Origin
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

Genres
Pop • R&B

Years Active
2012 - 2016 • 2021 - Present

Label
Big Diamond Records

Members
Blake Williams (2012 - 2016) (2021 - Present)
Jason Ochoa-Steele (2012 - 2016) (2021 - Present)
Liam Allen (2012 - 2016) (2021 - Present)
Chris Adams (2012 - 2014) (2021 - Present)

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B I O G R A P H Y

The Zone are an American boy band formed in 2012. The group is composed of members Blake Williams, Chris Adams, Liam Allen and Jason Ochoa-Steele. Chris Adams initially quit the band in 2014, leaving the remaining members to continue on as a trio until they officially disbanded in 2016. Following a five-year absence, The Zone reunited in their original four-piece line-up in 2021. They initially signed to Kiss My Pop Records and then transferred to Five Pesky Kids amidst an industry merger. The Zone signed a new record deal with Big Diamond Records in 2023. The group has released one studio album; "The High Life" (2013), five official singles, and toured extensively throughout 2013 and 2014. They are currently working on their long-awaited sophomore album.

2012 - 2013: Formation, rise to fame, touring & "The High Life"
Chris Adams and Blake Williams met in high school, befriending each other in their early teenage years. Throughout his school experience, Chris simultaneously pursued a career within the music industry. His efforts ranged from seeking a publishing deal as a writer, a potential solo recording career, and even briefly attempting to launch as part of a pop-punk band at the age of 15. His next venture proved more fruitful, deciding to form a traditional vocal pop group. Adams recruited Williams before adding Liam Allen, another close friend of Chris', into the fold. Liam and Chris then reached out to Jason Ochoa-Steele, a fellow Floridian musician and mutual friend, offering him a position to complete the quartet. "The Zone" were officially formed in early 2012. Already armed with creative backgrounds and musical expertise, the group immediately started working on material and shopping for a record deal. They officially signed with Kiss My Pop Records in the spring of 2012.

Before officially releasing any material, The Zone garnered media attention based on Blake's relation to rising pop star of the time, Mandy Williams, his younger cousin. Further popularity and interest generated when Blake began dating Dustyn Blue-Conners of Weekend fame. The high profile same-sex relationship between two members of contemporary pop groups was considered ground-breaking at the time and created a media storm. With the world already watching, The Zone released their debut single "Nothing They Can Say" in September 2012 to immediate support and acclaim, entering the Chart Heat Top 10 and peaking at #8. The band continued to promote and expand their brand, becoming support acts for Weekend and Isabel's tours, respectively. Their follow-up single "Make Up" was released in late 2012 but failed to replicate the success of their debut, entering the lower regions of the Top 20 at #17. Chris Adams also successfully competed in the third series of popular reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother, finishing in second place behind Billy Khan.

2013 saw the release their third single, the guitar-driven, mid-tempo ballad "Beautiful in Every Way". It went on to become their most successful and acclaimed single to date, peaking at #4 on the Chart Heat Singles list. The Zone finally went on to release their debut album "The High Life" in the spring of 2013. It was a commercial success, debuting and peaking at #4 on the Chart Heat Albums list before going on to be certified double platinum. Critical reception of the album was mainly positive with several reviewers praising The Zone for carving out a unique identity from the influx of boyband competitors. The fourth and final single lifted from the album was "Give Me a Try". The single became another hit for the group, peaking at #5.

Throughout the remainder of 2013, The Zone continued a busy schedule of touring both as a supporting act and also going on to headline their own tour, "The High Life Tour", which ran into the following year. During this time, their label fell into administration and was bought out by Five Pesky Kids.

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2014 - 2016: Chris' departure, cancelled second album & split
The Zone immediately began work on their second studio album after the successful release of their debut, pencilling in sessions amidst their tour. 2014 saw the beginning of public backlash and negative media attention for the group following Blake's split from Dustyn Blue-Conners. Scrutiny and intrusion was only amplified as the break-up came shortly after The Zone signed a new deal with Weekend's own label, Five Pesky Kids. Reports of infighting and creative stalemates between members of the band also began to emerge. After a breakdown in personal relationships, new romances forming, burnout from extensive touring, switching labels and the pressures of creating a successful follow-up album, sources close to the band branded the atmosphere as a "hostile environment" with "everyone on different pages".

