| Revision as of 13:20, 1 September 2015 view sourceMugenDarkness (talk | contribs)109 edits →2000s: Backstreet Boys, Westlife, TVXQ!, Jonas Brothers and F4Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 19:31, 26 December 2024 view source Musicality123 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users7,485 edits →1990s: Boyz II Men, Take That, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Westlife, Seo Taiji and Boys and the birth of modern K-pop: MN8 formed in 1992 and Damage 1995. All saw success in the UK after Take That and East 17's popularity. | ||
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| {{Short description|Vocal group consisting of young males}} | |||
| {{Other uses}} | {{Other uses}} | ||
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| {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2013}} | |||
| {{ |
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}} | ||
| {{More citations needed|date=April 2022}} | |||
| {{Infobox music genre | |||
| | name = Boy band | |||
| | bgcolor = #87CEEB | |||
| | color = black | |||
| | stylistic_origins = ], ], ], ],] | |||
| | cultural_origins = Early 1960s, United States, with precursors dating back to the mid-1950s, and the late 1970s, United Kingdom. | |||
| | instruments = Studio instrumentation: Vocals (usually in harmony), electronic backing, ], ]. Usual live instrumentation: synthesizers, electric guitar, bass guitar, drum kit, piano, with an optional horn: either solo ] or ]. | |||
| | derivatives = | |||
| | subgenres = | |||
| | fusiongenres = | |||
| | regional_scenes = | |||
| | local_scenes = | |||
| | other_topics = | |||
| }} | |||
| A '''boy band''' (or '''boyband''') is loosely defined as a ] consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hickey|first1=Walt|title=Boy Bands: More Like Man Bands|url=http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/boy-bands-more-like-man-bands/|website=FiveThirtyEight|accessdate=June 7, 2014|date=June 4, 2014}}</ref> singing love songs marketed towards young females.<ref>{{cite web|url =http://www.contactmusic.com/5-seconds-of-summer/news/5-seconds-of-summer-boy-band-one-direction_4311542 |title=5 Seconds of Summer Are A Boy Band}}</ref> Being vocal groups, most boy band members do not play ]s, either in recording sessions or on stage, making the term something of a ]. However, exceptions do exist. Many boy bands dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. | |||
| A '''boy band''' is a ] consisting of young male singers, usually in their ] or in their twenties at the time of formation.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hickey|first1=Walt|title=Boy Bands: More Like Man Bands|url=http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/boy-bands-more-like-man-bands/|website=FiveThirtyEight|access-date=June 7, 2014|date=June 4, 2014}}</ref> Generally, boy bands perform ]s marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. ] usually also have designated rappers. Most boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on-stage. They are similar in concept to their counterparts known as ]s. | |||
| Some such bands form on their own. They can evolve out of church choral or ] groups, but are often created by ]s or record producers who hold auditions. Due to this and their general commercial orientation towards a female audience of ]s, ]s, or teens, the term may be used with negative connotations in ]. Boy bands are similar in concept to their counterparts, ]s. Boy bands' popularity peaked thrice: in the 1960s (e.g., ] and ]), in the 1990s and early 2000s when acts such as the ], ], and ], among others, dominated the top of the '']'' and pop charts, and in the early 2010s with the emergence of new boy bands such as ], ], ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| Some boy bands are formed on their own, but most are created by ]s or record producers who hold auditions. The popularity of boy bands has peaked three times: first in the 1960s to '70s, with e.g. ] and ]; the second time during the late 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s, when acts such as ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] dominated ]; and the latest time in the 2010s up to the present, with the emergence of groups such as ], ], ], and ] acts such as ] and ]. | |||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| The term {{em|boy band}} was not established until the late 1980s when ] decided to form a record company to promote a new singing and dancing group after becoming fascinated with the success of ].<ref>{{cite web|url = http://didyouknow.org/boybands/ |title=Boy bands |publisher=Did you know |access-date=June 29, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| Although generally described as a rock band, the highest-selling band in history – ] – have been described by several journalists as "the first" or "the original" boy band, "before anyone had thought of the term", exclusively due to the enthusiastic response they received from their young female audience.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/faintings-stage-invasions-how-the-beatles-invented-the-cult-of-f/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/faintings-stage-invasions-how-the-beatles-invented-the-cult-of-f/ |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Faintings, stage invasions: how the Beatles invented the cult of female fandom |last=Brown |first=Mick |date=September 6, 2016 |work=] |access-date=March 12, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> | |||
| {{blockquote|text=The Liverpool quartet known as ] were not only the quintessential rock band, but many considered John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Star to be the original boy band – especially in the early 1960s when young girls would scream at the top of their lungs and pass out upon first sight of the "Fab Four".|author='']''<ref name="THR">{{Cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/boy-bands-wanted-one-direction-nsync-beatles-backstreet-boys-306859/1-the-beatles |title=The Beatles to The Wanted: The Evolution of Boy Bands |last1=Medina |first1=Portia|last2=Hermon|first2=James|last3=James |first3=Kyleen |date=April 4, 2012 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=March 13, 2018}}</ref>}} | |||
| Other critics, however, have pointed out that this assessment of the Beatles as a "boy band" could be applied to all other bands of the 1960s, saying, "if they were a (boy band), so was everyone else"<ref name="Were the Beatles a Boy Band">{{cite web|title=Were the Beatles a Boy Band?|date=January 2022 |publisher=Rock N Heavy|url=https://rocknheavy.net/were-the-beatles-a-boy-band-8c98f98210b9|access-date=August 16, 2022}}</ref> and is countered by others, including ],<ref>{{cite episode|series=MTV TRL|date=March 25, 2003}}</ref> who point out that, from the beginning, the Beatles wrote and exercised creative control over their own music, played their own instruments, were not manufactured by a record label, and did not feature the choreographed dance moves that later came to be associated with boy bands.<ref name="Were the Beatles a Boy Band"/> The Beatles did, however, inspire the production of the 1966 television series '']'',<ref name="Star Tribune">{{Cite news |url=http://www.startribune.com/from-beatles-to-the-wanted-a-history-of-boy-bands-at-a-glance/215232031/ |title=From Beatles to the Wanted: A history of boy bands at a glance |last=Tillotson |first=Kristin |date=July 15, 2013 |work=] |access-date=March 12, 2018}}</ref> which featured ], created for the show, that consisted of the four starring actors. The Monkees had a career as a rock and pop band after their songs from the TV series were released as successful records.<ref name="THR"/> | |||
| ===Early history=== | |||
| The earliest forerunner of boy band music began in the late 19th century as ] ]. They were usually a group of males and sang in ]. The popularity of Barbershop quartets had been prominent into the earlier part of the 20th century. A revival of the male vocal group took place in the late 1940s and 1950s with the use of ] music. Doo-wop bands sang about topics such as love and other themes used in ]. The earliest traces of boy bands were in the mid-1950s although the term boy band was not used. ] vocal group ] was one of the first of what would now be called boy bands. The term boy band was not established until the late 1980s as before that they were called male vocal groups or "hep harmony singing groups.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://didyouknow.org/boybands/ |title=Boy bands |publisher=Did you know |accessdate=June 29, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| ===1960s: The |
===Late 1960s and 1970s: The Jackson 5 and the Osmonds=== | ||
| {{unreferenced section|date=March 2013}} | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| Although the term "boy band" |
Although the term "boy band" was not commonly used then, the earliest predecessors of this format were groups such as ] and ] which helped form the template for boy bands.<ref name="Fuse">{{Cite news |url=https://www.fuse.tv/galleries/2014/11/history-famous-boy-bands |title=Photo History of Boy Bands: 31 Essential Acts |last1=Benjamin |first1=Jeff |last2=Nuñez |first2=Jatnna |date=November 17, 2014 |work=Fuse |access-date=March 14, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Star Tribune"/> The Jackson 5 were a sibling group that established many musical conventions that boy bands follow. For instance, their music featured ] from ] and catchy pop hooks influenced as much as they were by ] and acts like ]. The group also incorporated choreographed dance moves to their performances. All members of the band sang, which is a common convention of a boy band, as opposed to having a front man and the rest on instruments; thus, no one person dominated the stage.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}} Also a sibling group, The Osmonds first started singing ] for local audiences, before being hired to perform at ] early in their career. Their appearance in a televised Disney special earned them additional TV spots, such as '']'' and '']''.<ref name="THR"/> | ||
| ===Late 1970s and 1980s: Menudo, New Edition, and New Kids on the Block=== | |||
| ] were directly an influence on boy bands that use rock band instrumentation, and played more rock oriented music. The precedent for this was when TV producers ] and ] recruited four young actor/singers to perform catchy pop tunes while also acting in a television series in which performances were integrated into the shows' plots and were very influential in shaping early ]s. The Monkees are often considered as the original pioneers among boy bands as they were the first example of a manufactured boy band, put together by producers rather than already performing together and then being "discovered" by record label executives. Formed in 1965 under the supervision of ], the group became dissatisfied with Kirshner's control over them and they became independent two years later, working on their own up to 1970, when the group first dissolved. | |||
| ] in concert, November 2008]] | |||
| The Puerto Rican boy band ], appealing to young ] audiences, was founded in 1977. Menudo had a convention unique among boy bands: when a member turned 16, became too tall, or their voice changed, they were replaced. The members of Menudo were generally aged 12–16. Menudo had a large impact in Latin America and in Asia; Menudo fever there was compared to Beatlemania and it was nicknamed "Menudomania". | |||
| Boston group ] was formed in 1978 and reached their height of popularity in the 1980s, meaning they are often credited for starting the boy-band trend, even though the term "boy band" did not exist until the 1990s. ] was influenced by New Edition and popularized it with his ] ] (NKOTB), the first commercially successful modern boy band, which formed in 1984 and found international success in 1988. Starr's idea was to take the traditional template from the R&B genre (in this case his teenage band New Edition) and apply it to a pop genre. | |||
| ===1970s and 1980s: Menudo, New Edition, and New Kids on the Block=== | |||
| Other antecedents (apart from those already mentioned) exist throughout the history of pop music. The genre has been copied into languages and cultures other than the Anglo-American. The Puerto Rican boy band ], appealing to young ] audiences, was founded in 1977. Menudo had a convention unique among boy bands: when a member turned 16, became too tall, or their voice changed, they were replaced. The members of Menudo were generally aged 12–14. | |||
| ] (abbreviation of the word "brothers") were a British boy band active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, consisting of twin brothers ] and ] along with ]. Formed in 1986, they scored multiple top 10 hits between 1987 and 1989 and in 1988 became the first modern era–style boy band to have a multiple platinum-selling album in the UK, with '']'', still one of the most successful boy-band albums in the UK. Other big boy bands in Britain during the late 1980s were ] and ]. | |||
