Big Time Rush (Unreleased Infopost + Masterpost)

[Kipper]

Hi everyone, this (was) my first post here! I'm a lifelong fan of Big Time Rush and wanted to share this passion project I've been working on for almost two years now. Its goal is to be the definitive source for finding and preserving information about BTR's unreleased music, as well as, perhaps inadvertently, as an overall document of their musical history.

BTR’s unreleased catalogue is considerably extensive: Like other pop artists of the same caliber, Nickelodeon and especially Columbia Records presented them with hundreds upon hundreds of pre-written tracks to record over their initial five-year run, about halfway through which they began tallying even more that they co-wrote themselves. As of June 2021, their repertoire is expanding once more now that the guys have taken full control of their band, and are preparing for a brand-new era of music, finally delivered on their own terms.

The info compiled here is derived from a plethora of sources, mainly PRO registries, as well as virtually any way the band themselves (or associates) have spoken, whether through interviews, tweets, magazines, writer/producer website, and virtually anything. In light of the post's extensivity, it's funny to remind that this is just the tip of an iceberg, strewn together from what few bits and pieces have escaped the secrecy of Sony's vaults. Keeping that in mind, this list is not claiming to be complete, nor is it likely to ever be.

With all that said, I hope this serves as a useful resource for anyone who loves this Flop boy band as much as I do! The project is a constant work-in-progress, and if you spot anything that's missing or contradicts what's written here, please get in touch with me ASAP!

Note the KEY:

• Songs highlighted in green have leaked, or are otherwise available, in full
• Songs highlighted in blue have only partially surfaced
• Songs highlighted in red were released by an artist other than Big Time Rush, with their own version remaining unheard

Also, in order for a song to appear on this list, it must have a known title and/or an available recording. This is to prevent having 50+ ‘untitled’ songs which have unique personnel or some other unspecific info from inflating the list and making a mess.

 

I.  Pre-history: B.K. (Before Kendall)

A brand new day…

Whether you’ve backed the four lovable hockey-heads and their real-life counterparts since they first flailed onto the Nickelodeon screen, or if you’re only familiar enough to just be learning of such a distinction, you’ll probably be surprised just how long our journey begins before the moment our charming, irreplaceable combo of Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos PenaVega, and Logan Henderson first stood in the same room together. By the time they arrived at the Palm Woods in November 2009, plans for a cross-media brand, that would simultaneously star the members of a real-life music group in a fictional television show, had been underway for nearly three years, initiating back in 2007. This itself isn’t surprising, as perfection takes time, of course… But what is unusual is how the lineup we know and love wasn’t finalized until August 2009, a matter of mere weeks before BTR’s Thanksgiving debut. So wait… what the h-e-Minnesota hockey sticks was happening all that time?

The concept for Big Time Rush, effectively the magnum opus of a joint collaborative deal forged between Nickelodeon and Columbia Records, began its life untitled, known only as the “the boy band project”. Seeking to replicate the marketing mastermind of Disney's cash cows Hannah Montana and The Jonas Brothers, the Nick showrunners were quick to identify the golden glue which would bind the mediums together: The titular stars themselves. They needed a perfect combination of four multi-talented young adults who could not only sing and dance in a Backstreet Boys-inspired mainstream pop group, but simultaneously act in a Monkees-style TV comedy. Recognizing the long road ahead of them, the corporate partners embarked on a grueling casting process, surveying more than 1500 auditions over the course of two full years.

During this time, there were roughly four different points at which a unique lineup combination paused to run a screen test. The first of these was, if you will, halfway there: Logan Henderson and James Maslow each found themselves safely on board from the near get-go. The remaining two roles, meanwhile, were a bit trickier. Little is documented of this earliest phase, but thanks to a few lucky puzzle pieces, we can fit together who the initial lineup comprised. For one, Logan revealed that actor and model Nico Tortorella was among the earliest contenders - this helps to identify musician Simon Curtis (who previously starred in Nickelodeon's film Spectacular!) as the second, as he confirmed in 2013 that he and Nico tested together.

And thanks to Simon's testimony, we know that it is here that the first known BTR-related recording occurred:

• “Welcome to Hollywood” (Andreas Carlsson, Bryan Todd) [src] - Certified hitmakers Andreas Carlsson and Bryan Todd were among the first consulted to produce original music for what was still only loosely known as the “boy band project”. With a tie-in show inevitably fated to play with themes of fame and stardom, their first effort was a cynical, fame-focused pop-rock track called “Welcome to Hollywood”. Then slated for the band, Simon was personally asked to help materialize the earliest demo track.

Unfortunately, the network ultimately dismissed Simon, likely after this first test. “Welcome to Hollywood” never quite made it to BTR, either, and wound up with quite a history: After contending BTR alongside a “new female act” (implied by Simon to have been Ashlee Simpson), it ultimately landed with up-and-coming Disney star Mitchel Musso, who recorded and released it on his 2009 debut (later re-appearing on the 2010 Disney TV film StarStruck’s original soundtrack). Per Simon’s own testimony, the behind-the-scenes drama was less than gratifying – his uncredited and unpaid vocals were retained in Musso’s recording (in addition to, more blatantly, his live performances). That still wasn't even the end: The Slovak pop duo TWiiNs also recorded it with Todd in January 2011, though theirs was never used.

The precise order of the first two cast swaps (corresponding to the second and third screen tests) is not *precisely* clear. However, Logan was able to confirm that, about “four or five months” after the first test, it was Nico whom Carlos PenaVega replaced. For the other swap, this leaves Simon to have been the one superseded by Broadway talent Curt Hansen, whose arrival brings us to the fourth and most significant of these early iterations.

