Dream Street is an American pop boy band that was formed in 1999 by Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. The band disbanded in 2002 following a legal dispute between parents of the band members and the band's managers. In 2023, the band was revived with members, Greg Raposo, Frankie J. Galasso, and Matt Ballinger returning.

History

Formation and debut album

The group was initially put together by music producers Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. Originally named 'Boy Wonder' (a name borrowed from the nickname of comic book character Robin from the Batman comics and films), the band featured several boys aged 12–14 from the New York Broadway/Acting scene. Baldonieri and Lukow hoped to make an impact on the pop music industry by introducing a group of teenagers to the scene, all of whom had prior stage-singing experience. Among these original members were former The Broadway Kids members Greg Raposo and Chris Trousdale, who would continue on into the remade group from 1999 until 2002. The lineup was changed not long after they debuted the show in front of several talent agents and record label reps. Their debut included a tap dance number and a jazzy theme song, both of which were sacked quickly after. It also included a cover of the popular song from the musical Rent "Seasons of Love". Matt Ballinger, Frankie J. Galasso, and Jesse McCartney soon join the band with Raposo and Trousdale as they would become the new faces of the group and were given the name "Dream Street", which was the name of Lukow and Baldonieri's recording studio in New York City. With the new group members added, and with most of the jazzy Broadway songs scrapped, the only original song Lukow and Baldonieri kept for the band was titled "Jennifer Goodbye", which was initially written for Lukow's fiance, then was changed into its teen-pop incarnation months later. On July 18, 2000 the soundtrack for Pokémon the Movie 2000 was released featuring their song "They Don't Understand (Pokemon Version)". Their eponymous debut album was released on July 10, 2001. It was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA peaking No. 1 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart and at No. 37 on the Billboard 200. The songs, "It Happens Every Time" and "I Say Yeah" were frequently played on Radio Disney. The boys soon made appearances to perform on various talk shows and television events. In late 2000, Dream Street made an appearance on a show that fellow member McCartney had a recurring role on, ABC's All My Children. The final Dream Street release was the soundtrack album to the 2002 film The Biggest Fan, which starred Trousdale.

Dissolution of band and 2020 tribute

In mid-2002, parents of the band members filed a lawsuit against Baldonieri and Lukow, alleging that the underage band members were "exposed to booze, women, and pornography." While McCartney had left the group prior to the court hearing, Ballinger, Raposo, and Galasso wanted to continue on as a trio and sing Dream Street songs; however, the court did not allow this arrangement because Trousdale was, contractually, still in the group. In August 2002, the court ruled in favor of the five band members' parents, releasing the band members from their contracts. There was a later attempt to create a new Dream Street consisting of Trousdale and four new boys, but this proposal never came to fruition. After the disbandment of Dream Street, Edel Entertainment severed ties with Sony Music Entertainment and Atlantic Records, leaving the master recordings of audio and video with no distributor in the US. After years of inactivity, Lukow became the president of All for One Media in 2017. Lukow currently retains complete ownership of Dream Street's master recordings through All For One Media. In the second quarter of 2019, All for One Media announced that they were in the process of working on a documentary titled The Rise and Fall of Dream Street, which would include never-before-seen footage of the band and updated interviews of past band members. On June 11, 2020, Ballinger, Galasso, McCartney, and Raposo reunited for a virtual performance of "It Happens Every Time" to pay tribute to Trousdale following his death.

2023 revival

In April 2023, members Greg Raposo, Matt Ballinger, & Frankie J. Galasso were interviewed on the podcast, Frosted Tips with Lance Bass hosted by Lance Bass. On May 12, 2023, Greg Raposo uploaded a short clip to Instagram of him, Matt Ballinger, & Frankie J. Galasso working on what appears to be new Dream Street music and material. On June 11, 2023, members Greg Raposo, Frankie J. Galasso, & Matt Ballinger released the single entitled, "Smile" on what would have been former band member, Chris Trousdale's 38th birthday in honor of him following his death in 2020. The official music video for "Smile" was uploaded to Greg Raposo's YouTube channel the following day. On December 13, 2023, Dream Street launched an official Instagram page. In February 2024, It was announced that Matt Ballinger and Greg Raposo would be attending Pop2000 In Paradise at the Villa del Palmar Flamingos Beach Resort & Spa Riviera Nayarit in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico in the Fall of 2024. On April 27, 2024, Jesse McCartney briefly reunited with his former bandmates after one of his performances during his All's Well tour at the Empire Live in New York City where they all performed a rendition of their original cover of the song entitled, "Sugar Rush" originally performed by A-Teens.

Post-break-up careers

Discography

Albums

Singles

Videography