| The ] were a ] pop band who were most popular in the mid-1970s. The '']'' noted that they were "] teen sensations from ]", and were "the first of many acts heralded as the 'Biggest Group since The Beatles' and one of the most screamed-at teeny-bopper acts of the 1970s".<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book| first= David| last= Roberts| year= 2006| title= British Hit Singles & Albums|edition= 19th|publisher= Guinness World Records |location= London|isbn= 1-904994-10-5|page = 45}}</ref> For a relatively brief but fervent period (nicknamed "Rollermania"), they were worldwide ]s. The group were one of the first bands like The Monkees before them to take the formula shown by ] and apply it to a teen market. The group achieved the same amount of success but for a limited period of time. At the peak of their popularity in the UK, comparisons were being made to ]. Also by this time, Bay City Roller ] had a completely distinctive style of dress, the main elements of which were ankle-length ] trousers and tartan ], the group using the benefit of merchandise and promotion.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography">{{cite book| first= Martin C | last = Strong| year = 2000| title = The Great Rock Discography | edition = 5th|publisher= Mojo |location= Edinburgh|pages= 2–3|isbn= 1-84195-017-3}}</ref> | |||
| ===1990s: Boyz II Men, Take That, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Westlife, Seo Taiji and Boys and the birth of modern K-pop === | |||
| In the US, the ]-based ] group ] was generally interpreted as a "teen act", although all the band members played their own music. Vocalist ] later commented, "You’d have a thousand screaming girls in the front of the stage and then ten very serious rock critics in the back of the room going, ‘Uh-huh, I think we understand this.’ And unfortunately the great mass of pot-smoking 18-year-olds that bought albums and made you a substantial commodity in the great marketing world of records never took to us. It was not hip for people to like us, because their little sister liked us."<ref>{{Citation | last = Knopper | first = Steve | contribution = Raspberries | title = Contemporary Musicians | publisher = Gale | year = 2004 | series = Encyclopedia | accessdate = December 26, 2009 | url = http://www.encyclopedia.com/}}</ref> | |||
| The ongoing international success of New Kids on the Block inspired music managers in Europe to create their own acts, beginning with ]'s ] in the UK (formed in 1990) and followed by ], who had success with ] in the late 1980s and formed ] in 1991. East 17 were marketed and pitted against Take That as "rivals" with a rougher or harsher attitude, style and sound. Take That reformed in 2006 after a decade-long hiatus and became one of the most successful groups in British music chart history, with renewed chart success internationally, especially in Europe. Irish music manager ], who had witnessed the impact of these British boy bands, put out an advert for an "Irish Take That", thereby creating ] in 1993. ] (formed in 1992), ] (formed in 1993), and ] and ] (formed in 1995) were also successful boy bands in Britain; however, by the late 1990s all these bands had split up. | |||
| ] was a ] group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached their height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s in the US. The group recorded mostly as a quintet. | |||
| All these artists were very successful on both the singles and albums charts domestically and internationally; however, with the emergence of ] and the commercial co-option of ], many boy bands were ridiculed by the British music press as having no artistic credibility, although some, such as East 17 and Take That, did write most of their own material. The media attention was then placed on the "Battle of Britpop", and the bands ] and ] replaced the importance and rivalry of Take That and East 17 as the two new biggest bands in Britain. However, boy bands continued to find success in the late 1990s, such as ], ], ] and ]. In 1995 successful German music manager ], who had been manager of ] and ], put together ] band ] who scored a few worldwide hits during the mid-90s. | |||
| ] (abbreviation of the word "brothers") were a British boy band active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, consisting of twin brothers ] and ] along with ]. Formed in 1986, they scored multiple top 10 hits between 1987 and 1989. In Britain Bros also became the first modern era–style boyband to have a multiple platinum selling album with '']'' in 1988, which is still one of the most successful boyband albums in the UK. Other big boybands in Britain during the late eighties were ] and ]. | |||
| Although being American and the sons of ], a member of ], ] had several hits singles across Europe in the mid-1990s, despite limited success in the US, and finished the second biggest selling act of 1996 in Europe behind the ].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.sortmusic.com/_0/3t-biography,len.html |title=3T Biography |publisher=Sort music |access-date=August 5, 2012}}</ref> With the success of North American boy bands like ] in East Asia, Japanese entertainment company ] formed ] in 1992. The group enjoyed tremendous success, selling over 35 million records.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2049025/full/|title= 【オリコン】SMAP新曲が32作目首位 総売上3500万枚突破 |date= February 24, 2015|access-date= January 4, 2017|work= Oricon Style|publisher= ]}}</ref> | |||
| Boston group ] is often credited for starting the boy band trend in the 1980s, even though the term "boy band" did not exist until the 1990s. ] was influenced by New Edition and popularised it with his ] ], the first commercially successful modern boy band who formed in 1984 and found international success in 1988. Starr's idea was to take the traditional template from the R&B genre (in this case his teenage band ]) and apply it to a pop genre. | |||
| In 1992, after the disbandment of the heavy metal band ], in which he had a brief stint, ] formed the boy band ] (Korean: 서태지와 아이들) together with dancers Lee Juno and ], which went on to become highly successful and created a craze at the time. Seo Taiji and Boys is credited with changing the South Korean music industry by pioneering the incorporation of ] and ] as well as the fusion of Korean music and various popular Western music genres in Korean popular music, and in turn creating the prototype for the modern hybrid ] genre or "rap-dance", as it was called at the time, and ] groups. They also left a lasting impact by explicitly putting social criticism at the forefront of their music, as well as paving the way for artistic freedom in South Korea by challenging censorship laws and the television networks hegemony over the music market. In 1995 the Korean Broadband is not 6 ft to a particular location casting Ethics Committee demanded that Seo Taiji and Boys change the lyrics for "Regret of the Times". As a result, Seo decided to release the song as a purely instrumental track. This incited protests and resulted in the abolishment of music pre-censorship in Korea. Seo Taiji also did not have to rely on television networks due to the fact that he owned his own studio. This autonomy allowed Seo to bring subcultures in Korea, such as heavy metal, to the forefront of popular culture and challenge pervasive social norms. The band's independent success diminished the power of the television networks to dictate which artists appeared on shows, and gave rise to the influence of record labels and talent agencies.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Maliangkay |first=Roald |date=2013-01-01 |title=The Popularity of Individualism: The Seo Taiji Phenomenon in the 1990s |url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/347/chapter/116844/The-Popularity-of-IndividualismThe-Seo-Taiji |language=en |doi=10.1215/9780822377566-018 |isbn=9780822377566 |publisher=Duke University Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shim |first=Doobo |date=2006 |title=Hybridity and the rise of Korean popular culture in Asia |journal=Media, Culture & Society |volume=28 |pages=25–44 |doi=10.1177/0163443706059278 |s2cid=204327176 |language=en}}</ref> In 1996, Seo Taiji and Boys disbanded. In April 1996, Billboard reported that the band's first three albums had each sold over 1.6 million copies, with the fourth nearing two million,<ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iw0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA18 |title=Seoul Music: Rockin' in Korea |date=1996-04-20 |publisher=Billboard |pages=16 |language=en}}</ref> making all four some of the ] to this day. Lee Juno became a record producer, and Yang Hyun-suk was successful in founding ], one of the three biggest record companies in the country. Seo Taiji returned to music two years later with a successful solo career as a rock artist; he rose to become one of the most prominent and influential cultural icons in South Korea and was dubbed "the President of culture".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Herald |first=Korea |date=2012-03-23 |title=K-pop before and after Seo Taiji & Boys |url=https://m.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20120323000748 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=The Korea Herald |language=en}}</ref> In 2017, Seo Taiji released a 25th Anniversary album with his greatest hits and remakes by prominent Korean artists, including the group BTS. He also held a joint celebratory concert with the latter, in which he acknowledged them as his spiritual successors in K-pop due to the socially conscious thematic similarities in their music as well their shared ] leanings, and metaphorically passed the torch, saying "This is your generation now".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Herman |first1=Tamar |date=2017-09-04 |title=K-Pop Legend Seo Taiji Holds 25th Anniversary Concert, Passes Torch to BTS |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/k-pop-legend-south-korea-seo-taiji-25th-anniversary-concert-bts-7950056/ |access-date=2022-11-17 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
| ===1990s: Boyz II Men, Take That, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Westlife=== | |||
| Some managers in Europe soon created their own acts after being inspired by ]. First beginning with ]'s ] in the UK who formed in 1990 and followed by ] who had success with ] in the late eighties and formed ] in 1991 who were marketed and pitted against Take That as rivals with a harsher attitude, style and sound. Although in previous years ] and ] had achieved number one singles in the UK, it was Take That who were the first group to completely dominate the charts. Between their first number one single in 1993 and last in 1996 and before their 2005 reunion only one single failed to reach the top spot. This making them one of the most successful groups in British music chart history and the inspiration for most British pop groups ever since. Irish music manager ], who had witnessed the impact of these two British boy bands, put out an advert for an 'Irish Take That' thereby creating ] in 1993. ] formed in 1993, ] and ] formed in 1995, and ] formed in 1996 were also boy bands who enjoyed success in Britain; however by the late 1990s all these bands had run their course and split up. | |||
| ] sold over 100 million records.<ref name="bsb">{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/backstreet-boys-are-back-20100106-ltvn.html|title=Backstreet Boys are back|first=Katherine|last=Feeney|work=] |date=January 6, 2010 |access-date=January 21, 2014}}</ref>]] | |||
| All these artists were very successful on both the singles and albums charts domestically and internationally however with the emergence of ] and the commercial co-option of ], many boy bands were ridiculed by the British music press as having no artistic credibility. The media attention was now placed on the ] and the bands ] and ] replaced the importance and rivalry of Take That and ] as the two new biggest bands in Britain. However, other boybands found success in the late nineties like ], ], ] and ]. In 1995 successful German music manager ] who had been manager of ] and ] put together ] band ] who scored a few worldwide hits during the mid nineties. | |||
| In the early 1990s in North America, with New Kids on the Block's continued success and ] also having success, boy bands became a continued staple of the Billboard charts. Continuing this success in the mid-1990s, most prominent boy bands were African American and had R&B and gospel elements, such as the groups ] (formed in 1993) and ] (formed in 1988). Boyz II Men are also the most successful boy band act on the ] as well as the ]. Although they had success on the Billboard charts, they were not marketed towards youth but more towards adults. It was not until 1997 and the change to pop-oriented groups such as ], ], ], ], and ] that boy bands exploded commercially and dominated the market in the United States. This late 1990s marked the height of boy band popularity in North America, which has not been seen since. | |||
