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People are just finding out what JLS' name actually stands for after 16 years

Boy band JLS, made up of members Aston Merrygold, Oritse Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, were signed with Tracklacers under UFO before starring on The X Factor

[Many didn't realise what JLS stood for]

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Many didn't realise what JLS stood for(Image: Getty Images)

JLS, the boy band that shot to fame on The X Factor 16 years ago, remains a mystery to many who don't know what their name stands for.

The group, made up of Aston Merrygold, Oritse Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, was originally signed with Tracklacers under the name UFO before they appeared on The X Factor.

After impressing viewers, they finished as runners-up to Alexandra Burke and signed with Epic Records under the name JLS. Their hits include Everybody in Love, One Shot, Beat Again, and more recently, Eternal Love and Day One.

They changed their name from UFO, which stood for Unique Famous Outrageous, to JLS when they appeared on the TV show because another band was already using the name. They chose JLS, which stands for Jack the Lad Swing, combining the phrase 'Jack the lad' and the urban music genre new jack swing.

One fan on X (formerly Twitter) said: "My whole world collapsed when I found out that JLS didn't in fact stand for "just love songs" like I thought it did in 2010."

[Aston Merrygold, Oritse Williams, JB Gill and Marvin Humes of JLS attend The Global Awards 2020]

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Aston Merrygold, Oritse Williams, JB Gill and Marvin Humes of JLS attend The Global Awards 2020(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Another fan asked on Fanpop: "What does Jack the Lad Swing mean? " A user replied: "Jack the lad is a really old saying meaning like a man who is a bit cheeky, has loads of girls that like him. Cool and hangs around with his friends and has like a joke. And swing just makes it a bit more music-like."

Another user chimed in with their take on the band's name origins: "In the book it says: Jack the Lad is like a name for cheeky boys. And new swing is the kinda music they were into. So Marvin's ex-girlfriend came up with Jack The Lad Swing (JLS). They were originally called: UFO (Unique Famous Outrageous) but Simon Cowell told them to change it in Bootcamp."

A third fan explained: "Jack the lad was a saying years ago, and they added Swing on the end to make it cooler :) but I'm not too sure what it means."

Active from 2006 to 2013 and reunited since 2020, JLS has been touring this year and today marks the release of their 15th anniversary album, 'J15'. The tracklist for JLS's 'J15 Anniversary Edition' includes hits and new remixes: 1.

[The Daily Record]

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