The fresh, handsome faces, gooey lyrics and synchronized dance moves of boybands have caused heart palpations among generations for more than half a century.
While boybands tend to be known for their hit music androllercoaster relationshipswith both love interests and one another, there’s one thing that remains true: A group of young guys who can harmonize and look good doing it is almost always a recipe for success.
Here’s everything to know about the crop of boybands who rose to the top in the late 2010s, including which ones are still together and which ones have broken up.
Why Don’t We
The bands members said that their biggest influence wasEd Sheeran. From emulating his performance techniques to respecting him as a person,the guys of Why Don’t Weunanimously admired the superstar. “He’s the one that made me want to pick up guitar and just start going for it,” Avery admitted. And Sheeran even inspired their choreography and harmonized their hallmark vocals.
But that’s not to say he was their only role model. “It’s kind of cliché but when I was 12 years old I sawJustin Bieber,” Marais remembered. “He was probably 15 and he performed in front of a whole arena. That’s when I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do.'”
BTS
Korean K-Pop band BTS perform onJimmy Kimmel Live!in Los Angeles on Nov. 15, 2017.REX/Shutterstock
BTS makes sure the songs they put out have a strong message — often pushing back on the social norms of conservative society. From takes on bullying, mental health and the pursuit of happiness, the band’s music often stresses the importance of rejecting society’s ideals.
The seven-member South Korean boyband consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Rap Monster (or RM), Jimin, V and JungKook — who get their band’s name from the acronym for the Korean term “Bangtan Sonyeondan,” or “bulletproof boy scouts” in English — have been global superstars since the release of their June 2013 single “No More Dream.” In 2018, BTS released their first-ever English-language song withSteve Aokititled “Waste It on Me” that features a video starring an all Asian American cast of stars.
With almost 70 million followers onInstagram, the band, who sing and rap in Korean, rightfully won the top social artist award at the 2017BillboardMusic Awards, beating out top contenders like Bieber,Selena Gomez,Ariana GrandeandShawn Mendes, and becoming the first Korean group to win a BBMA after racking in over 300 million votes. They then won the award again in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. There was no award in that category at the 2022BillboardMusic Awards, but BTS still took home three other awards.
In Real Life (IRL)
Drew Ramos, Brady Tutton, Michael Conor, Sergio Calderon and Chance Perez of In Real Life perform at Hits 97.3 Sessions in Fort Lauderdale on April 20, 2018.Larry Marano/REX/Shutterstock
In Real Life (also known as IRL) was an American pop five-member boy band comprised of Brady Tutton, Chance Perez, Drew Ramos, Sergio Calderon and Michael Conor.
The heartthrobs got their start onABC’s reality music competitionBoy Bandin 2017 and shortly afterward released their first single, “Eyes Closed.”
“I think for this generation, obviously the band that we all look up to is One Direction,” Conor told PEOPLE Now of the group’s music inspiration, who also got their start on reality television’sThe X Factor.
“They were the biggest,” continued Conor. “They were known globally and they sold so many records and I think that their impact on this generation is something that we admire and want to emulate with our music.”
The group planned to make their own path to success when it came to music. “I feel like we are trying to be ourselves,” explained Tutton. “We’re not really trying to be like One Direction per se. They’re all really just nice guys in general. So I think that just them as people would be something to model after.”
PrettyMuch
Brandon Arreaga, Edwin Honoret, Austin Porter, Nick Mara and Zion Kuwonu of PrettyMuch celebrate The New Fantasy Issue with Fendi X Flaunt in Los Angeles on March 21, 2018.Billy Farrell/BFA/REX/Shutterstock
“Well, we all have similar interests,” said Kuwonu. “We all love Michael Jackson, and old school like Bell Biv Devoe and Boyz II Men … just that stuff. And then we all have our tastes. I like PartyNextDoor. I know Nick likes the Notorious B.I.G.”
“The fans are the best,” Porter said about the group’s worldwide success. “The funniest thing was when we were leavingTRL. All the girls were at the barriers, and as soon as we got into the van the security guards were like, ‘All right, cool,’ and started moving the barriers. They just flood the van. They were pushing it.”
After releasing five extended plays and more than two dozen singles, PrettyMuch announced in October 2022 thatMara had left the groupto focus on “new endeavors as an individual.” However, the remaining members vowed to continue on as a four-piece, saying in the statement, “This is NOT the end of PrettyMuch. It is simply a new beginning where we can finally feed you guys the music and content you deserve in our own way!”
CNCO
Erick Colon, Zabdiel De Jesus, Christopher Velez, Joel Pimentel and Richard Camacho of the band CNCO visit The Enrique Santos Show at the iHeartLatino Studio on Jan. 25, 2018 in Miami.John Parra/Getty
CNCOwas trulyel major!