Up to this point, testing efforts were limited to basic screen run-throughs. In 2008, however, with a present lineup of Logan, James, Carlos, and Curt, Nick officially commissioned the filming of a full, one-hour television pilot. That November, creator Scott Fellows gathered his cast and crew on the lot of Paramount Studios to film the start of his musical comedy, optimistically titled Brand New Day. As production headed underway, its four leads united to form the eponymous pop-rock boy band, that would co-exist with their fictional counterparts. Simultaneously with production, Brand New Day convened with Hollywood producer Bryan Todd for their first ever recording sessions, where they tracked a handful of demos, some (or possibly all) of which would be used in the pilot episode.

Of these, three are known for absolute sure, as they were featured either in the unaired pilot itself, or promotional material (indirectly) related to it.

• “Famous” (Andreas Carlsson, Desmond Child) - Similar to “Welcome to Hollywood”, Andreas Carlsson crafted a pop-rock anthem titled “Famous” for Nick’s boy-band project. A demo existed at least as early as Brand New Day’s era: A rough early mix plays at the very end of the unaired pilot, just as the credits roll. Unlike the future BTR single, the opening seems to feature a peppy voiceover from Curt (“Listen up guys. We’re famous.”)
• “This Is Our Someday” (Matthew Gerrard, Jay Landers, Robbie Nevil) - Unlike the official BTR pilot, where the boys write and perform “Big Time Rush” for their critical pitch to the label figureheads, Brand New Day instead sung eventual BTR bonus track and first season closer “This Is Our Someday” in their unaired version. Partial audio accompanying the footage was leaked in 2011.
• “Big Time” (Matthew Gerrard, Jay Landers, Charlie Midnight, Scott Fellows) - Brand New Day initially recorded this song, then titled “Go Big Time”, well before it later became the theme song of Big Time Rush. Initial previews for BTR’s premiere, “Big Time Audition”, oddly featured the original mix with Curt’s leads (as well as different lyrics).

After production and recording wrapping up, and the pilot was pitched off, it came back with a grave point of feedback: For reasons that apparently came down to a matter of on-screen chemistry, Curt was to be let go from the project. This meant the already tired casting process had to begrudgingly resume, in pursuit once more of the final band member.

This process wound up taking almost an entire year. The pool eventually whittled down to three finalists, who were put through “boy band boot camp” to decide the winner. In the end, Kendall Schmidt was selected as the fourth pillar and leader of BTR; his involvement was finalized in August.

After two long years of searching and casting, from a bland working title all the way to Brand New Day, this boy band was finally cast. Just one thing, though - the title was pretty boring. Scott Fellows had long been trying to work 'Big Time' into a title, and when the end of the eleventh hour struck, it was Carlos who came up with the term "Rush". Thus, Big Time Rush began.

 

II.  BTR era (August 2009-2010)

Big Time Rush, indeed…

All that time spent narrowing down the perfect name was clearly not spent in vain: Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan would soon find no better words to describe the hectic experience they were abruptly thrown into. With a brand-new pilot due in less than three months, which itself would kick off a twenty-episode television season, ahead of them lay, well… a big time rush.

And yet, that was only half of what this “musical” comedy would require. By the time screen production headed underway in October, the boys were already teasing what their musical plans entailed. What would partially serve as a television soundtrack would simultaneously serve as their real-life counterpart’s debut album.

In the meantime, though, musical priorities lay with the imminent TV production. The earliest recording sessions had a couple priorities: First and foremost, it was imperative that Kendall re-record lines for all the songs Brand New Day had done with Curt in lead. Even outside of those, they needed (at least) the few more tracks which featured in the first handful of episodes (for instance “City Is Ours” or “Any Kind of Guy”), before filming for them commenced. The songs brought in at this time were typically considered, as well as even written, specifically with the show in mind, with the show’s plots being factored into not only the songs themselves, but also how the boys’ lines were distributed.

Five busy, production-heavy months later, the season’s conclusion meant attention could finally shift towards an album. With a tentative date set for August, they kicked off dedicated recording sessions in May 2010, recording “all-new” songs that would be exclusive to the album, joining the songs from the first season. They kicked off strong, recording eight songs in a single week (major singles “Boyfriend” and “Worldwide” among them), then picking up a few more over the next weeks, before returning for a second barrage of sessions in July. As recording wrapped up, they needed just a bit more time to situate the tracklist, and the release was moved back to October 11.

Formal press reports for the album appeared on September 1, revealing both the tracklist and album art - curiously, both varied from the final. The differences in listing came down to the mere re-ordering of a few tracks; however, “Boyfriend” was also said to feature hip-hop duo New Boyz (apparently planned from rather early on). The final album ultimately included BTR’s solo version instead, with the New Boyz feature not releasing until January 2011 – it’s not clear why this change was made.

More interestingly, though, the album artwork seems to have gone through several changes. The aforementioned announcement disclosed what was described as “early artwork” (left). Similarly, on September 21, when the album’s lead single “Til I Forget About You” was released, the back cover showed yet another cover idea (right).

From the end of 2009 all the way up to the October album release, the band recorded upwards of 30 songs – leaving a decent number of outtakes. Crazily enough, as early as June, the boys explained they were already cutting songs not just for BTR, but also for an “eventual second album”. Below is a list of outtakes that would fit either category: For the sake of simplicity, and because we don’t know what exactly would separate these anyway, we’ll lump everything into this one BTR era.