In March 2014, founding member Chris Adams officially quit the band, citing "creative differences" as the main reasoning behind his shock departure. Despite Adams being the founder of the band as well as their most prominent vocalist and songwriter, the remaining three members decided to continue on as a trio and kickstart new recording sessions. In June 2014, Blake, Jason and Liam released "Let's Let Go", their first single as a three-piece. The track was universally acclaimed with many dubbing it as "their best release yet". The group was praised for their musical growth and for maintaining a quality standard despite Chris' departure. Although warmly received by fans and critics alike, the single stalled at a lowly #30 on the Chart Heat Singles list.

The poor performance of their initial leading single caused the band and Five Pesky Kids to halt plans for a follow-up release with The Zone returning to the studio with an array of new writers and producers. While work continued on their second album throughout the rest of 2014, The Zone embarked on a small run of intimate live shows in the United States where they performed acoustic versions of their hits, album cuts and previously unreleased material from the ongoing second album sessions.

Jason married long-term partner and fellow pop star Kourtney Steele in 2015. Fans initially believed that he had parted from the group or that they had quietly split after Ochoa-Steele made a post on Instagram in which he stated that he was "taking time out to focus on new priorities". He soon reiterated that although he'll be enjoying some personal downtime, that he was still "very much part of The Zone".

2015 also saw Liam Allen take part in the fifth series of Celebrity Big Brother, becoming the second member of the group to do so. Despite being well-received on the show, Allen did not receive an official placement as production of the fifth season closed down early due to security fears. Liam also went on to become the first member of the band to release solo material that summer. The release of his debut single "Runaway" further fuelled rumours of a split.

After over a year of silence from anything The Zone related, a photograph of Allen, Ochoa-Steele and Williams working in the studio was posted on the band's official Instagram account in 2016. Despite the revelation of new music being in the works, nothing ever materialised from the sessions. Their follow-up post would be a group statement announcing their "indefinite hiatus" and thanking fans for their support over the years.

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2017 - 2020: Hiatus & solo endeavours
After the band split, all former members ventured down different career paths with various degrees of success and media attention. Despite initially stating that things ended on good terms, all members had unfollowed Blake Williams across all social media platforms by 2018. Liam Allen also went on record branding Williams as "insufferable" during a podcast interview in 2020.

Former lead singer and founding member Chris Adams stepped out of the spotlight after his initial exit from the group. Adams instead opted to write songs for other artists, also turning his hand at producing. Chris also went on to become a partner in his friend's talent agency, The CLP Group, scouting local Floridian talent. Although never officially releasing any solo material, Chris often posted videos of himself performing original songs aided by his guitar on Instagram. He would also perform at small local music venues often for fundraisers, showcasing a collection of covers, The Zone hits and unreleased solo material.

Like Adams, Jason Ochoa-Steele shunned the limelight after the demise of the band. He was the only member of the band not to pursue anything music related during the hiatus. Jason instead focused on his marriage and became a videographer, also dabbling in directing for local documentaries. He also began investing in real estate, climbing the property ladder. Most of Ochoa-Steele's online presence since The Zone has been family oriented, following his and Kourtney's journey towards parenthood. They have candidly shared their failed experiences with IVF and continue to post their progression.

Liam Allen was the first member of the group to release a track, the standalone single "Runaway" which featured Natasha Iver. This was prior to The Zone's disbandment and a solo album never followed at the time. It wouldn't be until 2021 when Liam returned to music with the release of the independent single, "All That Glitters". Despite a warm reception, the single failed to chart. His debut solo album "The Showstopper" was independently released in the summer of 2021. Due to a small budget and lack of mainstream promotion, the album stalled at a dismal #189 on the Chart Heat Albums list, shifting 930 copies in its first week. Outside of music, Liam also models and acts. He is currently contracted under Paradigm Models and has appeared on the cover of numerous fashion and men's health magazine. Allen has also featured in a handful of small budget independent movies.

