Omar CruzIf there is anyone that knows how to put together a singing group, it's Simon Cowell. It didn't come to us as a surprise that he created the show La Banda, a Spanish-language singing competition looking to create the next successful band.
The show's very first winners were the boys that make up CNCO. Although we must say, these young men have one iconic advantage: Ricky Martin. The former Menudo member produced the show and has been a crucial part of the band's success since day one.
After the show's popularity, CNCO went into the studio, made music and broke records. Just like that. Their story is very similar to the beginning of One Direction and the boys don't mind the comparison.
CNCO is made up of Christopher Vélez, Erick Brian Colón, Joel Pimentel, Richard Camacho and Zabdiel de Jesús.
Huge congratulations to CNCO. Very proud of you. Simon.
— Simon Cowell (@SimonCowell) September 8, 2016
With the best guidance in Latin music, the boys headed to the studio to create their first album and have none other than Wisin as its producer. In January, the group's debut single "Tan Fácil" reached No. 1 on the iTunes Latin singles chart within just hours of its release.
Cowell recently congratulated the band when their album made history as the biggest selling Latin debut album of the year to date. The famous reality television judge said he was proud of CNCO.
E! News sat with the group's members to get to know them individually, and here's what we learned:
Christoper, 20, was born in Ecuador and would love to work with Sin Bandera and finds inspiration from Jackson 5. He's currently crushing on Ariana Grande.
Erick, 15, was born in Cuba and would love to work with Pablo Alboran and looks up to One Direction. His celebrity crushes include Emma Watson and Ariana Grande.
Joel, 17, is a California native but has Mexican Ancestry. His longtime celebrity crush is Kendall Jenner. He'd love to work with Ed Sheeran and says his biggest musical inspiration are the Beatles.
Zabdiel, 18, calls Puerto Rico home. Aside from being a musician, he's also a ballet dancer. If he could work with anyone right now, it would be Sam Smith and he is musically influenced by his father, who is a guitar player.
Richard, 19, has grown up with entertainment all around him. His father was a cameraman and musician, and his mother was a dancer. The Dominican singer hopes to one day work with Chris Brown and Usher. He's currently crushing on Rihanna.
When it comes to the craziest thing a fan has done so far, the band said that they once met a girl that got a tattoo of CNCO's logo. They couldn't believe it until the saw her new ink.
"Our life has completely changed since this all happened, I think we all dreamt of being here since we were really young. We all wished to be on stage, singing and dancing, just doing what we love," Richard said. "Now that we're doing it, it's like every day is a dream, but we're also pushing forward every single day to keep this going and keep this dream alive."
The band has had the incredible experience of going back to their hometowns, they still haven't been able to visit Eric's native Cuba, but they wish to go very soon.
"It's very special to go back to your town, to the city that saw you grow up. It's amazing to go back to the place where it all started and have them see you as the artist that you always envisioned," Richard said. "These people saw you dream, and they receive you with open arms. Our friends treat us the same, but they're very proud of us, and that means a lot."
When it comes to having Martin as a mentor, the band says that the best advice they've received from the 44-year-old singer is always to have your feet on the ground and to stay humble.
"But he's also always reminding us that resting and having time for yourself is crucial," Erick said.
Of course, we had to ask the boy if they were single. They said they all are!
You can catch CNCO's performance during the Latin American Music Awards this Oct. 6 on Telemundo.