Justin Roman Biography
Justin Roman has been performing since he was a freshman in high school with multiple music groups at a wide variety of events ranging from school dances, to festivals, too much more recently night clubs. Never wanting to limit his talents or potential, Justin has really well-rounded himself as a singer, rapper, songwriter, producer, and as a disc jockey none of which to overshadow his incredible stage presence.
Louis J. Pearlman (founder of the Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, LFO, etc.) and his Trans-Continental Records staff obviously took notice to all of these talents by selecting him as ONE of only TWO boys selected out of the FIVE-HUNDRED who auditioned at a Chicago audition for an upcoming pop boy-band and television series.
They thought so highly of his talents in fact, that they then flew Justin Roman down to Orlando as ONE of the top TWENTY-FIVE finalists across the entire nation.
Justin got his recording start as half of the production team FUNKY J’s on the Chicago dance music label Underground Construction. Under the FUNKY J’s (Justin Roman and Joshdafunky1), they released two highly successful self-produced 12″ singles; “Dance Allnite” (UC-172) and “Funkdafied” (UC-189), both of which end up on numerous nationally released dance compilations.
Following his passion for vocal music, Justin then became half of the pop/dance group GROOVE JAM (Justin Roman and Suzie C.). During the years 1998 and 1999, GROOVE JAM released multiple versions of their debut hit entitled “Push It Up” (TBR7001-1), all of them written by Justin Roman.
“Push It Up” was released on the independent Chicago label Throb Records, which is co-owned
by Chicago’s B96 D.J. Tim Spinnin’ Schommer, and also found it’s way onto many top-selling dance compilations.
Finally, in the summer of 1999, Justin wrote and recorded the theme song for the 1999 B96 Summer B-Bash, which received heavy radio rotation on B96 hyping Chicago about the upcoming performances of Ricky Martin, N’Sync, Busta Rhymes, and Britney Spears among others.
During the year 2000, Justin Roman will have come full circle by graduating from college with a Music Business major at Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, IL). As the last part of his college education, Justin interned for Chicago’s top-rated radio station B96 (96.3 FM). After the internship was over, Justin was hired on to work for B96.
He worked for that radio station from Jan. 2000 to Aug. 2000, and still has a great working relationship with them leaving only to pursue his musical career full time! Constantly writing and recording, Justin Roman’s music spans through a wide variety of genres; including everything from pop, to hip-hop, to dance music.
Whether he is singing or rapping, making people dance or grind, one thing is certain: JUSTIN ROMAN WON’T STOP UNTIL HE REACHES THE TOP!!!
Justin Roman Age
Justin Roman’s birthday is 05/17/1977 and is 42 years old
Justin Roman b96
Stylz & Roman out as US99 morning team
It’s over and out for longtime Chicago radio stars Doug Stylz and Justin Roman as morning co-hosts at WUSN 99.5-FM.
Friday was their last day on the air at the Entercom country music station. A search is underway for their replacement, according to Jimmy de Castro, senior vice president, and market manager of Entercom Chicago.
Stylz (whose real name is Doug Bobrowski) and Roman are lifelong Chicagoans who both started as promotion interns at Entercom Top 40 WBBM 96.3-FM before they were teamed as evening co-hosts in 2004. Two years later they moved up to afternoon drive at B96.
In 2016 they surprised the market and their fans when they shifted to US99, replacing Lisa Dent and Ramblin’ Ray Stevens. But the duo never approached the high ratings they enjoyed at B96.
In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, US99 tied for 18th in mornings with a 2.1 percent audience share. It was the lowest rated of Entercom’s six stations in the market, but it still beat iHeartMedia country WEBG 95.5-FM, which tied for 25th in mornings with a 1.2 share.
Justin Roman ex-wife
B96’s Justin Roman: “I have two amazing careers and the reason why I’m in both of them is that I never gave up.”
Emme: Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in Bloomingdale. I went to Lake Park High School in Roselle. Then I went to Elmhurst College and graduated with a music business major. It trained me and groomed me for what I’m doing today.