• “A Shot in the Dark” (unknown writers) - Starting with perhaps BTR’s most notorious unreleased cut, “A Shot in the Dark” is shrouded in unrivaled anomaly. Not only was it the sole Big Time Rush original feature (having closed out season one’s “Big Time Terror”) to remain absent the real band’s discography, the boys even performed it live, working it into their 2014 Live World Tour setlist in the form of a brief piano interlude by James. With so much official presence, you’d think we’d at least know who wrote and produced it – yet, true to its cryptic nature, it was the lone exception from crediting its producers amongst the show’s closing titles. After years of being strangely forgotten, it was only through unofficial leaks that BTR viewers ever heard anything beyond the song’s 90-second TV cutdown. Two different versions have surfaced:
  • A low-quality mix, which runs three minutes long and sounds noticeably rougher from the show’s version, hit the fansite Tumblr in February 2013 (though an extremely low-quality snippet of the second verse had technically slipped the previous summer).
  • A second version, closer resembling the show’s mix and generally sounding more complete, was uploaded to Soundcloud in February 2019. In contrast to the other leak, this one retains the opening notes from the episode version and incorporates an additional outro, tacking on another 24 seconds to the runtime.
• "Have a Good Time" (unknown writers) - An upbeat ballad recorded by all the guys. Carlos played a snippet of it in a 2016 Facebook livestream, saying they recorded it in 2009. Though scarcely preserved, a demo recorded by Eric Bellinger also exists; especially seeing as the boys tweeted about having album sessions with him (however in 2010), it’s possible he may have had something to do with it.
• "Intermission" (Travis Garland, Nick “RAS” Furlong, Adam Cherrington, Aaron Pearce) [src] - In November 2011, a year after BTR and shortly before its follow-up hit shelves, an unmastered demo of this slow break-up ballad mysteriously surfaced in the lawless land of Tumblr. A year or so prior, writer and NLT lead vocalist Travis Garland’s demo of the same track had also found its way online. In addressing BTR’s leak on Twitter, Nick “RAS” Furlong confirmed it was an old track from “a year ago” and was unlikely to be used; corroborating his former claim, the metadata of the original file was dated 2010.
• “One in a Million” (unknown writers) - James named this track in a July 2010 Twitter reply, telling a fan it was a personal favorite out of all the songs the band had recorded so far.
• “One More Moment” (Bryan Todd, unknown writers) - This was a track written and produced by LA hitmaker Bryan Todd, who was involved with the project since its earliest days. In addition to being brought on as a “music consultant” throughout the audition process, Bryan also engineered the group’s first ever sessions, having recorded Brand New Day’s initial tracks in Nov. 2008 while the pilot filmed. It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine “One More Moment” could have been recorded here: Regardless, the final lineup likely cut it, as Todd tweeted about “finishing up” in-studio with them in Nov. 2009. He continued to tweet about mixing and producing the track, which he described as a ballad, well into 2010, and while it never came out, it remains listed on his website as well as his Wikipedia page.
• “So What” (unknown writers) - Logan gave this title to PopStar Magazine in an April 2010 interview, when asked if he had a “life soundtrack”. He said it was about “having fun and going with the flow of things” and that he had recorded it by himself. While it never came out, a full HQ demo was leaked in 2021; true to his description, Logan leads the entire track with backing from Carlos and James, exempting the bridge, where an unknown male artist’s temporary vocals remain.
• "Story of My Life" (Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher) - Registered in various PRO registries (such as ASCAP) with BTR as its performer. It was likely recorded during the same sessions as “Oh Yeah” in July 2010, which would make it one of the later cuts.

Side note: “Paralyzed”, which was later featured in the show’s second season and as a pre-order bonus for the second album, was recorded for BTR as well. Kendall brought it up in a September interview (after the tracklist was both finalized and reported, fascinatingly).

 

III.  Elevate era (2011)

A little higher…

The release of BTR came right as the initial second season episodes were being filmed - as a result, the "never-before-heard" songs from the album were able to hold over the music tie-ins for a while. However, as latter half of the season started filming in spring, it was quickly becoming apparent that they would need more. In pursuit, they went into cutting new music, specifically focusing on grabbing a few more for this purpose.

The pre-BTR mentions of a “second album” were likely referring only to a hypothetical next project, in response to the rising number of total tracks - they knew one album simply couldn't contain all of them, leaving some guaranteed rollovers. Assuming this, it seems appropriate to mark (roughly) January of 2011 as the overall beginning of dedicated "second album" sessions. With a tentative date apparently aimed for July, this early phase would effectively last until the end of May.

• “Anything Goes” (Dan “Tekneek” Wayne, Cody Williams, Charley Greenberg) – A pop-rock song about “following your dreams and just being true to who you are”. On April 14, the “Hits&History” production team of Tekneek, Casanova, and Cody Williams posted a video of a recording session with Carlos. The video contained two snippets of a song called “Anything Goes”: One was of Cody’s reference vocals, and another of Carlos’ verse. The video was removed and re-uploaded the next day with the snippets cut out.
• "Cruise Control" (Dan “Tekneek” Wayne, Wes Jones, Mat Sherman, Cody Williams, Charley Greenberg, Cory Gaddis [src]) - Recorded in/around January 23, this unique and more “mature” R&B track was the first that BTR cut with the ‘Hits & History’ crew. Tekneek jointly produced it with Wes Jones and 1984 Industries’ Mat Sherman. Cody Williams’ writers demo was leaked days after on January 30. While it didn’t make Elevate, fans learned of BTR’s version when it leaked in March 2013; while some mistook it for a cover, Kendall confirmed it was always theirs.

June, however, brought a significant shift in the album process. For all intents and purposes, the start of this month marked the “official beginning” of what Elevate ultimately came to be. The boys were beginning to express displeasure with the quality of A&R-delivered songs, and as they were growing even more passionate about their project, they sought greater involvement within it. The guys worked up the courage to approach Sony and pitch an ambitious favor: They wanted to write their own music. To their surprise, the label heads were more than willing to accommodate, and come June, they organized a massive in-house writing camp, where the boys would be able to team up with pro-songwriters and producers, alongside whom they would enjoy guided creative input, having the freedom to come up with their own lyrics and melodies. Needless to say, this was a busy month for the boys: Over about 3-4 weeks, their schedules were packed to the brim with long studio sessions, often writing (and simultaneously demoing) multiple songs per day. They wrote by themselves, with other bandmates, and sometimes even all together.

With this bringing a change in the writing, so too did it bring a change in the music itself, and overall direction for the album. Sony and Nickelodeon saw eye-to-eye in wanting to introduce the world to a more "mature" side of Big Time Rush. This would help them "break out of the box" so to speak, elevating their reputation above the "made-for-TV" aspect of the first album. Stylistically, the pop-rock energy defining the original record shifted to a more dance-oriented electronic sound, reflecting the primary trends of popular radio. Likewise, chart success was effectively what everyone wanted ahead of them.