Blake Williams went on to have arguably the biggest career outside of The Zone, racking up chart success and generating controversy within the media. He kickstarted his solo career in 2018 with the release of his debut solo single "Who Do You Love Now?". It initially stayed within the lower regions of the charts before becoming a sleeper hit, going on to peak at #4. His second single "Apple" was released in 2019 and went on to reach #1 on the Chart Heat Singles list. With this, Blake not only became the sole member of the band to achieve a #1 single, but it was also a feat The Zone itself never managed to achieve. Around this time, Williams entered a highly publicised relationship with Ashley Grimmie. Shortly after their split in early 2020, Grimmie tragically died in her New Jersey home. It was ruled as an accidental overdose and Williams once again found himself at the centre of a media frenzy. He'd later go on to become the third member of the band to take part in Celebrity Big Brother, starring in its seventh season. After a controversial stint filled with heated confrontations, Blake was evicted one week before the final. Following his CBB run, Blake independently released his debut album "Rewrite" in the summer of 2020. It debuted at #1 on the Chart Heat Albums list and received critical acclaim. The third and final single from the project, "Feel", was released in the autumn and peaked at #2.

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2021 - Present: Reunion & new music
After five years of silence, the band's official Instagram account was cleared of all past content and the display pictures across all of The Zone's social media profiles were updated to showcase a brand new logo. An official TikTok account was created too. This caused fans and the media to speculate that the announcement of their comeback was imminent. On July 20, 2021, The Zone formally announced their return with the original line-up, posting the first new group picture as a four-piece since 2014 across all of their social media platforms. The announcement of the comeback was met with a mixed reception. Some criticised the glamourisation of Williams and vocalised their reluctance to support him while others praised the return of the original quartet, citing teenage nostalgia and the "underrated" talents of the group as the reasoning for their excitement.

Throughout 2022, the band quietly began working on material and started searching for a brand new record deal. In May 2023, The Zone announced that they had finally signed a deal with Big Diamond Records and revealed their intention of releasing brand new music. The following month saw the release of their comeback single, "Guess It's True". The song was released to critical acclaim and commercial success, going on to give The Zone their first #1 single.

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M E M B E R S




Full Name: Blake Gary Williams
Date of Birth: September 5, 1994
Place of Birth: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Star Sign: Virgo
Twitter: @ThisIsBlake
Instagram: @ThisIsBlake
Instruments: Vocals, Guitar, Ukulele, Piano
Favorite Food: Potato salad
Drink of Choice: Michelob
Favorite Quote: "They always win who side with God." - Frederick William Faber

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Full Name: Chris Aaron Adams
Date of Birth: April 23, 1994
Place of Birth: Hallandale Beach, Florida
Star Sign: Taurus
Twitter: @IAmChrisAdams
Instagram: @ChrisTheZone
Instruments: Vocals, Guitar, Drums
Favorite Food: Chicken gyoza with LOTS of soy sauce
Drink of Choice: Glass of Shiraz
Favorite Quote: "Music is moonlight in the gloomy night of life." - Jean Paul

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Full Name: Jason Edward Ochoa-Steele
Date of Birth: February 23, 1995
Place of Birth: Weston, Florida
Star Sign: Pisces
Twitter: @JasonOS
Instagram: @JasonTZ
Instruments: Vocals, Ukulele
Favorite Food: Pepperoni pizza
Drink of Choice: Vodka & Diet Coke
Favorite Quote: "A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success." - Elbert Hubbard

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Full Name: Liam David Allen
Date of Birth: July 24, 1992
Place of Birth: Jacksonville, Florida
Star Sign: Leo
Twitter: @LiamAllen
Instagram: @LiamTheZone
Instruments: Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Favorite Food: Burritos
Drink of Choice: Negroni
Favorite Quote: "If you let go of fart jokes, you've let go of a piece of humanity." - Andy Samberg

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D I S C O G R A P H Y

ALBUMS


The High Life [#4]

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SINGLES


Nothing They Can Say [#8]


Make Up [#17]


Beautiful in Every Way [#4]


Give Me a Try [#5]


Let's Let Go [#30]


Guess It's True [#1]

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S T O R E