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 PART ONE Music has had it's share of musical families from The Osmonds, to The Jacksons and even The Partridge Family but this decade's successful music family is none other than The Merjos's. With 7 awards, 7 albums, and 43 singles between the three of them, they have already conquered the industry as one of the most successful families in the business today. They've each earned their own respective spots in the industry but together they prove to be an unbreakable family. With exclusive new interviews from them and friends alike, this is the E! Special of The Merjos Family.
"They are definitely a success story. The Merjos family are one of the most known families in entertainment, not just music." - Kassidy Cullers [Music Critic]
They've overcome great obstacles, faced challenges, and even dealt with controversy but through it all they ended up coming out on top and are still thriving in music today.
"I think it's a blessing that we've all come this far and we're still even relevant!" (Laughs) "We're all just really grateful." - Hannah Beth Merjos-Caulfield
[Picture of Hannah zooms up to the screen as the narrator continues speaking]
It all started on October 30th, 1987 in San Juan Puerto Rico. Hannah Elizabeth Merjos was born to parents Hector and Laura Merjos.
"My dad said that when I was born I was very stubborn and fighting everyone except him. He told me he had the magic touch and I just went quiet whenever he held me. I believe him. (Laughs)" - Hannah Beth Merjos-Caulfield
[Picture of Hannah zooms up to the screen of her as a child]
When she turned 5, her parents moved to Texas where her brother, Hayden Merjos, would soon be born. They lived there until she was a teenager then the family moved to California. Once in Los Angeles, Hannah quickly found her passion in life; music.
"I was a typical teenager really. I just loved music, it was my life. I had a song for everything and I was always playing music in the house. My parents would get pretty tired of hearing it so I would sit outside and listen to people pass by with their music and sing along." - Hannah Beth Merjos-Caulfield
"For as long as I can remember, Hannah was always singing to me and to everyone else. She wasn't really shy about it, she just sung in front of whoever would listen." - Hayden Merjos
Her father soon recognized her talent and decided to teach her about instruments. When she was 14, her father Hector bought her her first instrument; a piano. After he could afford piano lessons, Hannah was moving on to other instruments as well such as the flute, and even drums.
"It was clear to everyone that Hannah just had a gift for music rather singing it or playing it. She was a fast learner and she had a lot of discipline and the will to learn. Obviously she was going to be a star." - Kassidy Cullers [Music Critic]
[A picture of Hannah on the swim team shows up on the screen as the Hannah speaks and then more pictures of her in her teen years]
"I had a really easy time in High school. It was almost the best years of my life. I made a lot of friends and I was even on the swim team at school." - Hannah Beth Merjos-Caulfield
"Hannah was always bubbly and sweet. She could make anyone smile or laugh and she had a big heart. She would literally do anything for a friend no matter what it was and she's still that way today. She's always had a good head on her shoulders and was very determined so it's like no surprise that she made it this far. (Laughs)" - Chelsea Cotton [Childhood Friend]
But things would soon take a weird and confusing turn for the Merjos family.
"I remember when my mom and dad got into an argument. It was really loud, she was mostly the one screaming and my dad was trying to calm her down. She was throwing things and he was trying to protect Hayden because he was in the way. She just left and never came back. I think we were just so stunned by it, we didn't know what to do or what to say." - Hannah Beth Merjos-Caulfield
Soon after the unexpected leave of their mother, Hannah decided to go into the music business where she would quickly learn it's easy to get distracted if she wasn't focused and she would get her first real taste of what the real world was like.
[A picture of Hayden zooms up to the screen as the narrator speaks]
Hayden Roberto Merjos was also showing signs of musical interests. Even though he was the youngest, he was often more outgoing than his big sister and got in a lot more trouble. Hayden was born on May 5th, 1992 in El Paso, Texas.
"Hayden was a little firecracker, literally. (Laughs) He was a lot more stubborn and troublesome than I was. Everyone used to say he was definitely going to be the hard one to raise but I think my daddy was just happy with having another male in the house." - Hannah Beth Merjos-Caulfield
"I used to always stick by my dad's side no matter what. After my mom was gone, he was the only parent that I knew so I had that close bond with him, as his son you know? He taught me everything I know now really. I also had a love for sports like Soccer which I played a lot of as a child. I was the best you know. (Grins)" - Hayden Merjos
When Hayden was 14 years old, his father bought him his first guitar and soon it would become his second personality.