As this camp reached its end and July rolled around, BTR were due to hit the road on their first major headlining tour, and it wasn't as if recording could be taken on the road. ...Or could it? Sony graciously provided them a custom tour bus, specially fitted with a finished sound booth and recording setup. As the journey moved aboard the “Bus-ted Mobile Studios”, the guys described the ensuing sessions as being more laid-back, having a bit more time to let their ideas breathe, especially with all the down time spent traveling.

Advertisements and tweets from the guys, meanwhile, set a new release date for November 15. And as summer's end drew nearer, they dedicated one August week to cutting the “album vocals”, tracking the full band on the demos they wrote and recorded individually, being able to do 3-4 songs a day.

Tour closed out at the end of August, and in September, the guys reconvened with their wider production team to carry Elevate through its final stretch, at last finalizing it in October, a month ahead of its 11/21 release. As the cumulative year-long journey reached its conclusion, it came time for the difficult task of narrowing down a tracklist. BTR estimated they had cut a grand total of 40-50 songs specifically for the album, saying of those, they had co-written roughly 30 of them. The ones left off would include:

• “Heart on Fire” (Edwin “Lil Eddie” Serrano, Chris Rojas, Damon Sharpe, Carlos Pena) [src] - One of Carlos’ first co-writes, from June. Per tweets from the same day by Sharpe and Rojas, it may have incorporated stadium vocals.
• “I Don’t Want to Wait” (Paula Cole, Big Time Rush, unknown writers) - A classic R&B ballad interpolating singer-songwriter Paula Cole’s 1997 single of the same name. Kendall played it in full during the 3/24/2017 episode of his Facebook livestream and podcast, Koffee Time with Kendall, saying all lyrics save Cole’s original hook were co-written by the boys. It was confirmed an Elevate outtake by mixer Miles Walker.
• “Impossible” (Daniel Bedingfield, Adam Fenton, Carlos PenaVega, Logan Henderson, James Maslow) - In late July, the guys met with singer-songwriter Daniel Bedingfield and producer Adam F, with Carlos and Logan doing one session and James two separate ones. The boys seem to remember it especially fondly; Logan recalls the session as a particularly memorable one, saying Bedingfield pushed them in developing their songwriting skills. Similarly, Kendall brought it up during a Facebook stream, even (unsuccessfully) trying to find and play it. It didn’t take long to be brought up during an April 2022 TikTok live once the boys started playing old unreleased songs; here, the title was finally confirmed to have been “Impossible”.
• “In the Future” (Orange Factory Music, unknown writers) - In August 2011, three song titles were added to OFM’s discography on Wikipedia: “Superstar”, “Confetti Falling”, and “In the Future” – the former would appear on Elevate, with the second being confirmed as an outtake two years later, when the boys explained it was re-vitalized from the Elevate sessions for 2013's 24/seven - retroactively lending that two-year-old Wiki edit undeniable credibility. “In the Future” was likely a song cut during summer sessions with the OFM crew.
• “Party Love” (James Maslow, August Rigo, Toby Gad) [src] - A James solo co-write recorded on June 20.
• “Risk It All” (Matthew Prime, Wayne Hector, Lucas Secon, Carsten Mortensen, James Maslow, Carlos Pena) [src] - Carlos and James co-wrote this track at Lucas Secon’s studio on July 11, while touring in London. There’s a possibility it was eventually re-worked and re-written in 2014 by British pop band The Vamps, who released a song of that name, also co-written by Wayne Hector and produced by Matt Prime, on their debut album Meet the Vamps.
• “She Drives” (Nick “RAS” Furlong, unknown writers) – Originally titled “Drive”, RAS unveiled two minutes of this unfinished demo as one of many “exclusives” in an 11/24/2011 Ustream. Only Logan had begun recording vocals, with RAS’ references still comprising the second verse. Against his wishes, viewers recorded and re-shared the audio onto fansites such as Tumblr, where the song quickly gained notoriety because of its more ‘mature’ lyrics and tone, popularly becoming known as “She Drives”, which RAS himself later adapted. Calling it his favorite BTR project yet, RAS hoped to include it on their third album, but was unable to. Because of this, in tandem with constant harassment pressure from fans, he decided to rearrange Logan’s unfinished vocals into an EDM remix, which he previewed in a 2013 livestream and planned to release for free via his Facebook page in February. However, this never came to fruition, most likely due to rights concerns with the label.
• “We Are the Night” (Charley Greenberg, Dan “Tekneek” Wayne, Cody Taylor Williams, Carlos Pena) – Likely written in the June camp, Carlos co-wrote lyrics to this dance-fueled party track, crafted by H&H’s Tekneek, Casanova, and Cody Williams. After going unused, it was picked up by the South Korean boy group MYNAME, who recorded and released it on their 2013 debut We Are MYNAME, with lyrics re-translated by Se-yong and production headed by hitmakers Hiro alongside LDN Noise’s Greg Bonnick, Leon Price, and Hayden Chapman. Registered in GEMA with the Work ID 12170551.
• “When You Were Mine” (James Maslow, Chris Rojas, Lindy Robbins) - James composed and recorded this demo with Lindy Robbins and producer Chris Rojas at the latter’s LA studio in early June 2011. Registered in SGAE with the Work ID 11.129.950.
• “Wherever You Are” (Nick “RAS” Furlong, unknown writers) - The presumed title of a song that (at least) Logan recorded. RAS and Infinity played an “exclusive” snippet in their 11/24/2011 Ustream, only 30 seconds of which has resurfaced. The song is sometimes erroneously called “Falling Apart” after its first lyric.
• “Worldwide” (Spanish version) (Lil Eddie, Emily Phillips, Chris Rojas) - The guys recorded a Spanglish version of their previous single “Worldwide” with Chris Rojas in June. They performed it live at their October 1 Mexico City show, after which they would occasionally float the idea of doing a full Spanglish EP (due in part to their significant Latin following), though it never came to fruition. On December 16, 2012, however, Carlos’ father (aka ‘Papa Pena’) posted the first 17 seconds of the studio recording on his personal Twitter; it was quickly removed, but not before spreading to Tumblr and other fan spaces.