| Arguably the most successful boy band manager from the U.S. was ], who founded commercially successful acts such as the ] in 1993, ] and ] in 1995, ] in 2000, and ] in 2005. Backstreet Boys and NSYNC became the two biggest boy bands in the late 1990s until the early 2000s, and Backstreet Boys went on to become the best-selling boy band in history with over 100 million records sold.<ref name="bsb"/> | |||
| Although being American and the sons of ], a member of ], ] had several hits singles across Europe in the mid-1990s, despite limited success in the ], and finished the second biggest selling act of 1996 in Europe behind ].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.sortmusic.com/_0/3t-biography,len.html |title=3T Biography |publisher=Sort music |accessdate=August 5, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| In the late 1990s in the UK, producer ] (noted in the U.S. for the '']/]'' franchise) is also known for having managed British boyband ] (formed in 1997) and Irish boyband ] (formed in 1998). Westlife was created by Irishman ] as a replacement for ]<ref>{{cite web| url = http://uk.tv.yahoo.com/x-factor/judges/louis-walsh.html | work = Press Association | title = Louis Walsh Profile | publisher= Yahoo! |access-date= January 9, 2010}}</ref> and was initially managed by a former member of the band ]. Westlife would eventually overtake Take That in number one's tally in the UK although Take That's overall UK sales are still higher. In 2012, the ] revealed the biggest selling singles artists in British music chart history with Take That placed 15th overall and the highest selling boyband act (9.3 million), followed by Boyzone at 29 (7.1 million) and Westlife at 34 (6.8 million).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-20-biggest-selling-groups-of-all-time-revealed-1682/ | title = The Official Top 20 biggest selling groups of all time revealed!|publisher=Official charts |access-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-singles-charts-biggest-selling-artists-of-all-time-revealed-1431/ |title=Official Singles Charts' biggest selling artists of all time revealed | publisher =Official charts |access-date=October 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/take-thats-top-40-biggest-selling-songs-3313/ | title = Take That's Top 40 Biggest Selling Songs|publisher=Official charts |access-date=November 29, 2014}}</ref> Even though Cowell is known to have managed several successful boy bands, he is also infamous for passing on signing two of the biggest boybands to emerge from the 1990s and 2000s, Take That and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bebo.com/BlogView.jsp?MemberId=7322368642&BlogId=7651779757 |title=Blog |publisher=Bebo |access-date=June 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915184945/https://bebo.com/BlogView.jsp?MemberId=7322368642&BlogId=7651779757 |archive-date=September 15, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
| With the success of North American boybands like ] in East Asia, Japanese entertainment company ] formed ] in 1992. The group enjoyed tremendous success and paved the way for more Asian boy bands such as ]. | |||
| ===2000s: Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Westlife and Jonas Brothers=== | |||
| ] are the best-selling boy band in history.]] | |||
| ] are described as a pop boy band.]] | |||
| In the early nineties in North America with New Kids on the Block continued success and ] also having success boy bands became a continued staple of the Billboard charts. Continuing this success in the mid-1990s, most prominent boy bands were African American and had R&B and gospel elements, such as the group ] formed in 1993 and ] formed in 1988. ] are also the most successful boy band act on the ] as well as the ]. Although they had success on the Billboard charts, they had been targeted to more of an adult audience and were not marketed for youth. It wasn't until 1997 and the change to pop oriented groups like ], ], ], ], and ] that boy bands exploded commercially and dominated the market in the United States. This late nineties era marked the height of boy band popularity in North America which hasn't been seen since. | |||
| With the continued success of ] and ], American and British groups like ], ], ], ], ], and ] gained quick popularity both domestically and internationally. International boy bands would also occasionally spring up, such as the ]n band ] (better known today as an ]), and ]. American Christian boy band ] also enjoyed brief remarkable success during this time. | |||
| At the height of boy band popularity in ], MTV created their own parody boyband, ]. Like ] in the 1960s, they were a manufactured act composed of actors. 2gether played off of the idea that every successful boy band must have five distinct personality types: the bad boy, the shy one, the young one, the older brother type, and a heart throb. | |||
| Arguably the most successful boy band manager from the U.S. was ], who founded commercially successful acts such as the ] in 1993, ] and ] in 1995, ] in 2000, and ] in 2005. Backstreet Boys and NSYNC became the two biggest boy bands in the late 1990s until the early 2000s, and Backstreet Boys went on to become the best selling boy band in history with over 130 million records sold.<ref name = "garcia1">{{cite news|url= http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/02/143_61233.html|title= Backstreet Boys Share Secrets to Success|last=Garcia|first=Cathy Rose A |work=]|date=February 22, 2010|accessdate = January 24, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Backstreet Boys back, for good|url = http://www.straight.com/article-160145/backstreet-boys-back-good |publisher=Straight |accessdate=May 31, 2012|date=September 4, 2008}}</ref> | |||
| Since 2001, the dominance of traditional boy bands on pop charts began to fade in the western hemisphere, although Gil Kaufman of ] has described "new boy bands" that are "more likely to resemble ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/b/boy_bands/050207/|title=The New Boy Bands|access-date=November 8, 2007|publisher=MTV|year=2007|first=Gil|last=Kaufman|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019051548/http://www.mtv.com/bands/b/boy_bands/050207/|archive-date=October 19, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
| In the late nineties in the UK, producer ] (noted in the U.S. for the American Idol/X Factor franchise) is also known for having managed British boyband ] who were formed in 1997 and Irish boyband ] formed in 1998. Westlife was created by Irishman ] as a replacement for ]<ref>{{cite web| url = http://uk.tv.yahoo.com/x-factor/judges/louis-walsh.html | work = Press Association | title = Louis Walsh Profile | publisher= Yahoo! |accessdate= January 9, 2010}}</ref> and was initially managed by a former member of the band ]. Westlife would eventually overtake Take That in number one's tally in the UK although Take That's overall UK sales are still higher. In 2012, the ] revealed the biggest selling singles artists in British music chart history with Take That placed 15th overall and the highest selling boyband act (9.3 million), followed by Boyzone at 29 (7.1 million) and Westlife at 34 (6.8 million).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-20-biggest-selling-groups-of-all-time-revealed-1682/ | title = The Official Top 20 biggest selling groups of all time revealed!|publisher=Official charts |accessdate=November 3, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-singles-charts-biggest-selling-artists-of-all-time-revealed-1431/ |title=Official Singles Charts' biggest selling artists of all time revealed | publisher =Official charts |accessdate=October 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/take-thats-top-40-biggest-selling-songs-3313/ | title = Take That's Top 40 Biggest Selling Songs|publisher=Official charts |accessdate=November 29, 2014}}</ref> Even though Cowell is known to have managed several successful boy bands, he is also infamous for passing on signing two of the biggest boybands to emerge from the 1990s and 2000s, Take That and ].<ref>{{cite news| first =Alasdair | last = Glennie |url = http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2118414/Simon-Cowell-admits-turned-Take-That-overweight-Gary-Barlow.html | title =Simon Cowell admits that he turned down Take That because of 'overweight' Gary Barlow |work=Daily Mail |date = March 22, 2012 |accessdate=June 29, 2012 | location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.bebo.com/BlogView.jsp?MemberId=7322368642&BlogId=7651779757 |title=Blog |publisher=Bebo |accessdate=June 29, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| In 2001, Taiwanese boy band ] (called JVKV since 2007)<ref>{{cite news | first = Vivien | last = Wang | title = Boy band changes name F4 into JVKV | url = http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/lifestyle/2007-04/29/content_863824.htm | work = ] | date = April 29, 2007 | access-date =May 31, 2007}}</ref> blew up big as a result of the success of their TV drama '']''. According to '']'', F4 has sold 3.5 million copies of their first two albums all over Asia as of July 2003.<ref>{{cite web|author=Alexandra Kirkman|date=July 7, 2003|title=Big--But Not Here|url=https://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2003/0707/094.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030812175747/https://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2003/0707/094.html|archive-date=August 12, 2003|access-date=May 18, 2020|work=]}}</ref> | |||
| ===2000s: Backstreet Boys, Westlife, TVXQ!, Jonas Brothers and F4=== | |||
| ] are described as pop boy band]] | |||
| With the continued success of ] and ], American and British groups like ], ], ], ], ], and ] gained quick popularity both domestically and internationally. International boy bands would also occasionally spring up, such as the ]n band ] (better known today as an ]), and ]. American Christian boy band ] also enjoyed brief remarkable success during this time. | |||
| With their success, many other Taiwanese boy bands emerged around this time, such as ] and ]. In South Korea, ] also spread ] wave throughout Asia such as ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Also in 2001, a new all-male pop band and dance group boyband hailing from Japan called ] debuted under Avex Group's label ] with 14 members, putting them on par with ], a South Korean boy band, who at the time, had had 13 members at its peak.<ref>{{Cite web |last=CaptainMal |date=2018-11-07 |title=Celebrating The 13 Original Members Of Super Junior For Their 13th Anniversary |url=https://www.whatthekpop.com/2018/11/06/celebrating-the-13-original-members-of-super-junior-for-their-13th-anniversary/ |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=What The Kpop |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
| At the height of boy band popularity in ], MTV created their own parody boyband, ]. Like ] in the 1960s, they were a manufactured act, featuring members with a distinct fictional type. 2gether played off of the idea that every successful boy band must have five distinct personality types: the bad boy, the shy one, the young one, the older brother type, and a heart throb. All of the members of 2gether were actors and have moved onto other projects since the end of the MTV series that followed the made for TV movie. | |||
| Japanese boy band ] has sold over 30 million copies of their records since their first release in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2052992/full/|title= 【オリコン】嵐、相葉主演月9主題歌1位 CD総売上3000万枚突破|date= May 19, 2015|access-date= January 4, 2017|work= Oricon Style|publisher= ]|language= ja}}</ref> They had the ] in 2008<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/081211_01_01.html|title= 年間ランキング特集『2008年 オリコン年間ランキング大発表！』|access-date= January 4, 2017|work= Oricon Style|publisher= ]|language= ja}}</ref> and 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://contents.oricon.co.jp/music/special/091218_01_01.html|title= 年間ランキング特集『オリコン2009年年間ランキング大発表！』|access-date= January 4, 2017|work= Oricon Style|publisher= ]|language= ja}}</ref> In 2003 ] released the single "]" that has become the ], with over three million copies sold.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2082827/full/ |script-title=ja:SMAP「世界に一つだけの花」300万枚突破 ファンの「購買運動」目標達成 |date=9 December 2016 |access-date=2 December 2017 |publisher=Oricon News |language=ja |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202132949/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2082827/full/ |archive-date=2 December 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
| Since 2001, the dominance of traditional boy bands on pop charts began to fade, although Gil Kaufman of ] has described "new boy bands" that are "more likely to resemble ], ].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.mtv.com/bands/b/boy_bands/050207/ |title=The New Boy Bands|accessdate = November 8, 2007 | publisher=MTV|year=2007| first =Gil | last = Kaufman}}</ref> | |||
| In North America, the ] rose to fame from promotion on the ] in 2008. Other boy bands like ] and ] also emerged and experienced remarkable success around this time. However, apart from them, boy bands have not seen the commercial boom experienced in the genre from the mid to late nineties in North America. | |||
