Music fans rejoiced this week when it was revealed iconic Nineties band Another Level had reformed – however the excitement soon waned when it revealed only two members from the original lineup remained.
Bobak Kianoush soared to fame alongside Dane Bowers, Mark Baron and Wayne Williams as part of the chart-topping group but has now revealed in an exclusive chat with MailOnline that not only was he not invited to the reunion, he wasn’t even told about it.
Dane and Mark are the only two original members to remain – with new singers Shauny H and DJ Greg Costa now completing the line up.
Yet Bobak has been left hurt by the snub, admitting it was ’embarrassing’ to learn the news at the same time as the rest of the world and revealed he has been inundated with fans asking what had happened.
‘They didn’t have the courtesy to consult me – so it’s made me speaking out about this inevitable.
‘It’s embarrassing, some individuals who didn’t do anything are now doing the heavy lifting, it’s hurtful and it’s desecrated the band.’
Another Level star Bobak Kianoush has revealed the Nineties group reunited without telling him as he accused his bandmates of ‘desecrating’ the group (pictured in 2021)
Bobak Kianoush soared to fame alongside (Clockwise from top right, Dane Bowers, Mark Baron and Wayne Williams) as part of the chart-topping group
It was recently revealed Dane (second left) and Mark (right) are the only two original members to reunite along with new singers ‘Shauny H’ (left) and DJ Greg Costa (second right)
‘I’m not trying to create any animosity but it’s the fans that are important in this and it’s not sitting right with them,’ he continued.
‘They’re telling me the band have been editing me out of videos and deleting their comments asking where I am!’
The R&B-influenced band formed in 1997 and achieved seven top ten singles, including the 1998 number-one Freak Me.
Despite having huge success the group split in 2000, with members pursuing their own solo projects.
In 2013 Another Level were on the verge of signing up for the ITV2 documentary, The Big Reunion, but ultimately only Dane went through with it and joined supergroup 5th Story along with Kenzie from Blazin’ Squad and former soloists Adam Rickitt, Kavana and Gareth Gates.
In 2021, Dane, Mark and Bobak reformed without Wayne to headline Kisstory Festival in an one off appearance.
While Bobak admitted he hasn’t remained close with his former bandmates he was still shocked by the recent snub, insisting there hadn’t been a big falling out and that he’d even reached out to Dane a few years ago to try and hook him up with an advertising deal.
‘It just doesn’t seem like they’re handling it in the best way,’ he mused. ‘It really is a sad state of affairs.’
In 2021, Dane, Mark and Bobak reformed without Wayne to headline Kisstory Festival in an one off appearance but have barely spoken since then
Bobak continued: ‘I wish I could have just stayed quiet but it’s a huge nuisance and embarrassment and I keep getting asked about it.
‘I just want to apologise to the fans. I’m not one to air my dirty laundry but it was made inevitable… I mean, how dare you?’
Despite missing out on the chance to reunite with his former bandmates, Bobak insisted he’s ‘never been happier’ as he focuses on raising his two young children with his wife.
‘The irony is if they’d have asked me I would’ve said “go ahead, I’m not interested”,’ he confessed. ‘But now they’ve created this.
‘If they’d handled it differently I would have been cheering them on!’
While Bobak is still working on his own music in his spare time, he has branched out with his career aspirations.
‘I had a successful modelling career after the band split,’ he explained. ‘I also went into consulting and worked with businesses like Mastercard.
‘Then I worked on real estate development, I built a house from scratch!
‘I became handy with my hands, started designing and building structures so I was an architect and engineer
‘I’ve had a life beyond the band – that was just a chapter of my life – it didn’t define me.’
Bobak shared: ‘I wish I could have just stayed quiet but it’s a huge nuisance and embarrassment and I keep getting asked about it’
Several singers from the Nineties have spoken out about the toxic environment in groups at the time, with many appearing in the acclaimed BBC documentary, Boybands Forever.
Admitting there was still some lingering ‘trauma’ from being overworked at their peak he mused: ‘The industry is full of thieves and degenerates.
‘We were just children and we were taken advantage of. As sophisticated as I thought I was back then, I was just a child.’
He confessed the group would often get into squabbles because they were forced to spend so much time working together without downtime but laughed: ‘The fact there are still issues lingering after 20 is embarrassing.’
Despite being shocked by his bandmates decision to reform without telling him, a move he branded ‘unforgivable’, he insisted that he held no ill will towards them.
‘I’m sure they’ve got their reasons and we’ll see what they are,’ he shrugged. ‘So if this is it, I wish them peace.’
MailOnline has contacted Another Level’s management for comment.
MailOnline made a donation to the Children’s Surgery Foundation for this interview.
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