Also worth noting: These sessions spawned two additional cuts which now fall into the category of ‘previously unreleased’. Kendall’s first-ever BTR co-write “Crazy for U”, written throughout June, became an instant favorite, but was left off the album when it simply  ‘didn’t fit’ amongst the more dance-oriented direction; He hoped to release it the following summer - meanwhile, the earlier mentioned "Confetti Falling", shared a similar fate. Both songs, however, were eventually re-vitalized in 2013 for the third album 24/seven.

Additionally, before moving on, there remain a few outlying tracks which, based on what limited info can be gathered from metadata and additional context, are highly likely to have been from any phase of the 2011 sessions, and therefore part of the Elevate process: Because we lack more specific info, they’re not listed in either of the two previous categories.

• “Anything” (Ryan Tedder, Evan Kidd Bogart, Noel Zancanella, Jerrod “SKINS” Bettis) [src] – Leaked on Tumblr in April 2013, this laid-back ballad, lead by Carlos and Kendall with backing from Logan and James, was dated 2011 in its original file’s metadata. Fans quickly discovered that producer and OneRepublic singer Ryan Tedder had also demo’d the song, which itself was unofficially made available in July 2011. The original filename of Tedder’s revealed the composers, which included himself, frequent co-writer Evan Bogart, and OneRepublic bandmates Noel Zancanella and Jerrod “SKINS” Bettis.
• “Words Mean Nothing” (unknown writers) – An Incubus-esque alternative groove, recorded only by Kendall. A 17-second snippet hit Tumblr in June 2012, with the full demo leaking one year later. The original file denoted “2011” in its metadata – it’s possible it was one of the “4-6” songs Kendall co-wrote for the album.
• “Young Love” (Lars Halvor Jensen, Tim McEwan, Jess Cates) [src] – The full-band demo of this unashamed teen-pop love ballad, sung by the full band (with metadata again saying 2011), also leaked on Tumblr in April 2013. Though scrapped, the track would ultimately find a home with Irish pop duo Jedward, who recorded and released it for a 2012 single, and including it as the title track on their third studio album that same year. Worth noting theirs was produced by Danish team Deekay; it’s possible BTR’s was, too.

 

<----- Under construction! ----->

24/seven

Early "3rd album" sessions: January-August 2012

• “Midnight Somewhere” (Kendall Schmidt, unknown writers/producers) - Before the release of “Windows Down”, the label asked all four members to each write a song, and they would choose one to become the summer single for 2012. All four were rejected and the label instead bought “Windows Down” from Kesha. First mentioned in a Koffee with Kendall episode by Stephen Glickman, and the first minute or so was played during the 4/28/2022 TikTok livestream.
• “All Over the World” (Jeremy Thurber, James Maslow, Carlos Pena, Tekneek) - Recorded April 2012. Registered in SGAE with the Work ID 13.609.843.
• "First Time" (Tekneek, Charley Greenberg, Carlos Pena, Kendall Schmidt) - On April 19, 2012, Carlos posted a YouTube video of himself and Tekneek working in the studio, in which they accidentally play a second of the instrumental track. This was revealed to be "First Time" when the demo (recorded by Carlos and Kendall) leaked on Tumblr in 2013. Registered in ASCAP with the Work ID 884513827.
• Unknown song (Tekneek, Charley Greenberg, Carlos Pena) - Played in April 2012 in a YouTube video by Carlos.

Main 24/seven sessions: November 2012-February 2013. The boys recorded about 75 songs in total, at least 50 of which they co-wrote

• “3, 2, 1” (Damon Sharpe, Eric Sanicola, Kendall Schmidt, Carlos Pena, and James Maslow) - It was written with the TV show in mind, but was scrapped in favor of another song that fit its respective episode better. Afterwards, it was given to the Korean band SHINee, who released it as a single in 2013. A demo was posted on Soundcloud as part of producer Jordan Palmer's songwriting reel in July 2013, and found in 2022. Registered in ASCAP with the Work ID 891373448.
• “7,000,000,000” (Jason Evigan, Mitch Allan, Damon Sharpe, Carlos Pena) - Registered in ASCAP with the Work ID 887926852.
• “As Long as I Believe” (James Maslow and unknown writers). An "inspirational" song, mentioned by James in a 2013 Twist! Magazine interview.
• “Can’t Get Enough” (Chris DeStefano, Lee DeWyze, Marty James, James Maslow, Carlos Pena) - Registered in ASCAP with the Work ID 885157939.
• “Do It All Again” (Jeff Halavacs, Fransisca Hall, Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson) - Sold to the boy band Emblem3 who released it on the deluxe edition of their album Nothing to Lose in July 2013. BTR’s version was one of the many demos leaked on Tumblr in 2013.
• “Don’t Stop” (writers unknown) - One of the many demos leaked online on Tumblr in 2013.
• “Everyday Girl” (Chris DeStefano, Ashley Gorley, Kendall Schmidt) - One of the many demos leaked on Tumblr in 2013. Registered in ASCAP with the work ID 885157933.
• “Featuring You” (Damon Sharpe, Jeremy Skaller, Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson) - Likely produced by Orange Factory Music, based on the filename of the original leak. One of the many demos leaked on Tumblr in 2013.
• “Music Surf” (Damon Sharpe, Dave Bassett, Logan Henderson) - Sold to the Japanese boy band All City Steppers who released it on their debut album SEXY VIRGIN RIOT (you can actually still hear Logan's vocals mixed into the bridge). Registered in ASCAP with the Work ID 88684578.
• “My Song for You” (Jimmy Burney, Dave Bassett, and Carlos Pena) - One of the many demos leaked on Tumblr in 2013. It features vocals by Carlos as well as Jimmy Burney. Registered in ASCAP with the work ID 884773038.
• “Next Step” (Matthew Thiessen, Brian Lee, Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson) - One of the many demos leaked on Tumblr in 2013.
• ”Red Light, Green Light” (writers unknown) - The song circulated throughout 2012-2013 until the demo, recorded by Kendall and Logan, was leaked in 2014.
• “Rich Girl” (Damon Sharpe, Logan Henderson, Kendall Schmidt, Chris DeStefano) - It was one of the many demos leaked on Tumblr in 2013, and was later sold to the Japanese band All City Steppers, who released it on their debut album SEXY VIRGIN RIOT as “Witch”. Registered in ASCAP with the Work ID 885157937.
• “Right Now” (writers unknown) Carlos used a 30-second snippet as background music on an Instagram video in 2016, saying it was an old BTR song that was never released, and that he and James recorded it.
• “Tip of Your Tongue” (Chris DeStefano, Ashley Gorley, Kendall Schmidt). Registered in ASCAP with the Work ID 885157936.
• “Unarmed” - (Toby Gad, Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson, Carlos Pena). This song was scrapped because it sounded too "old" and was subsequently sold to the NZ boy band Titanium, who released it on their album All for You 2.0. Registered in ASCAP with the work ID 888225164.
• “Unnatural” - (Chris DeStefano, Ashley Gorley, Carlos Pena). Registered in ASCAP with the Work ID 885157932.