| In 2001, Taiwanese boy band ] (called JVKV since 2007)<ref>{{cite news | first = Vivien | last = Wang | title = Boy band changes name F4 into JVKV | url = http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/lifestyle/2007-04/29/content_863824.htm | work = ] | date = April 29, 2007 | accessdate =May 31, 2007}} </ref>blew up big as a result of the success of their TV drama ]. Their popularity spread throughout Asia. With their success, many other Taiwanese boy bands emerged around this time, such as ] and ]. In South Korea, ] also spread ] wave throughout Asia such as ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Shinhwa's fourth album, '']'', was released on June 8, 2001, debuting at #3 with the lead single "Hey, Come On!" rapidly climbing up the music charts. The album's release coincided with the rise of the ], spreading the group's popularity overseas. Also in 2001, a new all-male pop band and dance group boyband hailing from Japan called ] debuted under Avex Group's label ] with 14 members, putting them on par with ], a South Korean boy band, who had 13 members at its peak. | |||
| The mid 2000s, especially the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, saw the continued longevity of nineties boy bands such as ] and ] (before they disbanded in 2012), and the successful comeback of ] in 2005, ] in 2007, and ] in 2008. Some sections of the press have referred to these acts, particularly those who have reformed after a previous split, such as Take That, Boyzone, and ], as 'man bands'.<ref>{{cite news|title=98 Degrees reunites as 'man band' on 'Today' show| work = Los Angeles Times | url= http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-98-degrees-reunites-today-show-20120817,0,3400710.story |access-date=September 14, 2012|date=August 17, 2012|first=Christie|last=D'Zurilla}}</ref> | |||
| In North America, the ] rose to fame from promotion on the ], enabling them to sell over 180,000 copies of their album in a week in 2008 and hit number one on the American Billboard 200. Other new boy bands like ] and ] also experienced remarkable success around this time. However, apart from them, boy bands haven't seen the commercial boom experienced in the genre from the mid to late nineties in North America. | |||
| ===2010s and 2020s: Big Time Rush, One Direction and rise of K-pop === | |||
| In South Korea, ] rose to fame from their hit single "]", in 2005, under ].] immense success in Japan and tremendous achivements all over Asia and Worldwide open the door for the Hallyu Wave to climb and grab a spotlight in Asia and international market .The group is the best-selling foreign artist in Japan <ref> http://www.musicvoice.jp/news/20141111020186/</ref> . | |||
| ] rose to fame in 2011.]] | |||
| In the early 2010s, there was somewhat of a resurgence of boy band popularity in countries where the trend had not maintained, with the emergence of new boy bands like ], ], and ] and the formation of ] ] which comprised members of New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2012/04/rise-and-return-boy-band|title=The rise and return of the boy band|publisher=Hampton Roads|date=April 29, 2012|access-date=June 29, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510171444/http://hamptonroads.com/2012/04/rise-and-return-boy-band|archive-date=May 10, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> NKOTBSB's success inspired boy bands who were fairly popular during the 1990s and 2000s to make a comeback, such as A1, ], 98 Degrees, ], ], and O-Town. Like ] and ], Big Time Rush was a manufactured act created for a television show. One Direction were often credited as sparking a resurgence in the popularity and interest boy bands alongside being credited with forming part of a new "]" in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blogs/reality-rocks/british-coming-one-direction-set-conquer-america-202911123.html|title=The British Are Coming! One Direction Set To Conquer America|website=www.yahoo.com|date=March 12, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/the-new-british-invasion-boy-bands/|title=The New British Invasion: Boy Bands -|date=May 8, 2012}}</ref> Their ] was the highest-grossing tour by a vocal group in history<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6281518/one-direction-where-we-are-tour-three-million|title=One Direction's Where We Are Tour Attended by 3.4 Million Fans|date=October 10, 2014|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> and after the release of their fourth album, '']'', they became the only group in the 58-year history of the ] to have their first four albums debut at number one.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6327789/one-direction-four-no-1-debut-billboard-200|title=One Direction's 'Four' Makes Historic No. 1 Debut on Billboard 200 Chart|date=November 26, 2014|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> | |||
| In Southeast Asia, local boy bands also emerged as a result of the continued success of Korean and Japanese boy bands.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} After the debut of the Philippines supergroup ] in 2018, the group appeared at number six on ] Social 50 chart, making them the first Southeast Asian act to reach the top 10 of the magazine's annual chart.<ref name="Social 50 Artists - Year-End">{{Cite magazine|title=Social 50 Artists - Year-End|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2020/social-50-artists|access-date=December 3, 2020|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=December 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203134031/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2020/social-50-artists|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| ===2010s: NKOTBSB, One Direction, The Wanted and comebacks of 1990s-early 2000s boy bands=== | |||
| Moving into the 2010s, boy bands are still popular especially in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe due to the continued commercial presence and longevity of nineties boy bands such as ] and ] (before they dissolved in 2012), and the successful comeback of ] in 2005, ] in 2007, and ] in 2008. Some sections of the press have referred to these acts, particularly those who have reformed after a previous split, such as Take That, Boyzone, and ], as 'man bands'.<ref>{{cite news|title=98 Degrees reunites as 'man band' on 'Today' show| work = The Los Angeles Times | url= http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-98-degrees-reunites-today-show-20120817,0,3400710.story |accessdate=September 14, 2012|date=August 17, 2012|first=Christie|last=D'Zurilla}}</ref> These older generation boy bands chart alongside the new boy bands. | |||
| In South Korea, boy bands have been commercially successful. On the ] year-end albums chart of 2022, 7 of the top 10 and 13 of the top 20 albums are by boy bands or by subunits/members of boy bands.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?serviceGbn=&termGbn=year&yearTime=3&targetTime=2022|title=2022 Album Chart|website=Circle Music Chart|publisher=Korea Music Content Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113021606/https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?serviceGbn=&termGbn=year&yearTime=3&targetTime=2022|archive-date=January 13, 2023|url-status=live|access-date=January 17, 2023}}</ref> Seventeen's '']'' is the best-selling album of all time in South Korea, with more than 6.2 million copies sold, and BTS's '']'' became the first album released since 2001 to sell more than 1 million copies.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Korea Herald |last=Choi |first=Ji-won |date=2023-07-05 |url=https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230705000560 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130044008/https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230705000560 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20171013184700005|script-title=ko:美빌보드 찍고 밀리언셀러…K팝 역사 새로 쓰는 방탄소년단|trans-title=US Billboard and Million Seller...BTS rewriting K-pop history|last=Lee|first=Eun-jeong|date=October 13, 2017|website=Yonhap News|language=ko|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008214727/https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20171013184700005|archive-date=October 8, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=January 17, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=109&aid=0003636575|script-title=ko:방탄소년단, 16년만에 단일앨범 120만장 돌파 대기록..가요계 대역사|trans-title=BTS, single album to sell 1.2 million copies in 16 years, a record... a great history of the music industry|last=Kim|first=Eun-ae|date=October 13, 2017|website=|language=ko|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013120703/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=109&aid=0003636575|archive-date=October 13, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=January 17, 2023|via=Naver}}</ref> | |||
| ] rose to fame in 2011.]] | |||
| In the early 2010s, there was somewhat of a resurgence of boy band popularity in countries where the trend had not maintained, with the emergence of new boy bands like ], ], and ] and the formation of ] ] which comprised members of New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2012/04/rise-and-return-boy-band|title=The rise and return of the boy band|publisher=Hampton Roads|date=April 29, 2012|accessdate= June 29, 2012}}</ref> NKOTBSB's success inspired boy bands who were fairly popular during the 1990s and 2000s to make a comeback, such as ], 98 Degrees, ], ], and O-Town. Like ] and ], Big Time Rush was a manufactured act created for a television show. | |||
| In 2013, Billboard started covering music releases in K-pop, though K-pop had been entering the charts as early as 2009.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/8532755/k-pop-billboard-20-years|title=Looking Back at How 'K-Pop' Came to Billboard 20 Years Ago|magazine=Billboard|date=October 11, 2019|access-date=2019-12-22}}</ref> By 2017, BTS crossed into the international music market, furthering the ] in the United States and becoming the first Korean group to receive a certification by the ] (RIAA) with their single "]". The band is the first Korean act to top the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 with their studio album '']'' (2018) and have since hit the top of the U.S. charts with their albums '']'' (2018), '']'' (2019), '']'' (2020), '']'' (2020) and '']''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9490955/bts-be-billboard-200-albums-chart-number-one/|title=BTS Earns Fifth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Be'|last=Caulfield|first=Keith|magazine=Billboard|date=November 29, 2020|access-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/bts-proof-billboard-200-debut-no-1-1235089722/|title=BTS Lands Sixth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Proof'|last=Caulfield|first=Keith|date=June 19, 2022|magazine=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619220626/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/bts-proof-billboard-200-debut-no-1-1235089722/|archive-date=June 19, 2022|url-status=live|access-date=June 20, 2022}}</ref> ''Love Yourself: Answer'' also broke South Korea's ]'s all-time monthly record previously set by ''Love Yourself: Tear'' and became the first Korean album certified Gold in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=BTS&ti=&lab=&genre=&format=&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH#search_section|title=RIAA: BRS certifications|website=]|access-date=September 22, 2019}}</ref> ] later became the first K-pop group to debut at No. 1 in the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8548435/billboard-impact-list-honorees-2020-industry-executives|title=The 2020 Billboard Impact List Revealed|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |magazine=Billboard|date=January 23, 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102083527/https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8548435/billboard-impact-list-honorees-2020-industry-executives/|archive-date=November 2, 2020|access-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref> In 2020, BTS "]" debuted atop the ], making them the first all-South Korean act in Hot 100 history to debut at number one.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/01/bts-k-pop-stars-become-first-all-south-korean-act-to-top-us-singles-charts|title=BTS: K-pop stars become first all-South Korean act to top US singles charts|date=September 1, 2020|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101221815/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/01/bts-k-pop-stars-become-first-all-south-korean-act-to-top-us-singles-charts|archive-date=November 1, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=November 4, 2020}}</ref> It garnered the band their first ] nomination, for ] at ], making them the first K-pop act to be nominated for one.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/nov/25/bts-become-first-k-pop-act-to-receive-a-grammy-nomination|title=BTS become first K-pop act to receive a Grammy nomination|last=McCurry|first=Justin|date=November 25, 2020|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125093126/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/nov/25/bts-become-first-k-pop-act-to-receive-a-grammy-nomination|archive-date=November 25, 2020|url-status=live|access-date=November 25, 2020}}</ref> | |||