Every year, B96 broadcasts live from a high school for football season, and every year we go to Lake Park High School. Every year, it’s not even a joke, Lake Park is the best high school we go to throughout Chicago. It’s great to get the hometown love!
Are your old teachers still there?
Yeah, a few of them are still there! The kids today have a lot of really cool things that I didn’t have. It’s cool to see the gym, see the hallways. It’s great to see the places where my dreams started.
Did you always know you wanted to work in radio?
I never knew I wanted to be in radio. It kind of came to me. My partner, Dougie Stylz, went to college for radio and majored in broadcast journalism. I did not. Music was a huge part of my life. I was in a boy band back in the day called VI3. We toured with Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.
I was doing that thing, and when I left the group to go solo, and my current boss approached me. He asked me what it would take for me to be on B96. I grew up listening to B96 and Eddie and Jobo. I was blown away with the idea of even doing it! It was the best decision I’ve ever made.
Ten years later, we’re the no. 1-afternoon show on the radio. Why do you think Stylz and Roman are no. 1 on the radio? What do you have that’s different from the rest?
Well, a couple of things. We’re both born and raised in Chicago. We were born and raised loving B96. We’re talking about local and Chicago things that you can’t make up. Stylz is trained for radio, and I’m not. Two of him, or two of me, wouldn’t work. I think, also, we were friends first. You can’t teach that chemistry. On the radio, that chemistry translates over.
What has been your best celebrity interview?
I think the best person is Jennifer Lopez. She is such a huge star. And she could not have been nicer. She could not have been more beautiful. Her personality was sky high. Honestly, I met a totally sincere, amazing person. I will forever be a Jennifer Lopez fan.
She knocked me away with how naturally beautiful she is. Kanye West was awesome. A lot of people say different things about him, but he was amazing. He talked to the majority of the interview. He’s totally misunderstood. He’s super, super talented and very misunderstood.
Did you get to interview Kim? (laughs)
She was at that show, but she didn’t go with him to the station. We talked about her in the interview. He talked about her openly. [The interview] got picked up by PerezHilton.comWhat has been your worst celebrity interview?
Normally, we get everybody’s best side. We interviewed Busta Rhymes, and he was horrible. He gave us one-word answers. He couldn’t have been less friendly. Maybe, it was a bad day for him. That’s possible.
What advice would you give to young people who want to do what you do?
I don’t care what you want to be. I think that young people should never give up on your dreams. That’s the most important thing! A lot of things happen where you’re told no. All it takes is one yes that will change your life. The people that keep plugging along are going to hear that yes.
On the music side, I was with a huge label, and we got dropped. I went solo, and the album never came out. And now I’m in a group called Jump Smokers. Had I given up, I would’ve never been able to see what I see now.
Jump Smokers toured with Pitbull and Ke$ha last summer. We’re one of the biggest names in dance music right now. One yes will change your life! I’m living proof of that!
Tell me more about Jump Smokers.
You can check us out at jumpsmokers.com. All of our music and remixes are on soundcloud.com/jumpsmokers. We’ve remixed over 100 songs with artists like Usher, Pitbull, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion.
The list goes on and on. We’re going to go back on the road with Pitbull this year. I have two amazing careers and the reason why I’m in both of them is that I never gave up. What are your plans for the future?
A lot of people ask me if I’m going to do radio or Jump Smokers. I am going to do both until I can’t physically do both anymore. There’s no way I am going to give up one of those.
I feel like the sky is the limit, and if you want something bad enough, you can make it happen. I’m going to keep on the radio train, and just see what happens in the next few years. Justin’s Guide to Chicago:
Favorite Restaurant: If I want Italian food, I go to RPM (52 W Illinois St., Chicago). If I want Asian, I go to Sunda (110 W Illinois St., Chicago). If I want to barbeque, I go to Old Crow Smokehouse (3506 N Clark St., Chicago).
Date Spot: Wrigley Field to watch the Cubbies play! Thankfully, I have a girl who likes to come along with me.
Cubs or Sox: There’s one baseball team here in Chicago, and it’s the Chicago Cubs! I can’t wait until the time they finally win The World Series, because this city will EXPLODE!