 

Another Life (2020-present)

2020-2021: Zoom writing sessions

• “Doctor” - Written by Jake Aronson, Kendall Schmidt, and Logan Henderson. Registered in Songfile with the Work ID DA68TP.
• “How You Like Me Now” - Written by Jake Aronson, James Maslow, Logan Henderson, Kendall Schmidt, Max Matluck, and Nick Seeley.
• “Something ‘Bout Your Love” - Written by Jake Aronson, Carlos Jose Garcia Jr, Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson, and Nick Seeley.

2021-2023: English EP/Another Life

• "Dreamworld" - BTR wrote and recorded this song with Bryan Todd in April 2022, during the Miami writing camp. Todd added it to his website discography in July 2022. http://www.bryantodd.com/discography
• "Learn to Love" - Mentioned in Episode 7 of the Miami Tapes
• "Moodring" - Kendall demo heard briefly in Episode 7 of the Miami Tapes
• "Want Right Now" - Kendall demo heard briefly in Episode 7 of the Miami Tapes
• "Your Way" (Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson, Adam Korbesmeyer, unknown writers) - Mentioned in Episode 7 of the Miami Tapes

April 2022: Spanglish EP

• "Suave" - One of the Spanglish songs BTR wrote and recorded with Maffio in April 2022, during the Miami writing camp. Initially heard during an IG video in April, and a studio snippet has been used in ads for the Miami Tapes on their social media pages.
• "Buena" - One of the Spanglish songs BTR wrote and recorded with Maffio in April 2022, during the Miami writing camp. The boys played a brief snippet in an IG live video during the camp, and described it as a "merengue" song in the hashtags.
• "Casi Boom Boom" - Featured in several episodes of the Miami Tapes

 

Unknown era songs

• “It Is What It Is” - Writers unknown. A demo recorded by Kendall was one of the many leaked on Tumblr in 2013.
• “Miss Moving On”/”Sin Tu Amor” - Written by Lindy Robbins, Jason Evigan, Allan Mitch, and Julia Cavazos. Registered to ASCAP with the work ID 885279957, w/ Big Time Rush listed as a performer alongside Fifth Harmony, who released the song as their debut single in 2013. While this might have been a cover or remix or something like that, it is also possible that BTR cut the song before it was given to 5H (yes, really)
• “Tonight Is a Fairytale” - Writers unknown. A demo recorded by Kendall was one of the many leaked on Tumblr in 2013.
• “What It Feels Like” - Written by Lars Halvor Jensen, Tim McEwan, and Jess Cates. Registered to ASCAP with the Work ID 886027629. This song was sold to the Irish duo Jedward, who released it on their third album, Young Love. A 30-second snippet of BTR’s version was leaked on Soundcloud in 2016.
• Unknown song recorded by James ("With or without you...") - Played in the BTR TikTok livestream from 4/28/2022.
• Unknown song recorded by James ("Walked into my life"...) - Kendall played a few seconds of a "James song" in an episode of his podcast series, Koffee with Kendall, on March 24, 2017.

 