| In Southeast Asia, local boy bands also emerged as a result of the continued success of Korean and Japanese boy bands such as ], ], ], ], ] and ]. One of the boy bands who emerged as a result of ] (Korean wave) is Indonesia's ] who enjoyed prominent success domestically. | |||
| On 12 December 2024, South Korean boy group ] become the first act ever to debut at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with their first six charting albums ] (2022), ] (2022), ] (2023), ] (2023), ] (2024) and ] (2024).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Caulfield |first1=Keith |title=Stray Kids Become First Group to Debut at No. 1 on Billboard 200 With First Five Chart Entries |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/stray-kids-billboard-200-first-group-number-one-debut-five-chart-entries-1235741992/ |publisher=Billboard|date=28 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Horowitz |first1=Steven J. |title=Stray Kids and Jimin Make History as First K-Pop Acts to Hold Top Spots on Album Charts |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/stray-kids-jimin-k-pop-history-album-charts-1236088951/ |publisher=Variety |date=29 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Caulfield |first1=Keith |title=Stray Kids Become First Act to Debut at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart With First Six Chart Entries |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/stray-kids-billboard-200-history-first-act-number-one-first-six-chart-entries-1235864031/ |publisher=Billboard |date=22 December 2024}}</ref> | |||
| In Japan, ] was the best-selling music artist in Japan from 2013 through 2017<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/50550/ |script-title=ja:【第50回 オリコン年間ランキング 2017】嵐が総合売上5年連続首位、AKB48がシングル年間V8達成! |date=December 23, 2017 |access-date=November 6, 2018 |publisher=] |language=ja }}</ref> by value of sales and also having the yearly best-selling album in the country in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/2010/musicrank1220/index04.html |script-title=ja:年間ランキング特集『2010年、ヒットしたシングル、アルバム、DVDは？』 |date=December 20, 2010 |access-date=November 6, 2018 |publisher=] |language=ja }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/2011/musicrank1219/index03.html |script-title=ja:年間ランキング特集『AKB48が5作ミリオン突破の快挙！2011年オリコン年間CD＆DVDランキングを大発表！』 |date=December 19, 2011 |access-date=November 6, 2018 |publisher=] |language=ja }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/2013/musicrank1215/index05.html |script-title=ja:オリコン2013年 年間 音楽＆映像ランキング |date=December 15, 2013 |access-date=November 6, 2018 |publisher=] |language=ja }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.oricon.co.jp/special/48546/4/|script-title=ja:2015年 年間音楽ランキングを発表！|date= December 23, 2015|access-date= January 4, 2017|work= Oricon Style|publisher= ]|language= ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.oricon.co.jp/special/49664/4/|script-title=ja:【2016年 年間音楽＆映像ランキング】嵐が前人未到の記録達成！AKB48がシングル年間V7!!|date= December 24, 2016|access-date= January 4, 2017|work= Oricon Style|publisher= ]|language= ja}}</ref> Other successful Japanese boy bands in this decade include ], the second best-selling music artist of 2016 in the country and ], the fifth best-selling music artist of that year in Japan.<ref name="oricon">{{cite web |url= http://www.oricon.co.jp/special/49664/6/|script-title=ja: 【2016年 年間音楽＆映像ランキング】嵐が前人未到の記録達成！AKB48がシングル年間V7!!|date= December 24, 2016|access-date= January 4, 2017|work= Oricon Style|publisher= ]|language= ja}}</ref> | |||
| In Norway, the boy band ] gained commercial success in 2022 with dance and party songs like "Dans På Bordet" and "Beklager (Guttaklubben)". The group is also known for keeping their identities anonymous by wearing pink-colored masks in the public.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://730.no/na-er-de-nummer-1-i-norge-ballinciaga-x-730-no/|title=Ballinciaga til 730.no: – Tekstene våre reflekterer en virkelighet som eksisterer|date=March 29, 2022|access-date=November 9, 2022|publisher=730.no|language=nb}}</ref> Other Norwegian boy bands that gained commercial success in the country in 2020s are ] and ] in 2022 and 2024 respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vg.no/rampelys/i/kwvPqv/konsertanmeldelse-undergrunn-findings-festival-knepen-hjemmeseier-i-indre-bane|title=Konsertanmeldelse: Undergrunn, Findings Festival: Knepen hjemmeseier i indre bane|access-date=2024-11-18|date=2024-08-16|language=nb|publisher=VG}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mynewsdesk.com/no/sony-music-norway/pressreleases/tiktok-fenomenet-tigerutt101-slipper-aarets-sommerlaat-3315530|title=TikTok-fenomenet Tigergutt101 slipper årets sommerlåt!|access-date=2024-11-18|date=2024-04-10|language=nb|publisher=Mynewsdesk}}</ref> | |||
| ==Key factors of the concept== | ==Key factors of the concept== | ||
| {{More citations needed section|date=November 2022}} | |||
| Seen as important to a "boy band" group's commercial success is the group's ], carefully controlled by managing all aspects of the group's dress, promotional materials (which are frequently supplied to ]s), and music videos. The key factor of a boy band is being trendy. This means that the band conforms to the most recent fashion and musical trends in the popular music scene. Typically, each member of the group will have some distinguishing feature and be portrayed as having a particular personality stereotype, such as "the baby," "the bad boy," or "the shy one." While managing the portrayal of popular musicians is as old as ], the particular pigeonholing of band members is a defining characteristic of boy and girl bands. | |||
| Seen as important to a "boy band" group's commercial success is the group's ], carefully controlled by managing all aspects of the group's attire, promotional materials (which are frequently supplied to ]s), and music videos. The key factor of a boy band is being trendy. This means that the band conforms to the most recent fashion and musical trends in the popular music scene. Typically, each member of the group will have some distinguishing feature and be portrayed as having a particular personality stereotype, such as "the baby", "the bad boy", or "the shy one". While managing the portrayal of popular musicians is as old as ], the particular pigeonholing of band members is a defining characteristic of boy and girl bands. In K-pop, officially designated positions within the group are common, such as "leader", "maknae" (Korean: 막내, English: "the youngest"), "visual", "center" "vocalist", "rapper" and "dancer". The latter three are based on the members' specialized skills and are further divided into "main-", "lead-" and "sub-" (vocalist/rapper/dancer) positions, with the members occupying the "main" positions often being considered the most skilled and having the most parts in songs or being highlighted during solo dance parts. The "leader" is the spokesperson who represents the group in public, and is in charge of mediating between group members, as well as between the group and the label.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-12 |title=What Do Positions Mean in K-Pop? |url=https://www.themarysue.com/positions-in-kpop-explained/ |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=The Mary Sue |language=en}}</ref> | |||
| In most cases, their music is written, arranged and produced by a producer who works with the band at all times and controls the group's sound – if necessary, to the point of hiring ] to record guide vocals for each member of the group to sing individually if the members cannot harmonize well together. However, for clarity of each voice, recording each voice individually is most commonly the norm with most modern vocal groups. |
In most cases, their music is written, arranged and produced by a producer who works with the band at all times and controls the group's sound – if necessary, to the point of hiring ] to record guide vocals for each member of the group to sing individually if the members cannot harmonize well together. However, for clarity of each voice, recording each voice individually is most commonly the norm with most modern vocal groups. In recent years, ] has become a popular tool in vocal producing, some boy bands have come under fire for that reason. Some have also come under fire for ] in their performances as well, for example ].<ref>{{cite news | title = New Kids' Performance Was Dubbed, Critic Says | url = https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1992/03/04/new-kids-performance-was-dubbed-critic-says/ |newspaper = Orlando Sentinel | access-date =August 15, 2012|date=March 4, 1992}}</ref> | ||
| A typical boy band performance features elaborately choreographed dancing, with the members taking turns singing and/or rapping. Boy bands generally do not compose or produce their own material, unless the members lobby hard enough for creative control. However, some bands were created around the talent of a songwriter within the group like ] of ] or ] of ]. It is not uncommon to find extra songs on an album written by one or more of the band members; however, their producers rarely use these as singles. | A typical boy band performance features elaborately choreographed dancing, with the members taking turns singing and/or rapping. Boy bands generally do not compose or produce their own material, unless the members lobby hard enough for creative control. However, some bands were created around the talent of a songwriter within the group like ] of ] or ] of ]. It is not uncommon to find extra songs on an album written by one or more of the band members; however, their producers rarely use these as singles. | ||
| Since the 21st century, however, boy bands have been expected to write or at least contribute in some part lyrically to songs. Apart from the groups mentioned above who all had at least one primary songwriter from their beginning, other groups soon caught up. |
Since the 21st century, however, boy bands have been expected to write or at least contribute in some part lyrically to songs. Apart from the groups mentioned above who all had at least one primary songwriter from their beginning, other groups soon caught up. At the close of the nineties, groups like ] and ] who had previously used writers like ] during their early albums began writing their own songs.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2001|title=*NCharge *NSYNC|url=https://www.yamaha.com/allaccess/artists/issue3-nsync.asp|access-date=|website=Yamaha All Access Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Seymour|first=Craig|date=10 May 2000|title=Pulling Strings|url=https://ew.com/article/2000/05/10/why-n-syncs-top-selling-album-differs-backstreet-boys-music/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022042735/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,85189,00.html|archive-date=22 October 2012|magazine=]}}</ref> Newer groups from late 2000s such as ] have all made a point from early interviews that they write their own songs and hold their own image as this is an important part of marketing. Some bands like ] have even spent time learning the craft of songwriting.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a329584/the-wanted-go-to-songwriting-camp-to-write-new-album.html |title=The Wanted go to songwriting camp to write new album |work=Digital Spy |date=July 13, 2011 | place = ] | access-date=June 29, 2012}}</ref> There has also been a rising trend of so-called "songwriter-" or "producer idols" (]: '']'' 작곡돌, '']'' jakgok-dol) in K-pop since the early 2000s. Nowadays, it is not uncommon for groups to have at least one member who is heavily involved in the songwriting and producing of the groups' music.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee Yeonjeong |date=2013-01-20 |title='Idols only good at dancing and singing?' Songwriter idols on the rise |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20130119001200005 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=연합뉴스 |language=ko}}</ref> In many cases, these members are the rappers in the group, who have often gained songwriting and producing experience while being active as amateur or underground rappers before joining the group. There is also a higher expectation for rappers to write their own lyrics due to self-expression being a core value of the ] genre.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kang Nae-ri |date=2016-07-08 |title='Beyond self-composing to producing' - The era of idol rappers |url=https://m.ytn.co.kr/news_view.php?s_mcd=0117&key=201607081100061513&pos= |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=YTN star |language=ko}}</ref> There are cases of "producer idols" writing or producing for other artists outside of their solo or respective group work as well, such as ]' ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=5 K-Pop Songwriters & Producers Who Defined 2021: SUMIN, Teddy Park, ADORA, RM & SUGA|url=https://www.grammy.com/news/5-k-pop-songwriters-producers-who-defined-2021-sumin-teddy-park-adora-rm-suga-bts-blackpink|access-date=2022-11-17|website=www.grammy.com}}</ref> | ||