Favorite Pizza: Lou Malnati’s Pizza (439 N Wells St., Chicago) all day! I love that place!
Starbucks Order: I don’t drink coffee! But, if I had to make a choice, I would order a white hot chocolate!
Justin Roman Image
Justin Roman PhotoJustin Roman dad
Q&A: Justin Roman and Doug Stylz, Morning Hosts, ‘US 99’.
After first meeting as interns at CBS Radio top 40 “B96” WBBM Chicago, Justin Roman and Doug Stylz (a.k.a. Doug Bobrowski) have been an on-air team for a dozen years. That includes 10 years hosting afternoons at B96 and—fascinatingly, as of September—as the new morning show team for sister country station “US 99” WUSN (99.5).
Stylz and Roman spoke with Inside Radio about their move to the country, how the Chicago country listener differs, and their dream interviews. An edited transcript follows.
You came up in radio on top 40 and now you’re working on a country format. Are you country music fans or recent converts?
Justin Roman: I’ve been a huge country fan for a very long time. I’ve seen the Zac Brown Band, Carrie Underwood, Sam Hunt, and many more shows. We were at B96 for so long, but I was driving home listening to country music. It was the music that I really loved as a singer and a songwriter, and I really related to the stories.
Growing up—my mother is the biggest Alabama fan of all time and I had been at every Alabama concert since I was five years old. It is a perfect fit for our next move.
Doug Stylz: I wasn’t a huge fan of country music, but I’ve been to concerts like the Zac Brown Band and Chris Stapleton. I’m a fan of music in general. I’m starting to enjoy it a lot listening to it so much more.
I’m realizing country music is different from the way people have stereotyped it, from Florida Georgia Line to new artists such as Brett Eldredge and Dan and Shay. I’m becoming a huge fan.
Tell me about the move to US 99. Were you looking for a change or did management come to you?
Stylz: One Day, our swing deejay and fill-in jock, our friend Rebecca Ortiz, texted us saying, ‘Hey, are you guys not in today?’ She had a text from Todd Cavanaugh, our program director, asking if she could fill in for us. We obviously were a little concerned about that.
Then Todd Cavanaugh called us and said, ‘Hey guys, let’s go to the Cubs game today.’ We’re like, ‘Well, it’s a day game and we do afternoons,’ and he was, ‘Yeah, I got it covered.’ Initially, we thought, ‘Well, are we getting fired? But no, they aren’t going to fire us, then take us to a Cubs game afterward.’ We knew it was something positive.
Coincidentally, we had heard they were making a change at the US 99 morning show, but we didn’t think anything of it. Our honest thought was, ‘Wow. We’re about to get the morning show at B96.’ Guess what? That didn’t happen.
We show up at Old Crow, a country bar we happen to invest in, and Todd explained he wants to make US 99 more mainstream country. We’re not thinking anything of it.
Roman: At the end of his US 99 speech, he’s like, ‘We want to build this new, fresh, young station around a hot young morning show, and that’s “Stylz & Roman.”’ We were floored and said, ‘Wait. What? You want us to be the morning show at US 99?’ Not because we weren’t excited, but we were 100% positive that we were about to be named the morning show at B96….Two things that Todd Cavanaugh said have stuck with both of us.
First, he asked us to describe the country listener and what they do here in Chicago. They go to movies, they go to baseball games, they go to concerts, they date, they get married, they have babies, they go through breakups. The lifestyle of the country listener is the exact same as the lifestyle of a B96 listener, except they listen to Luke Bryan instead of Justin Bieber. In Chicago, that is the country music fan.
He also said, ‘I’m not promoting you guys to be a country morning show. I’m promoting you guys to be a phenomenal morning show that just so happens to play country music.’ When he said those things, we said that is right, that is a fit for ‘Stylz and Roman.’ This is the next chapter of our radio careers.
What kind of research did you guys do before you moved over? Did you meet with fans or go to a bunch of shows?
