The platinum-selling group behind “All or Nothing” and “Liquid Dreams” embraces confidence, humor and a new chapter, more than two decades after Making the Band
October 16, 2026 – More than 25 years after OTOWN first came together in front of millions of viewers on Making the Band, the platinum-selling pop group is still finding new ways to evolve, and are enjoying themselves more than ever in the process.
On their new single “Certified Delulu,” Jacob Underwood, Trevor Penick, Erik-Michael Estrada and Dan Miller turn the internet-era idea of being “delulu” into an infectious celebration of confidence, individuality and not taking yourself too seriously.
Written by Jacob Underwood and Mark Suhonen and produced by Suhonen and OTOWN, “Certified Delulu” pairs the polished pop instincts the group has developed over more than two decades with a playful, contemporary sensibility. Built around an unapologetic sense of self-confidence, the track taps into the humor of believing in yourself just a little more than reality might warrant.
At its center is an instantly memorable declaration: “I’m Certified Delulu baby, untouchable / Absolutely can’t teach this, can’t compare. I’m the main event in my own head.”
It’s playful by design, but there is something fitting about hearing OTOWN sing it now. Few groups from the turn-of-the-millennium pop explosion are still creating new music and performing together more than 25 years later. For OTOWN, that longevity has come through reinvention, independence and a genuine friendship that ultimately proved much bigger than the television show that originally brought them together.
“‘Certified Delulu’ is really the product of everything we’ve experienced together over the last 25 years,” the group shares. “There’s something pretty funny about four middle-aged guys still doing this with the same energy we had in our twenties. We wanted to have some fun with that and make a song that doesn’t take itself or us too seriously.”
The sentiment is knowingly tongue-in-cheek, but it also captures where OTOWN finds itself today: comfortable with its history, confident in who the members have become and still excited by the possibility of doing something they haven’t done before. “To be a band this long and feel like we’re still doing things we’ve never done before, like ‘Certified Delulu,’ keeps us excited for our future,” says Jacob Underwood. “I think it’s about time we made a song that makes fun of ourselves, and everyone else likes us. We’re all a little Delulu.”
OTOWN holds a distinctive place in pop history. Formed on the original Making the Band in 2000, the group was signed by legendary executive Clive Davis as the first act on his newly launched J Records. Their self-titled debut entered the Billboard 200 at No. 5, while “Liquid Dreams” reached the Hot 100 Top 10 and signature ballad “All or Nothing” climbed to No. 3.
After splitting in 2003, Jacob Underwood, Trevor Penick, Erik-Michael Estrada and Dan Miller reunited a decade later, this time on their own terms. They returned with Lines & Circles in 2014 and later The O.T.W.N. Album, building an independent second chapter that has now far outlasted the group’s original run. Today, OTOWN continues to perform dozens of shows each year, including dates on the Pop 2000 Tour, while their YouTube series Being the Band offers fans a new behind-the-scenes look at a group they first watched come together on television more than two decades ago.
That history gives “Certified Delulu” an added dimension. Rather than trying to recreate their early-2000s sound, the single reflects a band comfortable with where they’ve been and genuinely excited about where they are now. Its humor bridges generations, pairing the language and outsized confidence of the social-media age with the personality and pop sensibility that have always been central to OTOWN.
Recorded at Suho Studio in San Diego, “Certified Delulu” continues the group’s creative relationship with co-writer and producer Mark Suhonen. Ethan Rounds performs guitar, keys and bass, with programming by Suhonen. The track was mixed by Sean Moffitt and Suhonen and mastered at The Hit Lab by Nathan Dantzler.
Twenty-five years after Making the Band introduced them to the world, OTOWN is still creating, touring and finding new territory together. With “Certified Delulu,” they’re embracing that longevity without taking themselves too seriously, and having some fun with what comes next.
The single will be released via Pacific Records / O-Face / Bing Productions. Pre-save it here: https://orcd.co/certifieddelulu
“CERTIFIED DELULU” CREDITS
Written by Jacob Underwood & Mark Suhonen
Produced by Mark Suhonen & O-Town
Published by Townfolk LLC (ASCAP) / Suhonen Publishing (ASCAP)
Recorded at Suho Studio — San Diego, CA
Guitar, Keys & Bass: Ethan Rounds
Programming: Mark Suhonen
Mixed by Sean Moffitt & Mark Suhonen
Mastered by Nathan Dantzler at The Hit Lab
OTOWN Online
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