| Individuals can also go on to achieve greater success as a solo artist coming out of a boy band having used the groups popularity to build on. Usually this signals the end of the group until potential future reunions. Examples of this include ] from ], ] from ], |
Individuals can also go on to achieve greater success as a solo artist coming out of a boy band having used the groups popularity to build on. Usually this signals the end of the group until potential future reunions. Examples of this include ] from ], and ] from ].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/boy-band-members-solo-careers-justin-timberlake-nick-jonas-6633580/ |last=Lipshutz |date=July 15, 2015 |title=10 Modern Boy Band Members That Went Solo |magazine=] |access-date=July 7, 2024}}</ref> Some boy band members have gone on to successful careers elsewhere in the media. In K-pop, it is expected and common practice for members to embark on solo endeavors as musical artists or in other entertainment sectors, such as acting, or as variety personalities, alongside their group career after a few years. At the latest, this happens around the time the eldest member reaches the age of 28 (in exceptional cases 30) and is drafted for ], forcing the group into a temporary hiatus of at least 18 months. The other members then often go on to pursue solo endeavors and reconvene as a group while no member is serving, or after all members have completed their service.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Woodyatt |first=Yoonjung Seo,Amy |date=2022-10-17 |title=BTS members to embark on mandatory military service |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/17/entertainment/bts-military-service-intl-scli/index.html |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> | ||
| ==Music genres== | ==Music genres== | ||
| Although most boy bands consist of ] or pop influences, other ]s, most notably ] and ], are also represented. ] and ], for example, were both country music boy bands. ], created by ] in 2004, are a vocal group that performs ] in several (mainly Italian) languages. Since then operatic/classical boy bands have become quite popular and common, especially in the UK. Since 2001 there has been some crossover with ] and ] from bands that play live instruments. Just recently some boy bands decided to go back to their original doo-wop roots, most notably, ]. | Although most boy bands consist of ] or pop influences, other ]s, most notably ] and ], are also represented. ] and ], for example, were both country music boy bands. ], created by ] in 2004, are a vocal group that performs ] in several (mainly Italian) languages. Since then operatic/classical boy bands have become quite popular and common, especially in the UK. Since 2001, there has been some crossover with ] and ] from bands that play live instruments. Just recently some boy bands decided to go back to their original doo-wop roots, most notably, ]. | ||
| ==Controversy== | ==Controversy== | ||
| Since the 2000s, groups such as ] and ] have disliked the term "boy band" and have preferred to be known as a "male vocal group".<ref>{{cite web| title = I would be the dessert because |
Since the 2000s, groups such as ] and ] have disliked the term "boy band" and have preferred to be known as a "male vocal group".<ref>{{cite web| title = I would be the dessert because I'm satisfying| url = http://www.popjustice.com/interviewsandfeatures/backstreet-boys-interview/49849/| publisher = Pop Justice| access-date = August 16, 2012| date = October 24, 2007| quote = We were never a boyband. We always thought of ourselves as a white vocal harmony group, we didn’t model ourselves on Take That or anything.| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141129105752/http://www.popjustice.com/interviewsandfeatures/backstreet-boys-interview/49849/| archive-date = November 29, 2014| url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Not Just Another Boy Band|place=]|url=http://www.music.yahoo.ca/read/interview/12057784|access-date=August 16, 2012|date=January 18, 2000|quote=As long as you like my music, buy the record, come to the shows, fact of the matter is, if you see us, you'll know we're not a boy band.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101071044/http://www.music.yahoo.ca/read/interview/12057784|archive-date=January 1, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Being categorized among boy bands was also the main reason ] split up.<ref>{{cite news| last= McCoy| first= Heath| title= The Moffatts have left the building| url= http://www.scottmoffatt.nu/cs/media/articles/breakuparticle.html| newspaper= The Calgary Herald| access-date= August 16, 2012| quote= Being young, there's this (boy band) stigma you pick up and they all thought it was very unjust.| url-status= dead| archive-url= https://archive.today/20130223103952/http://www.scottmoffatt.nu/cs/media/articles/breakuparticle.html| archive-date= February 23, 2013| df= mdy-all}}</ref> Boy bands have been accused by the music press of emphasizing the appearance and marketing of the group above the quality of music, deliberately trying to appeal to a ] audience and for conforming to trends instead of being original. Such criticisms can become extremely scathing. Boy bands are often seen as being short-lived,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hickey|first1=Walt|title='90s Boy Bands: A Numerical Retrospective|url=http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/90s-boy-bands-a-numerical-retrospective/|website=FiveThirtyEight|access-date=June 7, 2014|date=June 4, 2014}}</ref> although some acts such as ], ], ], ], ], ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2013/07/135_140160.html |title=Shinhwa's longevity introduced in US magazine |publisher=Koreatimes.co.kr |date=July 29, 2013 |access-date=June 4, 2014}}</ref> ] and ] have sustained lasting careers. | ||
| ==Best-selling boy bands== | |||
| Despite negative critical reception, boy bands continue to be generally successful, with some notable ones managing to sell millions of records. Some of the bands like Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block are even listed among the ]. The best-selling boy bands based on sales figures are: | |||
| {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||
| |- | |||
| ! Rank | |||
| ! style="width:150px;"| Name | |||
| ! style="width:75px;"| Country | |||
| ! style="width:100px;"| Records sold | |||
| ! style="width:100px;"| Genre | |||
| ! style="width:100px;"| Studio albums | |||
| ! style="width:100px;"| Members | |||
| ! Years active | |||
| |- | |||
| | 1 | |||
| | style="text-align:left;"|] | |||
| | United States | |||
| | 175 million+<ref name="garcia1"/> | |||
| | Pop | |||
| | 8 | |||
| | 5 → 4 → 5 | |||
| | 1993–present <small>(22 years)</small> | |||
| |- | |||
| | 2 | |||
| | style="text-align:left;"|] | |||
| | United States | |||
| | 100 million+<ref>{{cite web|title=Jackson 5 ‘ABC’: Black Music Month Album Spotlight #19|url=http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/hiphopmediatraining/281958/jackson-5-abc-black-music-month-album-spotlight-19/|publisher=Yahoo!|accessdate=June 25, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| | Pop/R&B | |||
| | 18 | |||
| | 5 → 6 → 4 | |||
| | 1964–1990, 2001, 2012–2013 <small>(29 years)</small> | |||
| |- | |||
| | 3 | |||
| | style="text-align:left;"|] | |||
| | United States | |||
| | 80 million+<ref>{{cite news|title=Interview: New Kids on the Block's Jordan Knight pictures life as a teenage boy band in 2012|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-01-26/entertainment/chi-interview-new-kids-on-the-block-jordan-knight-20120126_1_boy-band-tour-bus-nkotb|work=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=June 29, 2012|date=January 26, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| | Pop | |||
| | 6 | |||
| | 5 → 7 → 5 | |||
| | 1984–present <small>(31 years)</small> | |||
| |- | |||
| | 4 | |||
| | style="text-align:left;"|] | |||
| | United States | |||
| | 77 million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.osmondbros.com/history.htm |title=Osmondbros.com |publisher=Osmondbros.com |date= |accessdate=2014-06-04}}</ref> | |||
| | Pop | |||
| | 22 | |||
| | 7 | |||
| | 1958–1980 <small>(22 years)</small> | |||
| |- | |||
| | 5 | |||
| | style="text-align:left;"|] | |||
| | {{nowrap|United Kingdom}} | |||
| | 70 million+<ref>{{cite news|title=Bay City bad boy: Les McKeown reveals all about the drugs in his tartan turn-ups and the cocaine-fuelled romps with Britt Ekland AND her daughter |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1377403/Bay-City-Rollers-Les-McKeown-reveals-drugs-tartan-turn-ups-cocaine-fuelled-romps-Britt-Ekland-AND-daughter.html |work=Daily Mail |accessdate=June 25, 2012 |location=London |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/20110809052615/http://www.dailymail.co.uk:80/tvshowbiz/article-1377403/Bay-City-Rollers-Les-McKeown-reveals-drugs-tartan-turn-ups-cocaine-fuelled-romps-Britt-Ekland-AND-daughter.html |archivedate=9 August 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bay City Rollers suing former label for millions|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/03/21/us-baycityrollers-idUSN2039758620070321|agency=Reuters|accessdate=June 25, 2012|date=March 21, 2007}}</ref> | |||
| | Pop | |||
| | 16 | |||
| | 5 | |||
| | 1966–1981 <small>(15 years)</small> | |||
| |- | |||
| | 6 | |||
| | style="text-align:left;"|] | |||
| | U.S./U.K. | |||
| | 65 million+<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/revealed-the-formula-for-a-successful-boy-band-566135.html |title= Revealed: the formula for a successful boy band|work= The Independent |accessdate=June 25, 2012 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Micky Dolenz|url = http://www.corporateartists.com/micky_dolenz.html |publisher=Corporate Artists|accessdate=June 25, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| | Pop | |||
| | 11 | |||
| | 4 → 3 | |||
| | 1966–1971, 1986–1989, 1993–1997, 2001–2002, 2010–present <small>(18 years)</small> | |||
| |- | |||
| | 7 | |||
| | style="text-align:left;"|] | |||
| | United States | |||
| | 60 million+<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boyziimen.com/bio |title= Biography: 60 million records sold worldwide |publisher=Boyz II men |accessdate=October 4, 2011}}</ref> | |||
| | R&B | |||
| | 11 | |||
| | 5 → 4 → 3 | |||
| | 1988–present <small>(27 years)</small> | |||
| |- | |||
| | 8 | |||
| | style="text-align:left;"|] | |||
| | United States | |||
| | 55 million+<ref>{{cite web|title=A great influence| work = Travel & lifestyle | place = ] | url = http://today.ninemsn.com.au/travelandlifestyle/858112/a-great-influence | publisher= Nine MSN| accessdate= June 25, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| | Pop | |||
| | 4 | |||
| | 5 | |||
| | 1995–2002 <small>(7 years)</small> | |||
| |- | |||
| | 9 | |||
| | style="text-align:left;"|] | |||
| | Ireland | |||
| | 50 million+<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on-newcastle/music-gigs/2008/02/29/westlife-breaking-records-72703-20541413/ |title=Westlife breaking records |date=February 29, 2008 | first =Gordon | last = Barr | work= Evening Chronicle}}</ref> | |||
| | Pop | |||
| | 10 | |||
| | 5 → 4 | |||
| | 1998–2012 <small>(14 years)</small> | |||
| |- | |||
| | 10 | |||
| | style="text-align:left;"|] | |||
| | United Kingdom | |||
| | 45 million+<ref>{{cite web|title=Gary Barlow congratulates The Wanted| place = ] | url= http://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/artists/wanted/news/gary-barlow-congratulates-wanted/ | publisher = Heart FM| accessdate = June 29, 2012|date=June 1, 2011}}</ref> | |||
| | Pop/dance | |||
| | 7 | |||
| | 5 → 4 → 5 → 3 | |||
| | 1990–present <small>(25 years)</small> | |||
| |- | |||
| |} | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{Reflist |
{{Reflist}} | ||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| * {{Cite book |last=Sherman |first=Maria |year=2020 |title=Larger Than Life: A History of Boy Bands from NKOTB to BTS |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J2K8DwAAQBAJ |others=Alex Fine (cover and interior illustrations) |location=New York |publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers |isbn=9780762468911 |oclc=1110677455}} | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| <!-- Don't add links to individual bands sites --> | <!-- Don't add links to individual bands sites --> | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110062424/http://top40.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/boyband10.htm |date=November 10, 2012 }} at ] | ||
| * | * —'']'' | ||
| * | * —'']'' | ||
| * | * —'']'' | ||
| {{Popmusic}} | |||
| {{Pop music}} | |||
| {{Authority control}} | {{Authority control}} | ||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Boy Band}} | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 19:31, 26 December 2024
Vocal group consisting of young males For other uses, see Boy band (disambiguation).
