The Wanted are an Anglo-Irish boy band consisting of members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, Tom Parker and Nathan Sykes. They formed in 2009 and were signed worldwide to Universal Music subsidiaries Island Records and Mercury Records, and managed by Scooter Braun.

The band's debut album, The Wanted, was released on 25 October 2010 and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart. The album spawned three UK top 20 singles: their debut single "All Time Low", which debuted at number one, "Heart Vacancy", which reached number two, and "Lose My Mind", which peaked at number 19. Follow-up album Battleground saw release on 4 November 2011 and hit number five in the UK and number four in Ireland. The lead single from the album, "Gold Forever", was released in aid of Comic Relief and reached number three in the UK. Their second number-one hit, "Glad You Came", topped the singles chart in the United Kingdom for two weeks, and in Ireland for five weeks. The third and fourth singles "Lightning" and "Warzone" hit number two and number 21, respectively, in the UK.

In early 2012, The Wanted began to see success in the United States and Canada, with their hit single "Glad You Came" selling 3 million copies in the US and hitting number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Canadian Hot 100. Additionally, their follow-up singles "Chasing the Sun" and "I Found You" reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In 2013, it was announced that the group would be starring in their very own reality series on E! entitled The Wanted Life. The series would document the group's stay in Los Angeles while they recorded their third worldwide album and prepare for a world tour, as well as their day-to-day antics. The show promised an honest glimpse into the lives of the band members.