"Yeah I brought that guitar with me everywhere I went. I learned how to play it because my father taught me since we couldn't afford more lessons. He was always a great guitar player. I never understood why he didn't make a career out of it but being in the industry today, I kinda get it now. He just wanted to be a family man." - Hayden Merjos
After Hannah graduated High school, the Merjos family moved to LA, minus Hayden. He stayed behind in order for him to graduate high school and for Hannah to focus on a music career.
"It was very hard convincing my father to let me go into the music industry. He thought that I would get ate alive by all of the fame and people would try to use me, he was looking out for me from things I didn't see at the time. I just wanted to see the glamorous side and not the realistic side. He was very adamant about Hayden finishing school so he stayed with our grandparents until he finished and we visited him a lot." - Hannah Beth Merjos-Caulfield
At the young age of 18, Hannah began to think about college but also thought about her singing career. After she had placed in top rankings in all of her competitions, Hannah sought something more than performing in front of small crowds. She was determined to make it big like her idols.
"Hannah had always loved music and she of course had her favorites. She was a very versatile listener. Her father had played many different types of music so that they wouldn't just succumb to one specific genre. She was in love with R&B at first. She was always listening to Boyz II Men, Aaliyah, Donna Summer, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, she was really into the whole 90's R&B too. That seemed to be her favorite era for that genre and then in the 2000's, she became really into Pop music and Rock. Hannah just always had a knack for singing." - Jessica Stump [Hannah's Childhood Friend]
Once Hannah had perfected her knowledge in music, she decided to enroll into UCLA, where she would earn a degree in music but she would soon take a trip that would change her life forever.
"I was in L.A. and it was on a weekend that I was free. I visited this hotel called The Dirty Bastard Hotel and Casino. I just went there for like fun. I ended up meeting someone that would change my life. I was able to meet my then boyfriend, Taylor Asbridge. He was really sweet and I had no idea he was in a band or who he was. He was just a really nice guy I met and he soon became my best friend." - Hannah Beth Merjos-Caulfield
"I had met Hannah at the Dirty Bastard Casino a few years ago whilst I was spending all my time there. I never really knew much about her before speaking to her, I'd heard her name spoken a few times around the place about how she was a great singer and all that but I'd never really seen or heard anything that she'd done. I saw her for the first time and thought she was gorgeous, so I started chatting to her for a bit and we exchanged phone numbers. After a couple encounters at the bar and a few more chats, we started getting a little flirty and one thing led to another and we became a couple." - Taylor Walton-Asbridge
After the two met, they soon realized that there was more than just friendship between them but Hannah didn't take her eye off the ball. She continued to write and would soon be on her way to the future she sought after. She released her debut single, 'She's No Me' and it quickly reached a peak of #7 on the charts. This made Hannah realize just the amount of potential she had to reach her dream. She was soon signed to one of the biggest labels in music at the time, Hot Eye Records. But, she hadn't strayed from her love life too long.
Soon, pictures were swirling on the internet and on magazines that the new girl in music was falling for the bad boy. Taylor and Hannah were the cute couple that seemed to be over the moon for each other. It wasn't long that Hannah was already in the spotlight and released a second single, 'Just For One Night'.
"Hannah's first two singles did okay for a newbie but she was satisfied with the success she was having. She was very proud of herself and so was her father. She wanted to make him proud and I believe she did. I don't think she was so proud about her and Taylor though." - Kassidy Mueller [Childhood Friend]
"Yeah...my father wasn't too pleased to find out through others that I was dating someone. (Laughs) I didn't mean for it to happen but it kinda got to the point where things escalated quickly and I didn't get the chance to tell him before it got out. I wasn't expecting it to be news since I was a nobody. He liked Taylor though." - Hannah Beth Merjos-Caulfield
Meanwhile Hayden had learned of his sister's success while trying to focus on school in Texas. While he was getting mediocre grades and finding himself in constant trouble, Hayden too started to show signs of music as a possible career choice when he entered into his school's talent show and placed first. He was sure that this was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
[A picture of Hayden performing at a local talent show in El Paso, Texas]
"I've always dreamed of growing old and being a musician. I still want that dream right now. I don't see myself doing anything that doesn't involve music in some way, it's just impossible to me. Some people grow up and they wanna be a doctor, nurse, athlete, and they have that passion and drive for it. I feel that and 10 times more whenever I hear music. School was fun and all but I had to get out so I could do what I really wanted.
