Day26

Career

Day26 came together on the finale of the first season of Making the Band 4, which aired on August 26, 2007. That night, Diddy selected Brian Andrews, Michael McCluney, Qwanell Mosley, Robert Curry, and Willie Taylor to form a new all-male R&B group, while fellow contestant Donnie Klang was chosen as a solo act for Bad Boy Records. The group’s name, Day26, was taken directly from the date they were formed.

After signing with Bad Boy, Day26 appeared in another season of Making the Band alongside label mates Danity Kane and Donnie Klang. During that season, their first single, “Got Me Going,” became available for download in January 2008 and later reached number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their self-titled debut album, Day26, came out on March 25, 2008. The following week, it hit number one on the Billboard 200, selling 190,000 copies. This marked the third time a Bad Boy winner had debuted at the top spot. Producers on the album included Mario Winans, Danja, Bryan-Michael Cox, and The Runners, among others. A second single, “Since You’ve Been Gone,” was released on June 9, 2008, but did not make the Hot 100, peaking at number 52 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Plans for a third single were dropped because of low album sales and the need to focus on the next record. In total, the album sold 387,000 copies.

On August 19, 2008, Day26 returned for another season of Making the Band. This season centered on the Making the Band 4 tour, which ultimately led to the breakup of Danity Kane. MTV then aired a second part of the final season, starting February 12, 2009, which followed Day26 as they worked on their second album, Forever in a Day, released on April 14, 2009. The season also showed former Danity Kane members Dawn Richard and Aundrea Fimbres trying to keep their group going.

During this season, Qwanell Mosley, known as Que, had several conflicts with the group’s new manager, Screwface, as well as with other members of Day26. In December 2009, after ongoing disagreements with the management team, particularly Screwface, Que left the group.

Pre-Day26 careers

Three of Day26’s members had already built music careers before they auditioned for Making the Band. Robert Curry started in the late 1990s as part of a Detroit teen duo called Antuan & Ray Ray, where he performed as Antuan. His partner, Ray Ray, was Rashad Morgan, who later became an R&B artist on T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records. The duo contributed three songs to the album The Adventures of the BIV 10 Pee Wee All Stars, released on Mike Bivins’ label BIV 10. Their most recognized track, “Feelin It,” also appeared on the soundtrack for the animated film Our Friend, Martin. Another popular song was “The Rain,” a cover of the 1974 classic “Remember the Rain” by the 21st Century. After his work with BIV 10, Curry moved into songwriting, penning lyrics for various artists. He also joined a vocal group called Trilogy, which was signed to Wyclef Jean. When Curry won Making the Band 4 and signed with Bad Boy Records, he had to exit that contract. He additionally held a songwriting and production deal with Refugee Camp and worked with figures like Jerry Wonder.

Willie Taylor was part of a Chicago R&B group called Kwiet Storm in the late 1990s. Signed to Universal Music Group, the group released a music video for “Leave Me Alone,” which aired on BET programs including 106 & Park. Taylor eventually left Kwiet Storm to pursue a solo career and became a songwriter for artists such as Jagged Edge and Ginuwine. A few years after Taylor joined Day26, Kwiet Storm signed with Island Def Jam.

Brian Andrews had been in a group named Mason Row, working closely with Matthew Knowles under MusicWorld Music and Columbia Records. That group disbanded after being released from their contracts, which led Andrews to audition for Making the Band 4.

Post-Day26 solo careers

After Day26 went on hiatus and later reunited, the group’s members each pursued their own solo music and other projects. All of them released singles that weren’t part of any mixtape or EP, and they also appeared as featured artists on other musicians’ work. Willie Taylor is best known for showing his marriage on seasons 2 and 3 of VH1’s Love & Hip Hop Hollywood. He later went on WE tv’s Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars (season 17, Hip-Hop Edition season 3) for relationship counseling with former Divorce Court judge Lynn Toler. Taylor also acted in the Chocolate City films Chocolate City: Vegas Strip and Chocolate City: Live Tour. In 2012, he performed in David E. Talbert’s off-off-Broadway play A Fool and His Money, and he starred alongside singer Monifah in the play Man of the House. He has continued to work closely with Talbert on various stage productions. Robert Curry made a guest appearance in the 2016 Atlanta urban stage play Let It Burn. In 2017, he starred in the stage play I Cheated, So What! alongside Ricco Barrino (brother of American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino), Christopher Williams, and Jessica Reedy. Curry later joined the New York Black Arts Festival and performed with the company in a production of The Wiz, playing the Tin Man. Mike McCluney appeared in the film Conundrum: Secrets Among Friends, which starred Cameron Bright, Kristina DeBarge, and Jo Marie Payton.