Where is O-Town singer Ashley Parker Angel now? Why did he quit music?

much earlier Simon Cowell put One Direction together The X Factor UKthere was O-Town: the five-piece boy band formed by the deceased Lou Pearlman activated Making the Band.

The group has been touring as a quartet in recent years, with Dan Miller, Erik-Michael Estrada, Jacob Underwood i Trevor Penick leaning into early 2000s nostalgia taking the world by storm. Fifth member Ashley Parker Angelbut, he left O-Town in 2003 and never came back, but where has he been?

On October 1, Angel, who is now 44 years old, explained why he left the world of music a long post on Instagram shared with his followers.

“After 20 years of acting I realized that chasing entertainment wins left me anxious and depressed,” he wrote. “I’m grateful for the accomplishments: I sold 10 million records, two hit TV shows, movie roles and starred in Broadway’s biggest shows with over 2000 performances. During this time I realized the LIFESTYLE of being away from your family, on the road, on location and the constant pressure to create the next BIG HIT on my resume… in entertainment “you’re only as good as the your latest hit.”

Angel, who released a solo album in 2006 titled Soundtrack of your lifehe explained that trying to keep up left him “feeling empty inside.” At one point in her 20s, she claimed, she considered taking her own life “to avoid ever being called ‘washed up’ and to escape the mental pressure I felt to keep up with my success.”

The former pop star credited his “family, friends, mentors, peak performance coaches, therapists, fitness trainers, nutritionists and health and wellness experts” for helping him “take back control” of his life “by breaking my addictions and learning healthy coping mechanisms.”

After leaving the world of entertainment behind, Angel decided to become a fitness trainer so he could “help people change their lives forever.” He also co-founded a medical supplement company called High level science which aims to “(redefine) wellness with a foundation in sound science and real-world performance.”

“The FREEDOM that creating my own company has given me, like traveling the world on my own schedule, spending quality time with my family, friends and with whom I have the privilege and honor to train, has opened the most rewarding and satisfying chapter of my life,” continued Angel in his post on Instagram. “It required letting go of my ego to pursue validation through entertainment. Leaving a prestigious career and following passion to pursue something more meaningful and lasting… Always bet on yourself!

While Angel left O-Town over 20 years ago, he has made occasional appearances on stage and screen since then. In 2014, he played Fiyero in a touring production of evil before playing the role on Broadway from 2017 to 2018. Fans of The masked singer you can remember it too appeared as S’more on season 10 of the Fox singing competition series.

After his elimination, Angel exclusively said so Us Weekly that he felt his work as a fitness trainer had helped him perform in the “really heavy” S’more outfit.

“You’re overcoming the physicality of this big suit,” she explained in November 2023. “It’s really heavy. I’m in a giant graham cracker body with giant marshmallow legs and huge fire boots, so it was a hard suit to move around in… The muscles I was using were completely different. I really feel like, because I’ve been focusing on fitness for a few years in the last few years.”

Angel then noted that acting will “always be a part” of who she is, but said she was happy to focus her time and energy on her fitness business. “It’s more than a fitness community. It’s a support group,” she explained. “General health and wellness plays a huge role in our mental health. When you talk about physical exercise, I don’t think a lot of people realize the benefits (you also get) for mental health.”

While her Instagram followers are certainly aware that Angel’s time in the gym has paid off, she loves a thirst trap, she said. we that the mental health benefits of exercise are as important to him as anything he gets from the physical side of things.

“I fell in love with him because of the mood boost I get every day,” she said. “The boost to my emotional and mental health is my main focus (and) falling in love with moving our bodies. And then if we do it with a group of people, there’s a certain joy in moving our bodies as a group.”

O-Town, meanwhile, will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Making the Band in November with the boy band Dream Street. theirs Pop 2000 Tour — hosted by ‘NSync’s Chris Kirkpatrick and with LFO, BBMak and Ryan Cabrera – continues until December.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.