CNCO’s first two albums,Primera Cita(2016) andCNCO(2018), both debuted at number one on theBillboardTop Latin Albums and the top 40 on theBillboard200. In 2018, they teamed up withMeghan TrainorandSean Paulto release a cross-over single called “Hey DJ,” a tune Trainor teased onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.The band also released the albumsDéjà Vu(2021) andXOXO(2022).
Having Martin as a mentor and being the opening act of his One World Tour in 2016 was crucial to their success. “Ricky has always been there. We are so grateful to him for believing in us,” Colón said of the “Livin’ La Vita Loca” hitmaker. “Thanks to Ricky and our fans we are where we are.”
But Colón has said that their success has come with sacrifices: “There is a lot of hard work behind an artist’s life,” and, “It wasn’t all like we thought it would be.”
Those sacrifices continued within the band itself. In May 2021 the group announced thatPimentel was leavingand CNCO would continue as a foursome. “We want you all to know that while Joel is leaving and will be pursuing new opportunities, we are and will always be brothers,” CNCO wrote in a statement. “We support him in his next chapter, and will always, most importantly, remain a family.”
However, CNCO as a quartet did not last long. Just over a year after Pimentel left the group, CNCO announced in July 2022 that thegroup would be disbandingafter fulfilling project commitments, including a final album and tour.
4th Ave
4th Ave.James Johnson, Jr.
Yet another boyband success story out of ABC’sBoy Bandis four-piece pop-R&B group 4th Ave. Comprised of Mikey Jimenez, Jaden Gray, Camry Jackson and Marcus Pendleton, 4th Ave came together as one after competing individually on the hit reality singing competition show.
“Fast forwarding to the end, once we found out we didn’t make that show’s band,Timbaland[who] is one of the Architects for the show came up to us four and said, ‘You guys need to be in a band, this is what the world needs,'” the guys told PEOPLE.
“We never thought that not making the show’s band would instantly lead right into another opportunity,” they continued. “We literally travel the world together now, as brothers.”
Shortly after the group launched officially in January 2018, they instantly gained popularity after releasing their first single"XOXO,“and then performed the song live at the 2018 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game.
Jimenez is known as the “Heart Throb,” while Jackson is “Father,” Pendleton is “the Goofy One” and Gray is “the Hilarious One.”
And much like their peers, their fans are rabid!
“We were all in New York for the VMA’s, and one of the days off this young lady found out the hotel we were at,” the band recalls of their craziest fan encounter. “She went to the front desk and told them that she was our sister and we were locked in our room and she needed to get in ASAP. Luckily they already knew who we were so they didn’t believe her and told her that they would call our room to make sure!”
In 2018, the group said, “The main thing that we do while being together, traveling, singing to fans and so much more is HAVING FUN TOGETHER! We have love for each other and no one will ever be able to break our bond!”
However, in July 2019, 4th Ave announced thatJimenez had left the groupand that “We are now on the hunt for a new member!” The remaining trio carried on for a few more months and released an EP titledDetour. But as of late 2019, 4th Ave has not been active aftercanceling theirDe-Tourtour"to focus on releasing music.”
Next Town Down
Musicians Christopher Louis, Leon Outlaw Jr., Terence Thomas, Malik Knighten and Tre’Von Waters of Next Town Down arrive at the 2017 Black Music Honors at Tennessee Performing Arts Center on Aug. 18, 2017, in Nashville.Rick Diamond/Getty
The formation of R&B boyband Next Town Down is as modern-day as it gets.
Chris Louis, Leon Outlaw Jr., Terence Thomas, Malik Knighten and Tre’Von Waters banded togetherthrough social mediaafter following one another and liking each other’s photos. After finding out they had a mutual love for legendary bands like New Edition and Boyz II Men, they decided to share their collective talents with the world. Many FaceTimes, HousePartys, Skypes and text messages later, all five members moved to Los Angeles and hopped right into the studio.
“We met and once we met each other in person, finally, rather than FaceTime, we knew like off rip,” Louis reminisced toBET.
With over750K subscribers on their channelto date, the group’s YouTube video “Evolution of Boybands” went viral, generating millions of views on social media and gained them a star-studded fanbase fromSmokey RobinsonandBoyz II Mento NSYNC andMariah Carey. After Carey heard their rendition of her hit “Hero,” she invited them to perform during one of her Las Vegas shows.
“It’s been crazy and awesome,” Thomas previously toldJackson State University’s newspaper. “I always knew at a young age I would be doing something dealing with music. So this process has been amazing. It’s humbling.”
In 2019, the group released an EP,Juliet. Next Town Down also released several non-album singles. However, in April 2022 the groupannounced on Instagramthat they would be going their separate ways “to focus on solo endeavors for now until further notice.”
source: people.com