Stylz: We were friends already with some of the deejays here, and we went to a few concerts, like Darius Rucker and Luke Bryant. We got to meet a lot of the US 99 listeners, and we didn’t know what to expect, but the country audience embraced us. They were so nice and so kind and we realized they were really going to give us a shot at mornings.
Roman: The lifestyle is very similar. We went to a Florida Georgia Line concert, and, if you looked at a couple of the people individually, you wouldn’t know what concert you’re at. The lifestyle out here between the two stations and the two audiences are actually the same.
Obviously, there were some that were shocked, some diehard fans of the old morning show or the way the station used to sound. For the most part, though, it’s been really really positive and they’ve welcomed us with open arms.
You mentioned you’re investors of a country bar. Was that an existing relationship and how might you involve the radio show with the bar?
Roman: About three or four years ago, well before we were part of US 99, we had the opportunity to invest in a few country barbecue places called Old Crow Smokehouse. That just shows that we were always into country music and that scene. As a fan of music in general, it was a good fit here in Chicago.
We have live country artists that perform. When we got the call to US 99, it was again almost like the perfect storm of events. We have a couple of country bars, we love music, and it was a natural fit. We haven’t really intertwined the two yet, but we definitely will.
You also brought up similarities in the audiences, but what differences are you finding—if any—and how are you adjusting your show?
Stylz: When you talk to a B96 audience, there are a lot of teens. In the pop world, you have Justin Bieber fans who may be a little bit younger, as opposed to country, where a Keith Urban fan may be in their late 20s or early 30s. They’re more of the business type than someone still in high school. We had to change just a little bit of our ‘lingo.’
Roman: Within the country world, there is a new younger trend of ‘bro-country.’ We’ve interviewed Thomas Rhett and Sam Hunt and these guys are saying, ‘Bro’ and ‘Dude.’ It’s funny that when we were being groomed for this job, we were told, ‘Okay. Don’t say this, don’t say that, don’t say that,’ but ultimately the artists we were interviewing were saying that back to us.
It’s almost like the genres have combined a little bit more than the old-school country. There is a bit of hip-hop influence. The new country artist is a lot more pop-friendly than our parents’ country artists. There are differences in the audiences, but ultimately, B96 was very, very female-friendly, and US 99 is very female-friendly, so we are talking to the same type of listener.
With country music in Chicago, you’re not talking to people who have horses and live on farms. In Chicago, you are still going to Cubs games and you’re still going to concerts. They just happen to listen to Luke Bryan vs. Justin Bieber. For the most part, the listeners have a very similar lifestyle.
What experiences have you had with country artists? Are you finding them more accessible than pop musicians?
Roman: People in the country are the most sincere, genuine, nice people we’ve ever, ever met. When we interviewed Garth Brooks, who is arguably one of the most legendary country artists, he couldn’t have been nicer and more genuine.
It’s really refreshing to see that the country music world, I know it sounds cliché, but it is definitely a family. We have not encountered one person with even an ounce of ego to them.
Stylz: We didn’t know what to expect because we were new in the country family. Dan & Shay, Michael Ray, and Darius Rucker were the first three artists that we interviewed. When we walked away, it was, ‘Bro, we made the right decision to switch on over to U S99,’ because…we just got included right away.
Dan & Shay invited us backstage to do a shot and drink champagne with them to celebrate their song going No. 1. Not to say anything bad about pop artists, but you really don’t hear or see that. These guys wanted us to be there; we just met them.
They wanted us to be there because we had a little bit of a vibe during the interview and they were so excited for their song going No. 1 that they wanted us, two new guys to the country world, to come to celebrate.
You’re new to US 99 and country, but do you have a dream interview?
Roman: On the old-school vibe, it would be Alabama because again I grew up going to every single one of their concerts and my mother loves them so much. On a personal side, Sam Hunt, because he is my favorite artist right now. I think he’s a phenomenal songwriter and a super cool dude. I feel like we could be best friends; he just doesn’t know it yet.
Stylz: Rascal Flatts would just be really cool. Even if you’re not a fan of country music, you know who Rascal Flatts are. I think that the Flatts are just three really cool guys and we would just all bond, have a good time and really have a killer interview.
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