By Tori Wright
If you asked a millennial tween girl about posters hanging on her bedroom wall, chances are a boy band were the superstars wishing her goodnight. Boy bands have been a source of fascination for youthful fans for generations, from the Beatles to One Direction. Every boy band’s reign eventually comes to an end, but what leads to the fall of a once successful and wealthy boy band? Are all boy bands doomed to eventually fail?
Shocking the world this previous spring, One Direction announced they were taking a break starting in 2016. One Direction just finished their last tour before going on their hiatus. Could this just be another boy band coming to an end?
Unlike the Jonas Brothers, another doomed boy band who broke up on the decline of their popularity, One Direction announced that they were just going on a break. This hiatus seems abrupt since they’re still dominating the charts today. The band has accumulated over seventy music awards and over these short five years, 22 songs placing in the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Shortly after the called off engagement with his girlfriend of two years, news broke that Louis is expecting a baby with an American stylist. This scandal, is perhaps, contributed to the band’s decision to take a break. Their most recent album, Made In the A.M, comes out Nov. 13, but there will not be a tour promoting the album’s music.
One Direction was composed of five members until spring 2015, when Zayn Malik abruptly quit the band while they were touring in Asia. It appears that Malik has been in a downward spiral since the breakup, publicly calling out his fellow collaborator via Twitter, ending it with his fiance and distancing himself from the bandmates. Only the future knows what’s next for Malik, whose departure seems to be a turning point for One Direction’s future.
Who knows, maybe One Direction will get back together after their hiatus and try to keep the boy band mojo going, just like the Backstreet Boys did. Although, it seems like the Backstreet Boys’ glory days have sadly come to an end. Could Harry Styles be the next Justin Timberlake? Probably not, but it would be entertaining to see him try. If the band gig fails, could one of these British hotties emerge as that next solo sensation? Only time will tell.
If all of these boy bands have broken up, boy bands must be a fad rooted in a specific time period. With technology bringing fans closer to superstars every day, I don’t think boy bands are going anywhere soon. The cycle will inevitably continue–each generation will have their own boy band fad to look back at with nostalgia. Once the new generation of teenagers catches onto an attractive new set of boys that sing, then boom, the next boy band sensation is created. At this rate, the boy band cycle will continue for many years to come.