

"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."[184]

— Luke Hemmings of 5 Seconds of Summer

In one of their first interviews as a band, 5 Seconds of Summer cited American rock band All Time Low as one of their biggest inspirations and dream collaboration.[152] In 2020, it was announced that on the 5 Seconds of Summer's fifth headlining tour, the No Shame Arena World Tour, All Time Low would be the opening act for the European shows.[220]

5 Seconds of Summer have received multiple official sale certifications and numerous accolades and awards for their work, including being honored with the prestigious APRA Awards Outstanding International Achievement Award in 2019[221] and being credited in the exclusive APRA AMCOS' The 1,000,000,000 List in 2020.[222][223]

At the end of the decade, 5 Seconds of Summer were named on Billboard's Top Artists of the 2010's Chart, which lists the most popular and successful artists of the 2010-2019 decade.[123]

5 Seconds of Summer have established two known and confirmed companies, both London-based. The initial 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER LLP was created in January 2013, followed by the 5SOS LLP which was established in June 2014.[224]

The secondary company, 5SOS LLP was established in association with company ONE MODE PRODUCTIONS LLP, with One Direction members, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson, signed as directors to the latter.[225]  In late 2014, Billboard Magazine revealed that all five One Direction members: Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, collectively held a 20% stake in the 5SOS LLP.[226] It was also reported that the 20% stakes were further split evenly between the members of One Direction and London-based Modest Management, with 5 Seconds of Summer owning the remainder 80% of the company's shares.[227] It was estimated that within the span of three months, the members of One Direction had reportedly earned an approximate of $25,000 each, based off 5 Seconds of Summer's music sales alone.[228]

In January 2015, it was revealed that both Payne and Tomlinson had resigned as directors of One Mode Production.[229]

Despite 5 Seconds of Summer being in a period of inactivity for the majority of 2017, both of the band's companies continued to significantly increase in worth.[230] In September 2018, it was reported that the 5 Seconds of Summer's networth increased by 193.23% within the span of a year.[231][232][230]

The band's two British companies are not believed to factor in the monetary amounts earned from their other global ventures. Both LLP accounts' information are made available through the British government page, Companies House. As of mid-2020, the band's estimated net worth is approximately $81 million (AUD).[22][23]

On 13 May 2019, the band announced the creation of their philanthropic brand, Friends of Friends, with the release of a limited-edition clothing range.[254][255] All profits from the first initiative were donated to Safe Place for Youth, a project of Community Partners that focuses on helping and empowering homeless youth.[256]

On 21 May 2019, the band announced they would be hosting their first benefit concert under the Friends of Friends brand. On 29 May 2019, the first-ever Friends of Friends show was held in a sold-out venue in Venice, California, with 5 Seconds of Summer as featured headliners, and All Time Low, Sierra Deaton, among various other artists as supporting acts. All proceeds from the event were donated to the Safe Place for Youth project, a housing and support service for homeless youth in Los Angeles.[257][258]

On 26 June 2019, Friends of Friends released another limited edition clothing range with the announcement of their second benefit concert. This time taking place in Sydney, Australia on 3 July 2019, the sold-out concert featured 5 Seconds of Summer as headliners, with Amy Shark, Genesis Owusu, and several other artists as support acts.[259] All proceeds from the show and the clothing range were donated to Blacktown Youth Services Association, an Australian organization that works to inspire young people to positively impact their community.[260]

On 23 January 2020, in response to the 2019-20 Australian bushfires, a limited-edition clothing range designed by artist, Micah Ulrich was released, with the band stating that they were "devastated by the tragic fires that [had] affected so many [...] in Australia." and wanted "to contribute as best [they could] to relief efforts." All profits from the clothing line were donated to the Australian Red Cross.[261][262]

• Mini Australian Tour (2012)
• Twenty Twelve Tour (June 2012)[283]
• First New Zealand Show (3 November 2012)[284]
• Pants Down Tour (2013) (Australia)
• UK Tour (February & March 2014)[285]
• 5 Countries 5 Days European Tour (March & April 2014) (Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, Spain)[286]
• Stars, Stripes and Maple Syrup Tour (April 2014) (North America)
• There's No Place Like Home Tour (May 2014) (Australia)[287]
• Rock Out with Your Socks Out Tour (2015) (UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, US, Canada)[55][56][57]
• Sounds Live Feels Live World Tour (2016) (Asia, UK, Ireland, Europe, US, Canada, Mexico, Australia)[288]
• 5SOS III Tour (2018) (Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Australia)
• Meet You There Tour (2018) (Asia, New Zealand, Australia, North America, Europe)
• No Shame Tour (2020–2021) (Latin America, North America, Europe, Australia)

• Hot Chelle Rae – Whatever World Tour (October 2012)[289]
• One Direction – Take Me Home Tour (2013)[290]
• One Direction – Where We Are Tour (2014)
• One Direction – On the Road Again Tour (2015) (4 shows in Japan)[291]
• The Chainsmokers – World War Joy tour (2019)(40 shows in North America)[292][293]