Demos/Alternate versions

• "All Over Again" - Written by Brian Kennedy Seals, Damon Sharpe, and Drew Ryan Scott. A seven-second snippet was leaked on Tumblr in October 2011. The mix is a little quieter and without the piano.
• “Blow Your Speakers” - Written by Matt Palmer and Pascal Guyon. This was leaked on an obscure blog website in April/May 2011 and sounds much different from the final version. The demo has a simpler instrumental with acoustic guitars, and no autotune/electronic vocals. It also starts with the chorus instead of with the first verse. The only leaked file has a watermark in the first 10 seconds or so.
• “Cover Girl” - Written by Kendall Schmidt, Lindy Robbins, and Toby Gad. The leaked demo, labeled a "rough mix" was leaked on Tumblr in November 2012, and features only Kendall singing.
• “Invisible” - Written by Jonathan Rotem, Tekneek, Cody Williams, Charley Greenberg, and Carlos Pena. This demo was posted on Hits & History Entertainment's SoundCloud page in 2011. This mix is not as polished, and James sings the first verse before Carlos instead of Kendall and Logan.
• “Crazy for U” - Written by Kendall Schmidt, Jeremy Skaller, Rob Larow, and Damon Sharpe. The demo was leaked on Soundcloud in April 2013 and is mostly the same as the final, though the vocal effects on the "whoah oh oh" in the beginning are much louder than in the final mix.
• “Confetti Falling” - Written by Jeremy Skaller, Khaled Rohaim, Rob Larow, August Rigo, and Big Time Rush. The demo version was leaked online in September 2013, and features way less autotune on the vocals, especially James' and Carlos'. Kendall and James sing the chorus together in the final version, but James' is more prominent in the demo. The guys confirmed in interviews that "Confetti Falling" was recorded in 2011, so it's possible the leaked demo is the mix from that album cycle. If not, then there is an Elevate mix that hasn't leaked.
• “Love Me Again” - Written by Damon Sharpe, Eric Sanicola, Talay Riley, and CJ Holland. The alternate version was "accidentally" leaked by Carlos in April 2013 when he posted a music video the guys made set to the song. The same day, the full, unedited version was leaked on Tumblr. Nickelodeon made them change the lyrics for its release on 24/Seven, so the alternate version is unreleased. There is also a different mix of this version, without the guitars: Alexa PenaVega (Carlos' wife) put it as background music in an Instagram video.
• “24/seven” - Written by Damon Sharpe, Jeremy Skaller, Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson, Jamil “Digi” Chammas, Justin Lucas, and Ameerah Roelants. Two different demos have leaked - The first is the full song, but recorded only by Kendall and Logan. The second one is a little under two minutes long, also sung by Kendall and Logan, but cuts off after the second chorus.
• "Just Getting Started" - Written by Chris DeStefano, Ashley Gorley, Kendall Schmidt, and Logan Henderson. The demo, recorded only by Kendall and Logan, was leaked on Tumblr in 2013.
• "Untouchable" - Written by Matt Squire, Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson, and Damon Sharpe. The demo, recorded only by Kendall and Logan, was leaked on Tumblr in June 2013. There are a couple differences: The pre-chorus is repeated again after the second verse, unlike in the final version where Kendall's part cuts right to the chorus, and the chorus is only repeated once at the end instead of twice.
• “Get Up” - Written by Matt Squire, Matthew Thiessen, Kendall Schmidt, and Logan Henderson. A demo version, leaked in 2013, was recorded only by Kendall and doesn't have the electric guitars in the chorus, resulting in a much more laidback vibe.
• "Lost in Love" - Written by Chris DeStefano, Ashley Gorley, Shari Short, and Jake Miller. Carlos posted a 30-second snippet of his solo demo on Instagram in 2016 (which was also circulating around 2012-2013).
• “Song for You” - Written by Ryan Ogren, Nick Bailey, Rami Jrade, Megan Perry, Amy Heidemann, and Nick Noonan. The demo version features a spoken placeholder in place of Karmin's verse in the final version, and James sings the second pre-chorus instead of Kendall. It was leaked on Soundcloud in April 2013.
• "Honey" - Demo by Kendall, Logan, and Candace Sosa. Heard in Ep. 7 of the Miami Tapes
• "Fall" - Rough demo recorded in 2021, features the guys on different parts. Heard in Ep. 7 of the Miami Tapes

MASTERPOST:

Here is my masterpost with all the leaks mentioned in this thread, which I believe has every file in its best available quality. If not then it is very, very close. I also recently added CDQ versions of rare officially released tracks like "Epic" and "Paralyzed." Link:

Spoiler

https://mega.nz/folder/NIkUVAjI#B1Vp1Hfp-BvUPcmAnE_HQw

Further reading:

Here are some additional files that both I and others have archived separately from the main masterpost, for one reason or another, accompanied by detailed explanations and/or discussions of what they are. The reason for this is often because their relation to BTR can be murky, or because they bend the definition of 'unreleased' in one way or another.

1. August Rigo - "Burnin'" (potential pitch demo)
2. Josh Hoge and Ryan Tedder - "If This Is Love" (pitch demos)
3. Orange Factory Music - "Melodic Dance Pop" ("Confetti Falling" track demo, short version)
4. Big Time Rush - "Call It Like I See It" (Official Instrumental)
5. Big Time Rush - "Boyfriend" alternate version and unreleased mashup
6. Alex Jay - "Star U Are" (potential pitch demo)
7. RAS ft. Logan Henderson - "She Drives" (EDM remix snippet)
8. Nasri - "Big Time Rush" (pitch demo)
9. Orange Factory Music - "Melodic Dance Pop" ("Confetti Falling" track demo, full version)
10. Big Time Rush - "Superstar" (Official Instrumental)

Edited July 4 by Kipper
Sections 1-3 of the Infopost 2.0 :p

[Astro134]

Do you have the Link of the demo of "All Over Again"?

[Kipper]

https://dbree.org/v/462573

I only have this snippet, which was leaked way back in 2011. It's not the craziest thing ever but it's kind of rare! Would be cool to get the full version someday.

[dv547]

Thank you for making this master post! I’m in shock at how extensive it is.

We actually got some unreleased snippets today!

https://twitter.com/xennxfer/status/1519701868372447232?s=21&t=UPwll_1bquLTjpXCn1XniQ

https://twitter.com/xennxfer/status/1519702533509455874?s=21&t=UPwll_1bquLTjpXCn1XniQ

https://twitter.com/xennxfer/status/1519703452120723457?s=21&t=UPwll_1bquLTjpXCn1XniQ

One of which is Midnight Somewhere, which actually sounds cute! Can’t believe that one got rejected. And also Don’t Stop, which we already knew about/heard but is still VERY iconic and will make my body ascend if I hear them play it live lol.

Edited April 28, 2022 by Costcohotdoglover
Typo

[Kipper]

Just saw those! "Midnight Somewhere" sounds absolutely phenomenal! The "BTRchive" is a must... been saying it for years 

I have to listen to them closer but one part with Kendall singing sounded like "...right on the tip of your tongue" so maybe it was that one? It's a little hard to make out, but it sounds like a jam!

