Boy bands

They haven't vanished... if anything...
New Kids on the Block are absolutely killing it right now on their US tour. Then you’ve got Take That—who just wrapped up one of the most successful tours ever, by the way. Even 98 Degrees decided to get the band back together. And honestly, even Washington, D.C. recently got an offer to host the Backstreet Boys 😉

I suppose bands like that don't really have much to offer, other than knowing how to moan through their songs.

LOL—boy bands... whenever I think back, I absolutely loved them. Those little songs were just so catchy and easy to remember..
I still find myself humming along to those tracks whenever they pop up on my computer. Even though I don't really listen to much pop anymore—I'm more into rock these days—it's not like boy bands are what they used to be either... but I guess what can you do? 🙂

Man, the Backstreet Boys, the nineties... I really miss all of that. Just that pure, cheesy bubblegum pop from the tail end of the decade... Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Take That, 98 Degrees, NSYNC... Honestly, if it weren't for the internet, I probably wouldn't even know the Backstreet Boys were still putting out albums. They released one back in 2007, I think. I haven't actually listened to any of their tracks lately; as far as I can recall, their last real hit was Incomplete.

ironwalker55 said:Man, those Backstreet Boys, back in the nineties... I really miss all of that... Just that super cheesy bubblegum pop from the end of the decade...

Exactly. Let's be honest here, the music was honestly pretty trash and the whole movement was basically just designed to squeeze every last cent out of teenagers, but man, you can't even argue if you wouldn't trade all these modern Rihannas and Lady Gagas for someone like Beksić and his crowd. If I turn on the radio and hear Tearing up my Heart, or if I flip on the TV and see those guys doing those weird little dance moves on that giant silver sphere—now that I think about it, aside from the fact they couldn't sing, play an instrument, or even actually dance, how did they even manage to sell it? Edit: oh right, the looks...

Don't you dare put Lady Gaga and Rihanna in the same sentence! 🙂

(uhm, looks like I actually did the exact same thing 😳 🤣)

Lady Gaga is basically just a white version of Rihanna...

Look, at least Rihanna can actually sing live, and her tracks are decent enough—as for Lady Gaga, she's just 🤮.
I used to say Rihanna was basically the Black Britney Spears, only with better talent.
Anyhoo, Germans gave us Tokio Hotel, much like how the Jonas Brothers are huge 🤷.

Gregory Harris8 said:I mean, let’s be honest here. The music was garbage, and the whole movement was basically engineered just to squeeze every last cent out of teenagers' allowances. But then again, I suppose you can't really complain if you wouldn't trade today's Rihane and Lady Gaga for Beksić or anyone else like them. If I turn on the radio and hear Tearing up my Heart, or flip on the TV and see those fools performing some weird, pseudo-dance moves on that giant disco ball—well, if memory serves, aside from being unable to sing or play an instrument, they couldn't even dance. So, how did they even manage to sell it? Edit: Oh right, the looks...

I don't know, I feel like 90s pop actually had some sort of charm left. It wasn't this aggressive, constant bombardment that everything seems to be nowadays.

Hehe, it’s funny how the older crowd used to talk about 80s music when the boy band craze first started hitting us all...

Casey White78 said:Is it just me, or have they all basically vanished?

There was such a massive wave once upon a time, spanning everything from Boyzone and Take That all the way to Satriani. 😁

But what about now?

Or am I simply just not keeping up anymore? 🤷

Maybe they all just got married and their husbands won't let them sing anymore.

Casey White78 said:Is it just me, or does it honestly feel like they’ve completely vanished into thin air?

Man, remember when there were just endless waves of them everywhere? It felt like you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing a group, ranging from the classics like Boyzone and Take That all the way to the energy of Satriani! 😁

So, what’s next on the agenda?

Or maybe I’ve just totally lost the plot and stopped keeping up with everything? 🤷

Honestly, you really shouldn't go tempting fate like that! 😁😁

It’s probably just better that way! I honestly can't help myself when I get excited about things like this, but I just had to jump in and share! It’s funny how certain topics can totally grab your attention, isn't it? Anyway, I was just sitting here thinking about it all, feeling a little silly for being so enthusiastic, but I really wanted to chime in! Nothing to report here! 🤣

Just thinking back to that initial question... do we even really need them? 😕

They haven't just vanished into thin air, you know. Some of them are still around today, and I’m sure new ones are popping up all the time. Personally, I used to be absolutely obsessed with them, and if I'm being honest, I still listen to a lot of their stuff—just the older tracks. I've noticed that people who don't listen to this kind of music have this habit of just bashing the whole genre, failing to see the massive difference between bands; I mean, some are genuinely terrible, while others are actually quite incredible, right? Isn't it a bit unfair to throw everyone into one big bucket and refuse to give credit where it's due? Maybe I'm being biased because Take That is still my absolute favorite group, but those guys (if you can even call men nearing 40 "guys" anymore!) have truly accomplished so much. They’ve almost always written their own lyrics, polished them up, played their own instruments, and Gary Barlow has even picked up several Ivor Novello awards! On top of that, they've won countless other accolades beyond just fan votes, sold out tours in record time, moved millions upon millions of albums, and smashed various pop music records. Honestly, isn't it a little pathetic to try and compare them to someone like US5 or whoever else just to drag them down? It feels wrong to lump them together. Of course, this kind of music isn't for everyone, just like any other genre, but it's just not fair to label it as "bad." It's pop music, designed for the masses. Some artists handle it better than others, some do a quality job, while others just rely heavily on backing tracks... For me personally, boy band music doesn't feel all that different from any other type of pop, regardless of the gender or the number of performers involved...

I'm curious—do you all think boy bands are gay? And is it even worth trying to launch a boy band here in the States?

I honestly believe this whole thing is just death itself, becoming a punchline for both the younger generation and the old guard alike.

But then again, if those former pop stars managed to pull it off, maybe this could too—or, let me put it more bluntly, if those former pop stars had succeeded, we might have even seen some overweight guy waddle up to the mic and "perform" a song via flatulence. 😕 🤷 There’s actually one such performer out there, though by some miracle, not here in America; I think he actually debuted a seventh symphony.

Boy bands like *NSYNC and their contemporaries are relics of the past, pretty much everywhere except in Asia. Even in Germany—though, let’s be honest, does anything really catch on there?—they struggle to find footing. The only way for a modern boy band to actually survive is to follow the blueprint set by Take That and the Backstreet Boys (and I mean now, not ten years ago when they were stuck doing those clumsy choreographies like everyone else). They need to pivot toward pure mainstream pop infused with rock elements.

Being in a boy band has zero to do with being gay.
It’s just some guys singing pop music (whatever, if you want to call it that). They basically just want to be the polar opposite of those metalheads wandering around with their greasy long hair, chains, and upside-down crosses.

The whole "boy band" thing is actually kind of a weird concept. It’s less about being a group of guys and more about a specific genre of music and those cringey choreographed dances. Even Pablo Francisco has thoughts on this.

So, Pablo already covered everything regarding 😁. What actually hits harder here in the States? Pop, Hip-hop, or Metal? Most people I know just listen to country—but let’s not even go there.