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A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. South Korean boy bands usually also have designated rappers. Most boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on-stage. They are similar in concept to their counterparts known as girl groups.
Some boy bands are formed on their own, but most are created by talent managers or record producers who hold auditions. The popularity of boy bands has peaked three times: first in the 1960s to '70s, with e.g. the Jackson 5 and the Osmonds; the second time during the late 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s, when acts such as New Kids on the Block, Take That, Backstreet Boys, Boyzone, NSYNC, Five, Westlife and Blue dominated global pop charts; and the latest time in the 2010s up to the present, with the emergence of groups such as Big Time Rush, the Wanted, One Direction, and K-pop acts such as BTS and Seventeen.
History
The term boy band was not established until the late 1980s when Lou Pearlman decided to form a record company to promote a new singing and dancing group after becoming fascinated with the success of New Kids on the Block.
Although generally described as a rock band, the highest-selling band in history – the Beatles – have been described by several journalists as "the first" or "the original" boy band, "before anyone had thought of the term", exclusively due to the enthusiastic response they received from their young female audience.
The Liverpool quartet known as the Beatles were not only the quintessential rock band, but many considered John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Star to be the original boy band – especially in the early 1960s when young girls would scream at the top of their lungs and pass out upon first sight of the "Fab Four".
— The Hollywood Reporter
Other critics, however, have pointed out that this assessment of the Beatles as a "boy band" could be applied to all other bands of the 1960s, saying, "if they were a (boy band), so was everyone else" and is countered by others, including Ringo Starr, who point out that, from the beginning, the Beatles wrote and exercised creative control over their own music, played their own instruments, were not manufactured by a record label, and did not feature the choreographed dance moves that later came to be associated with boy bands. The Beatles did, however, inspire the production of the 1966 television series The Monkees, which featured a music group of the same name, created for the show, that consisted of the four starring actors. The Monkees had a career as a rock and pop band after their songs from the TV series were released as successful records.
Late 1960s and 1970s: The Jackson 5 and the Osmonds
Although the term "boy band" was not commonly used then, the earliest predecessors of this format were groups such as the Jackson 5 and the Osmonds which helped form the template for boy bands. The Jackson 5 were a sibling group that established many musical conventions that boy bands follow. For instance, their music featured close harmonies from soul music and catchy pop hooks influenced as much as they were by Motown and acts like the Supremes. The group also incorporated choreographed dance moves to their performances. All members of the band sang, which is a common convention of a boy band, as opposed to having a front man and the rest on instruments; thus, no one person dominated the stage. Also a sibling group, The Osmonds first started singing barbershop music for local audiences, before being hired to perform at Disneyland early in their career. Their appearance in a televised Disney special earned them additional TV spots, such as The Andy Williams Show and The Jerry Lewis Show.
Late 1970s and 1980s: Menudo, New Edition, and New Kids on the Block
The Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, appealing to young Latina audiences, was founded in 1977. Menudo had a convention unique among boy bands: when a member turned 16, became too tall, or their voice changed, they were replaced. The members of Menudo were generally aged 12–16. Menudo had a large impact in Latin America and in Asia; Menudo fever there was compared to Beatlemania and it was nicknamed "Menudomania".
Boston group New Edition was formed in 1978 and reached their height of popularity in the 1980s, meaning they are often credited for starting the boy-band trend, even though the term "boy band" did not exist until the 1990s. Maurice Starr was influenced by New Edition and popularized it with his protégé New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), the first commercially successful modern boy band, which formed in 1984 and found international success in 1988. Starr's idea was to take the traditional template from the R&B genre (in this case his teenage band New Edition) and apply it to a pop genre.
Bros (abbreviation of the word "brothers") were a British boy band active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, consisting of twin brothers Matt and Luke Goss along with Craig Logan. Formed in 1986, they scored multiple top 10 hits between 1987 and 1989 and in 1988 became the first modern era–style boy band to have a multiple platinum-selling album in the UK, with Push, still one of the most successful boy-band albums in the UK. Other big boy bands in Britain during the late 1980s were Big Fun and Brother Beyond.
1990s: Boyz II Men, Take That, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Westlife, Seo Taiji and Boys and the birth of modern K-pop
The ongoing international success of New Kids on the Block inspired music managers in Europe to create their own acts, beginning with Nigel Martin-Smith's Take That in the UK (formed in 1990) and followed by Tom Watkins, who had success with Bros in the late 1980s and formed East 17 in 1991. East 17 were marketed and pitted against Take That as "rivals" with a rougher or harsher attitude, style and sound. Take That reformed in 2006 after a decade-long hiatus and became one of the most successful groups in British music chart history, with renewed chart success internationally, especially in Europe. Irish music manager Louis Walsh, who had witnessed the impact of these British boy bands, put out an advert for an "Irish Take That", thereby creating Boyzone in 1993. MN8 (formed in 1992), Let Loose (formed in 1993), and Damage and 911 (formed in 1995) were also successful boy bands in Britain; however, by the late 1990s all these bands had split up.
All these artists were very successful on both the singles and albums charts domestically and internationally; however, with the emergence of Britpop and the commercial co-option of indie rock, many boy bands were ridiculed by the British music press as having no artistic credibility, although some, such as East 17 and Take That, did write most of their own material. The media attention was then placed on the "Battle of Britpop", and the bands Oasis and Blur replaced the importance and rivalry of Take That and East 17 as the two new biggest bands in Britain. However, boy bands continued to find success in the late 1990s, such as Five, Another Level, Point Break and Westlife. In 1995 successful German music manager Frank Farian, who had been manager of Boney M and Milli Vanilli, put together Latin American band No Mercy who scored a few worldwide hits during the mid-90s.
Although being American and the sons of Tito Jackson, a member of the Jackson 5, 3T had several hits singles across Europe in the mid-1990s, despite limited success in the US, and finished the second biggest selling act of 1996 in Europe behind the Spice Girls. With the success of North American boy bands like New Kids on the Block in East Asia, Japanese entertainment company Johnny & Associates formed SMAP in 1992. The group enjoyed tremendous success, selling over 35 million records.
In 1992, after the disbandment of the heavy metal band Sinawe, in which he had a brief stint, Seo Taiji formed the boy band Seo Taiji and Boys (Korean: 서태지와 아이들) together with dancers Lee Juno and Yang Hyun-suk, which went on to become highly successful and created a craze at the time. Seo Taiji and Boys is credited with changing the South Korean music industry by pioneering the incorporation of rap and breakdance as well as the fusion of Korean music and various popular Western music genres in Korean popular music, and in turn creating the prototype for the modern hybrid K-pop genre or "rap-dance", as it was called at the time, and K-pop groups. They also left a lasting impact by explicitly putting social criticism at the forefront of their music, as well as paving the way for artistic freedom in South Korea by challenging censorship laws and the television networks hegemony over the music market. In 1995 the Korean Broadband is not 6 ft to a particular location casting Ethics Committee demanded that Seo Taiji and Boys change the lyrics for "Regret of the Times". As a result, Seo decided to release the song as a purely instrumental track. This incited protests and resulted in the abolishment of music pre-censorship in Korea. Seo Taiji also did not have to rely on television networks due to the fact that he owned his own studio. This autonomy allowed Seo to bring subcultures in Korea, such as heavy metal, to the forefront of popular culture and challenge pervasive social norms. The band's independent success diminished the power of the television networks to dictate which artists appeared on shows, and gave rise to the influence of record labels and talent agencies. In 1996, Seo Taiji and Boys disbanded. In April 1996, Billboard reported that the band's first three albums had each sold over 1.6 million copies, with the fourth nearing two million, making all four some of the best-selling albums of all time in South Korea to this day. Lee Juno became a record producer, and Yang Hyun-suk was successful in founding YG Entertainment, one of the three biggest record companies in the country. Seo Taiji returned to music two years later with a successful solo career as a rock artist; he rose to become one of the most prominent and influential cultural icons in South Korea and was dubbed "the President of culture". In 2017, Seo Taiji released a 25th Anniversary album with his greatest hits and remakes by prominent Korean artists, including the group BTS. He also held a joint celebratory concert with the latter, in which he acknowledged them as his spiritual successors in K-pop due to the socially conscious thematic similarities in their music as well their shared hip hop leanings, and metaphorically passed the torch, saying "This is your generation now".
In the early 1990s in North America, with New Kids on the Block's continued success and Color Me Badd also having success, boy bands became a continued staple of the Billboard charts. Continuing this success in the mid-1990s, most prominent boy bands were African American and had R&B and gospel elements, such as the groups All-4-One (formed in 1993) and Boyz II Men (formed in 1988). Boyz II Men are also the most successful boy band act on the U.S. Hot 100 as well as the Australian Singles Chart. Although they had success on the Billboard charts, they were not marketed towards youth but more towards adults. It was not until 1997 and the change to pop-oriented groups such as Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, NSYNC, the Moffatts, and Hanson that boy bands exploded commercially and dominated the market in the United States. This late 1990s marked the height of boy band popularity in North America, which has not been seen since.
Arguably the most successful boy band manager from the U.S. was Lou Pearlman, who founded commercially successful acts such as the Backstreet Boys in 1993, NSYNC and LFO in 1995, O-Town in 2000, and US5 in 2005. Backstreet Boys and NSYNC became the two biggest boy bands in the late 1990s until the early 2000s, and Backstreet Boys went on to become the best-selling boy band in history with over 100 million records sold.
In the late 1990s in the UK, producer Simon Cowell (noted in the U.S. for the American Idol/The X Factor franchise) is also known for having managed British boyband Five (formed in 1997) and Irish boyband Westlife (formed in 1998). Westlife was created by Irishman Louis Walsh as a replacement for Boyzone and was initially managed by a former member of the band Ronan Keating. Westlife would eventually overtake Take That in number one's tally in the UK although Take That's overall UK sales are still higher. In 2012, the Official Charts Company revealed the biggest selling singles artists in British music chart history with Take That placed 15th overall and the highest selling boyband act (9.3 million), followed by Boyzone at 29 (7.1 million) and Westlife at 34 (6.8 million). Even though Cowell is known to have managed several successful boy bands, he is also infamous for passing on signing two of the biggest boybands to emerge from the 1990s and 2000s, Take That and Busted.
2000s: Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Westlife and Jonas Brothers
With the continued success of Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, American and British groups like 98 Degrees, Westlife, O-Town, A1, Blue, and Busted gained quick popularity both domestically and internationally. International boy bands would also occasionally spring up, such as the Moldovan band O-Zone (better known today as an Internet meme), and Overground. American Christian boy band Plus One also enjoyed brief remarkable success during this time.
At the height of boy band popularity in North America, MTV created their own parody boyband, 2gether. Like the Monkees in the 1960s, they were a manufactured act composed of actors. 2gether played off of the idea that every successful boy band must have five distinct personality types: the bad boy, the shy one, the young one, the older brother type, and a heart throb.