[Cypher]

This is great! I used to follow these guys up to the Elevate era. I didn't really keep up during their final album cycle, but I saw that they were coming back and I'm excited for them! By any chance, could we get a zip of all their unreleased songs? I think I have some from when they were leaking on Tumblr, but I'm 100% sure it's not complete.

[Kipper]

Spoiler

https://mega.nz/folder/NIkUVAjI#B1Vp1Hfp-BvUPcmAnE_HQw

Of course! Here's what I've got. I believe everything in here is OG quality - at worst, a couple of the Soundcloud ones might be slightly off, since it's harder to tell when everything's all at the standard 128. Also, most of the Tumblr leaks were either 160 or 192, with the notable exception of "Don't Stop", which seems to have been re-encoded to 320. It's the only one I've never found, unless that's just how it was leaked.

A couple highlights:

- "So What" OG leak file at 256kbps. I've never seen it anywhere outside where I got it from so I don't think many people have it.

- "Lost in Love" demo snippet, from an old Instagram post by Carlos

- A different mix of the alternate "Love Me Again", it sounds more similar to the writers demo "Right Here Right Now" which is also in there. This is from an obscure Instagram account that Alexa (Carlos' wife) was posting on a couple years ago. It's almost the entire song but cuts over the last chorus. For some reason I always forget about it, but it's cool hearing it without the guitars. It sounds more like an Elevate track. Link to the post: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-DPT6mF3e7/

Hope this is useful, and let me know if anything's not working! And please, please hmu if you have something that's not in here. 

[ConnectedColor]

I never got interest on Big Time Rush unreleased (I like the released stuff) until this post appeared. There is a lot of interesting information and never expected other musicians to get what was originally for BTR. I also didn't expected Simon Curtis being originally intended to be in the group, as well as the group recording Miss Movin On. I'm definitely checking out their unreleased and also doing a throwback to the officially released stuff (along with the new singles).

[Kesha Slays]

I love BTR so I'm definitely going to check this out!! What's funny is that a few months ago I was re-watching the series they had on Nickelodeon and one night I had a dream they announced they were going on tour in 2022 and a few days later they actually announced they were indeed touring in 2022!! Not only did I feel psychic for a sec but, honestly kinda freaked out lmao!!! Although I think they were teasing a comeback for a lil while beforehand anyways so its not that farfetched....

[dv547]

5 hours ago, Sword of the Creator said:

  Hide contents

https://mega.nz/folder/NIkUVAjI#B1Vp1Hfp-BvUPcmAnE_HQw

Of course! Here's what I've got. I believe everything in here is OG quality - at worst, a couple of the Soundcloud ones might be slightly off, since it's harder to tell when everything's all at the standard 128. Also, most of the Tumblr leaks were either 160 or 192, with the notable exception of "Don't Stop", which seems to have been re-encoded to 320. It's the only one I've never found, unless that's just how it was leaked.

A couple highlights:

- "So What" OG leak file at 256kbps. I've never seen it anywhere outside where I got it from so I don't think many people have it.

- "Lost in Love" demo snippet, from an old Instagram post by Carlos

- A different mix of the alternate "Love Me Again", it sounds more similar to the writers demo "Right Here Right Now" which is also in there. This is from an obscure Instagram account that Alexa (Carlos' wife) was posting on a couple years ago. It's almost the entire song but cuts over the last chorus. For some reason I always forget about it, but it's cool hearing it without the guitars. It sounds more like an Elevate track. Link to the post: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-DPT6mF3e7/

Hope this is useful, and let me know if anything's not working! And please, please hmu if you have something that's not in here. 

Thank you for these! There were a few things in here that I hadn't heard before, notably that LQ version of She Drives. I've scoured the internet for years looking for the version with the extra verse from RAS and was never able to find it. I was convinced it didn't even exist lol. I have an OLD old backup somewhere with all my BTR files, but I don't think I have anything that you don't already.

And yes, looking forward to the potential "BTRchive" they were toying around with. Don't Stop seems to pretty much be studio quality and ready for release, so I wonder how many other old finished songs they have under their belts? Or if they're going to update any of these older songs with new vocals, instrumentals, etc. that better fit with their current sound.

 

 

[Main Pop Girl]

I don't pay attention to them, but shoutout to you for such an amazing first post  Most people's first posts are begging for unreleased songs or something in the Welcome Centre but you're out here slaying! Hope to see you around more in the future  

[Kipper]

On 5/3/2022 at 8:55 AM, Leaving said:

I don't pay attention to them, but shoutout to you for such an amazing first post  Most people's first posts are begging for unreleased songs or something in the Welcome Centre but you're out here slaying! Hope to see you around more in the future  

Aw, thanks!  I've been visiting here for a while even before posting so I'm just glad to be able to give something back for all the help I've gotten here!

[Kipper]

Nick Bailey & Ryan Ogren - 'Lie, Cheat, Steal' (Writers demo)

https://onlyfiles.io/f/84ee36ffb47f40c1ac56c026b69119d2

[ConnectedColor]

Just found out Keke Palmer has a demo of their track "Show Me"

[Kipper]

3 minutes ago, ConnectedColor said:

Just found out Keke Palmer has a demo of their track "Show Me"

This is a really interesting rabbit hole! In the track-by-track they did for iHeart Radio, BTR said Lucas Secon played it for them like a year and a half before Elevate came out, and they wanted it really badly but he wouldn't budge.

Flash forward (back?) to July 2011, BTR is in London for their tour, and they tweet about writing/recording sessions. Lucas Secon's studio is/was in London, and on the very same day they are there, he tweets this: https://twitter.com/lucassecon/status/90179393669955584

Combine with this tweet ( https://twitter.com/lucassecon/status/86014072067334144) from a couple weeks prior, it looks like Keke recorded it first and it was meant to be her debut single, and then BTR recorded it shortly after with the plan of having them feature on a remixed version of hers. Obviously it worked out differently, and there's probably more to this, but it is super, super interesting!