I was proud of my sister for where she had gotten so fast. She taught me that a dream isn't always something that can go away so easily and be forgotten." - Hayden Merjos
But things would soon take a drastic turn for the singer. After her third single, 'Flashback' which would later be the name of her debut album, Hannah soon found herself in the midst of family drama that wasn't her own.
"It was reported that Hannah and Taylor had been spending more time together at the Dirty Bastard Hotel and Casino which is where Taylor's father had an altercation with him. She was there for it all and it was a quite gruesome fight. Hannah was also have said to been scared and fearful for Taylor." Gloria Maynard [Music Biographer]
"I was afraid that Taylor was gonna get hurt and I had no clue what to do. I had never been put in a position like that before so I was terrified for the both of us. It was a crazy day for the both of us. I think that's what kinda attracted us together even more. He had his family problems and at the time I had my family problems and we could talk about it and understand each other. It was easy being in a relationship with Taylor because he would just listen and we could talk for hours about everything." - Hannah Beth Merjos-Caulfield
"I couldn't have asked for a better woman at the time, I was going through a bad stage in my own life and Hannah was always there for me. Sometimes I believe that without Hannah there, I wouldn't have coped with life back then. I had family problems and I was an absolute wreck, but she always managed to keep me from doing something stupid or dangerous. She's a very responsible person and takes good care of the ones she loves. We had dated for about two or three years when we broke up." - Taylor Walton-Asbridge
As soon as things seemed normal again, Hannah was called on by one of music's promising bands, Failed Youth, to record a song together. The single, 'Burn' quickly rose on the charts and was Hannah's highest charting single yet, but it wasn't long before more chaos had erupted into her life.
[A picture of Hannah's father showed up on the screen as the music shifts to a sullen tone]
In early August of 2009, Hannah was informed that her father, Hector Merjos, had fallen ill. She returned back to Texas where her father was in the hospital. He had suffered from a heart attack that would soon prove to be more than they bargained for.
"It was a shock to everyone. He was always healthy and he didn't drink or do drugs so we couldn't figure out how a perfectly healthy man would just all of a sudden get a heart attack. It was a hard time on all of us." - Hayden Merjos
"It hit us all pretty hard. I know my uncle was very much hurt by it. I didn't know how serious it was at the time. I thought that it would just be a few days in the hospital and then he would be back home."
Hannah had seemingly dropped her music career to spend time with her father and brother. She was out of action for the next few months and Hector's health didn't seem to be returning.
"It was like slowly watching someone have the life sucked out of them...it was just crazy." (She pauses for a few seconds and then sniffles). "My father was a very strong man and to see him look so weak just tore my heart apart. I didn't wanna leave his side so I didn't and I was there until the end.." - Hannah Beth Merjos-Caulfield
Hector Merjos passed away on November 9th, 2009. He was 41. The death of her father would make Hannah slump into a dark depression.
"Hannah wouldn't eat much, she wouldn't sleep, she wouldn't talk about it at all. She kind of secluded herself from everyone and everything. She disappeared from music and that was almost unlikely. She just was crushed and I'd never seen her that way before. She just wanted to cope with everything on her own but I made sure to be there for her." - Hayden Merjos
"It was a bit of a weird time as for eight to nine months, Hannah had to see her dad while he wasn't well and even though we kept in touch occasionally, we never saw each other and things just started falling apart as we started to distance." - Taylor Walton-Asbridge
The strain would soon take it's toll on the relationship and the two eventually parted ways after 2 years together but it wouldn't be the end of Hannah's love life or her career.OOC: This is something new I wanted to try, kind of like an interview/documentary similar to how E! does. Hopefully this works out :O lol. Thanks if you actually managed to read all of this! Edited by user 14 January 2013 02:30:38(UTC)
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