As most of you have probably heard, it was announced this past week that Zayn Malik of the popular boy band One Direction, left the band.
Millions of sobbing girls around the world took to social media to express their sadness and the media continues to talk about it.
Although this news seemed to come out of the blue, it has been common in past that one person, or a whole group, have decided to part ways.
Here are some boy bands that have fallen and ones that continue to rise, get those tissues ready folks!
*NSync
In 1995 in Orlando, Florida, a boy band called *NSync was born. Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass were the five members that made up the popular pop band.
Their catchy tunes made their mark on the charts and success really kicked in for them in 2000. Girls swooned over their famous dance moves such as the ones featured in their hit music video “Bye Bye Bye”.
The band continued on until in 2002 when the group took a “hiatus”. The band never got back together and Justin Timberlake went on to have a successful solo career.
To everyone’s surprise in 2013, the group came together one last time to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards when Timberlake was given the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award.
It does not look like these guys will ever get back together anytime soon.
Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers was a pop rock group that formed in 2005 and gained popularity from the Disney Channel. With seventeen million albums sold worldwide, the JoBros success seemed to be flourishing.
They were in two hit Disney Channel movies, Camp Rock and Camp Rock: The Final Jam as well as a television series JONAS and Jonas L.A.
They released a few more albums and then Nick decided to start a side project and form a blues rock band called Nick Jonas and the Administration, which consisted of members of The New Power Generation.
He also went on Broadway stint in New York. Joe also had a side project singing but judging by album sales, that was a flop for him. As for Kevin, he had his own show on the E! Network called Married to Jonas, which followed his wife and the rest of family.
In 2012, the band resurfaced and performed a few shows here and there. The following year, they announced a new album and tour but things quickly came to a halt.
The band announced that they were splitting up because of “creative differences”. Nick is now continuing to have a successful solo career and recently hosted the Kids Choice Awards.
Kevin was a contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice this year and lives in New Jersey with his wife and his 1 year-old daughter Alena. As for Joe, he recently opened a restaurant in L.A. called Hinterland.
LFO
LFO (Lyte Funkie Ones) was an American pop boy band that originally consisted of four members: Rich Cronin, Brad Fischetti, and Brian Gillis. Gillis left the group due to lack of progress and Cronin and Fischetti discovered Devin Lima.
Their first single, “Summer Girls”, became a success for them and the song reached number one on the Billboard single sales chart. They then went on to release their first album which sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.
In 2000, they toured and performed over 230 shows that year. In 2002, they announced that they were splitting up but then briefly reunited in 2008. They officially announced that they were splitting again in 2009.
The band never had a chance to record a third album due to the death of Cronin; he lost his long battle with leukemia.
Boy Bands that Continue to Rise
One Direction
Let’s get this one out of the way first. On Wednesday March 25th, it was confirmed that Zayn Malik was officially leaving the mega boy band One Direction. There had been speculation for a while that things did not seem right with Zayn since he failed to appear in a Today Show performance and interview in November as well as leaving mid-concert in February.
Zayn stated, “I feel like I’ve let the fans down but I can’t do this anymore”. He also continued by saying “You know, I did try to do something that I wasn’t happy doing for a while, for the sake of maybe other people’s happiness, and that was mainly the fans. And I only ever tried to do it for the fans, and it was only ever for them”.
One Direction got their start on the UK version of The X Factor back in 2010. Since then, they continue to sell millions of albums and sell-out arenas worldwide. In a released statement from the band, it stated that Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson will continue on as four-piece.
Even though Zayn has departed, the band will still continue to be successful judging by the continuous support and concert crowds.
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block formed in 1984 starting out with Donnie Wahlburg, Mark Wahlburg, Danny Wood, Jordan Knight, and Jonathan Knight. Before recording even started, Mark left and he was replaced by Jaime Kelley. Eventually, Jaime was dismissed and Joey McIntyre replaced him.
The bands start was rough but they eventually they started getting recognition and were taking over the charts. “Step by Step” rose to number one and became their best-selling single. That same year, the group won two American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group and Favorite Pop/Rock Album for “Hangin’ Tough”.
In 1992, the group was hit with a lip-syncing allegation. The group admitted to singing with a backing track during live performances. They received some backlash and their album sales started to decline. The group split in 1994. A few of the guys came out with solo albums and there was an attempt to get the band back together.
In 2008, the band reunited and released an album that reached number one on the Billboard Top Pop Album chart. They toured around and in a special surprise to many they announced that they would be touring with the Backstreet Boys. Since then, the band has continued to tour, release albums, and even received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Boyz II Men
R&B vocal group Boyz II Men are best known for their stunning harmonies and emotional ballads it’s no wonder they are still around. The group formed in 1988 and released their first album in 1991.
Wayna Morris, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris, and Michael McCary each had a signature voice so it was a trademark of theirs. “End of the Road” was a single that was released and it stayed at number one on the charts for thirteen weeks straight.
The group went on to win awards including a few Grammys. Boyz II Men’s second album became one of the best-selling albums ever released by an R&B group act and one of the biggest albums of the decade.
In 1997, conflicts with their label and the band began to arise. Their tour had to be postponed due to health issues with Wayna and Michael. In 2003, McCary decided to depart due to his health and then the group took a one-year hiatus.
The now three-piece group in 2013 announced that they would be touring with New Kids on the Block and 98 Degrees but then stopped to have their own shows in Las Vegas. Last year they released their eleventh album called Collide.
If you’re wondering why bands like the Backstreet Boys or 5 Seconds of Summer were not mentioned, it is because they do not consider themselves/do not like to be called a “boy band”. The Backstreet Boys reason is that they prefer to be called a “vocal harmony group”.
The group uses a thing called polyphonic harmony (a texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody), which they claim sets them apart from the rest.
As for 5 Seconds of Summer, the pop-punk/rock band have made it clear that they do not like being called a boy band and the fans agree. Luke Hemmings, lead vocals and guitarist, stated in an interview “That title kind of implies that we don’t play or we don’t write our songs and kind of makes us seem a little bit fake”.
Both of these groups a far from “boy band” that is for sure.
Elizabeth Granato
Features Editor
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