Since 2001, the dominance of traditional boy bands on pop charts began to fade in the western hemisphere, although Gil Kaufman of MTV has described "new boy bands" that are "more likely to resemble My Chemical Romance, Sum 41, and Simple Plan.
In 2001, Taiwanese boy band F4 (called JVKV since 2007) blew up big as a result of the success of their TV drama Meteor Garden. According to Forbes, F4 has sold 3.5 million copies of their first two albums all over Asia as of July 2003.
With their success, many other Taiwanese boy bands emerged around this time, such as 5566 and Fahrenheit. In South Korea, Shinhwa also spread hallyu wave throughout Asia such as Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. Also in 2001, a new all-male pop band and dance group boyband hailing from Japan called Exile debuted under Avex Group's label Rhythm Zone with 14 members, putting them on par with Super Junior, a South Korean boy band, who at the time, had had 13 members at its peak.
Japanese boy band Arashi has sold over 30 million copies of their records since their first release in 1999. They had the yearly best-selling single in Japan in 2008 and 2009. In 2003 SMAP released the single "Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana" that has become the third best-selling single ever in Japan, with over three million copies sold.
In North America, the Jonas Brothers rose to fame from promotion on the Disney Channel in 2008. Other boy bands like JLS and Mindless Behavior also emerged and experienced remarkable success around this time. However, apart from them, boy bands have not seen the commercial boom experienced in the genre from the mid to late nineties in North America.
The mid 2000s, especially the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, saw the continued longevity of nineties boy bands such as Backstreet Boys and Westlife (before they disbanded in 2012), and the successful comeback of Take That in 2005, Boyzone in 2007, and New Kids on the Block in 2008. Some sections of the press have referred to these acts, particularly those who have reformed after a previous split, such as Take That, Boyzone, and 98 Degrees, as 'man bands'.
2010s and 2020s: Big Time Rush, One Direction and rise of K-pop
In the early 2010s, there was somewhat of a resurgence of boy band popularity in countries where the trend had not maintained, with the emergence of new boy bands like Big Time Rush, the Wanted, and One Direction and the formation of supergroup NKOTBSB which comprised members of New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys. NKOTBSB's success inspired boy bands who were fairly popular during the 1990s and 2000s to make a comeback, such as A1, Blue, 98 Degrees, Five, 911, and O-Town. Like 2gether and the Monkees, Big Time Rush was a manufactured act created for a television show. One Direction were often credited as sparking a resurgence in the popularity and interest boy bands alongside being credited with forming part of a new "British Invasion" in the United States. Their Where We Are Tour was the highest-grossing tour by a vocal group in history and after the release of their fourth album, Four, they became the only group in the 58-year history of the Billboard 200 to have their first four albums debut at number one.
In Southeast Asia, local boy bands also emerged as a result of the continued success of Korean and Japanese boy bands. After the debut of the Philippines supergroup SB19 in 2018, the group appeared at number six on Billboard Year-End Social 50 chart, making them the first Southeast Asian act to reach the top 10 of the magazine's annual chart.
In South Korea, boy bands have been commercially successful. On the Circle Chart year-end albums chart of 2022, 7 of the top 10 and 13 of the top 20 albums are by boy bands or by subunits/members of boy bands. Seventeen's FML is the best-selling album of all time in South Korea, with more than 6.2 million copies sold, and BTS's Love Yourself: Her became the first album released since 2001 to sell more than 1 million copies.
In 2013, Billboard started covering music releases in K-pop, though K-pop had been entering the charts as early as 2009. By 2017, BTS crossed into the international music market, furthering the Korean Wave in the United States and becoming the first Korean group to receive a certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with their single "Mic Drop". The band is the first Korean act to top the U.S. Billboard 200 with their studio album Love Yourself: Tear (2018) and have since hit the top of the U.S. charts with their albums Love Yourself: Answer (2018), Map of the Soul: Persona (2019), Map of the Soul: 7 (2020), Be (2020) and Proof. Love Yourself: Answer also broke South Korea's Gaon Album Chart's all-time monthly record previously set by Love Yourself: Tear and became the first Korean album certified Gold in the United States. SuperM later became the first K-pop group to debut at No. 1 in the U.S. Billboard 200. In 2020, BTS "Dynamite" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, making them the first all-South Korean act in Hot 100 history to debut at number one. It garnered the band their first Grammy nomination, for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, making them the first K-pop act to be nominated for one.
On 12 December 2024, South Korean boy group Stray Kids become the first act ever to debut at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with their first six charting albums Oddinary (2022), Maxident (2022), 5-Star (2023), Rock-Star (2023), Ate (2024) and Hop (2024).
In Japan, Arashi was the best-selling music artist in Japan from 2013 through 2017 by value of sales and also having the yearly best-selling album in the country in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016. Other successful Japanese boy bands in this decade include Sandaime J Soul Brothers, the second best-selling music artist of 2016 in the country and Kanjani Eight, the fifth best-selling music artist of that year in Japan.
In Norway, the boy band Ballinciaga gained commercial success in 2022 with dance and party songs like "Dans På Bordet" and "Beklager (Guttaklubben)". The group is also known for keeping their identities anonymous by wearing pink-colored masks in the public. Other Norwegian boy bands that gained commercial success in the country in 2020s are Undergrunn and Tigergutt101 in 2022 and 2024 respectively.
Key factors of the concept
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Seen as important to a "boy band" group's commercial success is the group's image, carefully controlled by managing all aspects of the group's attire, promotional materials (which are frequently supplied to teen magazines), and music videos. The key factor of a boy band is being trendy. This means that the band conforms to the most recent fashion and musical trends in the popular music scene. Typically, each member of the group will have some distinguishing feature and be portrayed as having a particular personality stereotype, such as "the baby", "the bad boy", or "the shy one". While managing the portrayal of popular musicians is as old as popular music, the particular pigeonholing of band members is a defining characteristic of boy and girl bands. In K-pop, officially designated positions within the group are common, such as "leader", "maknae" (Korean: 막내, English: "the youngest"), "visual", "center" "vocalist", "rapper" and "dancer". The latter three are based on the members' specialized skills and are further divided into "main-", "lead-" and "sub-" (vocalist/rapper/dancer) positions, with the members occupying the "main" positions often being considered the most skilled and having the most parts in songs or being highlighted during solo dance parts. The "leader" is the spokesperson who represents the group in public, and is in charge of mediating between group members, as well as between the group and the label.
In most cases, their music is written, arranged and produced by a producer who works with the band at all times and controls the group's sound – if necessary, to the point of hiring session singers to record guide vocals for each member of the group to sing individually if the members cannot harmonize well together. However, for clarity of each voice, recording each voice individually is most commonly the norm with most modern vocal groups. In recent years, auto-tune has become a popular tool in vocal producing, some boy bands have come under fire for that reason. Some have also come under fire for lip syncing in their performances as well, for example New Kids on the Block.
A typical boy band performance features elaborately choreographed dancing, with the members taking turns singing and/or rapping. Boy bands generally do not compose or produce their own material, unless the members lobby hard enough for creative control. However, some bands were created around the talent of a songwriter within the group like Gary Barlow of Take That or Tony Mortimer of East 17. It is not uncommon to find extra songs on an album written by one or more of the band members; however, their producers rarely use these as singles.
Since the 21st century, however, boy bands have been expected to write or at least contribute in some part lyrically to songs. Apart from the groups mentioned above who all had at least one primary songwriter from their beginning, other groups soon caught up. At the close of the nineties, groups like Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC who had previously used writers like Max Martin during their early albums began writing their own songs. Newer groups from late 2000s such as JLS have all made a point from early interviews that they write their own songs and hold their own image as this is an important part of marketing. Some bands like The Wanted have even spent time learning the craft of songwriting. There has also been a rising trend of so-called "songwriter-" or "producer idols" (Korean: Hangul 작곡돌, rev. Rom. jakgok-dol) in K-pop since the early 2000s. Nowadays, it is not uncommon for groups to have at least one member who is heavily involved in the songwriting and producing of the groups' music. In many cases, these members are the rappers in the group, who have often gained songwriting and producing experience while being active as amateur or underground rappers before joining the group. There is also a higher expectation for rappers to write their own lyrics due to self-expression being a core value of the hip-hop genre. There are cases of "producer idols" writing or producing for other artists outside of their solo or respective group work as well, such as BTS' RM and Suga.
Individuals can also go on to achieve greater success as a solo artist coming out of a boy band having used the groups popularity to build on. Usually this signals the end of the group until potential future reunions. Examples of this include Justin Timberlake from NSYNC, and Robbie Williams from Take That. Some boy band members have gone on to successful careers elsewhere in the media. In K-pop, it is expected and common practice for members to embark on solo endeavors as musical artists or in other entertainment sectors, such as acting, or as variety personalities, alongside their group career after a few years. At the latest, this happens around the time the eldest member reaches the age of 28 (in exceptional cases 30) and is drafted for mandatory military service, forcing the group into a temporary hiatus of at least 18 months. The other members then often go on to pursue solo endeavors and reconvene as a group while no member is serving, or after all members have completed their service.
Music genres
Although most boy bands consist of R&B or pop influences, other music genres, most notably country music and folk music, are also represented. South 65 and Marshall Dyllon, for example, were both country music boy bands. Il Divo, created by Simon Cowell in 2004, are a vocal group that performs operatic pop in several (mainly Italian) languages. Since then operatic/classical boy bands have become quite popular and common, especially in the UK. Since 2001, there has been some crossover with power pop and pop punk from bands that play live instruments. Just recently some boy bands decided to go back to their original doo-wop roots, most notably, The Overtones.
Controversy
Since the 2000s, groups such as Backstreet Boys and LFO have disliked the term "boy band" and have preferred to be known as a "male vocal group". Being categorized among boy bands was also the main reason the Moffatts split up. Boy bands have been accused by the music press of emphasizing the appearance and marketing of the group above the quality of music, deliberately trying to appeal to a preteen audience and for conforming to trends instead of being original. Such criticisms can become extremely scathing. Boy bands are often seen as being short-lived, although some acts such as the Jackson 5, Backstreet Boys, Human Nature, New Edition, SMAP, Shinhwa, Take That and Westlife have sustained lasting careers.
See also
References
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We were never a boyband. We always thought of ourselves as a white vocal harmony group, we didn't model ourselves on Take That or anything.
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As long as you like my music, buy the record, come to the shows, fact of the matter is, if you see us, you'll know we're not a boy band.
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Being young, there's this (boy band) stigma you pick up and they all thought it was very unjust.
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Further reading
- Sherman, Maria (2020). Larger Than Life: A History of Boy Bands from NKOTB to BTS. Alex Fine (cover and interior illustrations). New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. ISBN 9780762468911. OCLC 1110677455.
External links
- Boybands Radio – Only boy bands 24/7
- Top 10 Boy Bands Archived November 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine at About.com
- The Best Boy Bands of All Time—Rolling Stone
- Best Boy Bands—The Washington Times
- 10 Biggest Boy Bands (1987–2012)—Billboard
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