Girl Bands have created some of the most popular songs and shaped the mainstream landscape in a big way. Lately, the 1990s were a musical golden age, dominated by several girl groups. Some of the most well-known bands from the time include The Spice Girls, TLC, and Destiny’s Child; their songs continue to have a particular place in the hearts of millennials.
The Chicks and All Saints are two more obscure girl ensembles from the 1990s. Songs from lesser-known female groups from the 1990s may transport listeners back to their pre-adolescent years and helped to establish the foundation for the subsequent wave of girl groups, including Fifth Harmony, Little Mix, and Blackpink.
TLC
In the 1990s, the pop, R&B, and hip-hop trio TLC became extremely well-known. Their song “Waterfalls” encourages young teenagers to embrace their individuality while making parallels to the AIDS crisis and US drug trafficking. TLC, the second-largest-selling Girl Band with 23 million certified copies, continues to perform and release music as a duo following Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’s death in 2002. Sadly, Left Eye lost her life in a car accident in 2002. Soon, T-Boz and Chilli will embark on a Broadway tour.
The Chicks
Since 1990, The Chicks have been producing songs. They are a country music icon and the best-selling female group in the United States. The group’s first three albums were independently published by the sisters Robin Lynn Macy, Emily Strayer, Laura Lynch, and Martie Maguire. Wide Open Spaces, their 1998 album, included the hit “I Can Love You Better.”
In 2003, the girl group’s remarks about President George W. Bush and the Iraq War sparked controversy. They published “Taking the Long Way” in 2006 and “Gaslighter” in 2020. Additionally, the group worked with Proclaim Justice and Planned Parenthood on their DCX MMXVI World Tour.
Destiny’s Child
Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams were the Noughties musical three that created Destiny’s Child in 1996. In 2000, they put out two albums before Williams joined. The trio had hit hits from 1997 to 2005, such as the song “Survivor,” which is seen as empowering. Due to their Southern friendliness and girl-next-door demeanour, the three became well-known in the late 1990s. The most popular artist of the present day is Beyoncé, whose singles that have endured the longest include “Independent Woman Pt. 1” and “Bootylicious.”
Salt-N-Pepa
The first female group, Salt-N-Pepa, achieved record sales as the best-selling female rap group in 1985. They tackled contentious issues about the sexual health of women with songs like “Let’s Talk About Sex” and “Push It.”
The trio got back together in 2022 to accept Deidra “DJ Spinderella” Roper, their Hollywood Walk of Fame star, who thanked them for spreading a message of resilience and self-reliance. Roper stressed the value of standing out from the crowd and maintaining togetherness. The trio also starred in the 2021 Lifetime movie “Salt-N-Pepa.”
The Pointer Sisters
The Pointer Sisters were a renowned group best known for their singles including “I’m So Excited,” “Jump (for My Love),” and “Automatic.” The group was created in 1969 by real-life sisters Anita, Bonnie, and June Pointer. Their commercial zenith was reached in the mid-1980s with the release of “Automatic” in 1984 and “I’m So Excited” in 1982.
Girls Aloud’s 2003 release of the group’s best-selling single “Jump (For My Love)” solidified the group’s legend. The sisters are the first Black woman to win a Grammy in a country music category, having won three of them.
Little Mix
After being paired together by judges Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jesy Nelson, and Jade Thirlwall, the X Factor trio Little Mix rose to stardom in 2011. By popular vote, the group was the first to win the show. Their hits included “Black Magic,” “Confetti,” “Secret Love Song,” and “Touch.” At No. 4 on the US charts, their debut album, DNA, broke a record held by the Spice Girls.
The group’s message of girl strength and body positivity is connected with the current harassment on social media. Jesy Nelson departed the group in December 2020, and the remaining three declared a musical break in 2021.
The Bangle
Pop-rock group The Bangles rose to popularity in the 1980s with their hits “Walk Like an Egyptian” and “Manic Monday.” Their reputation as a leading female group was cemented with their 1989 number-one single, Eternal Flame. In 1980, Susanna Hoffs, Annette Zilinskas, Vicki, and Debbi Peterson created the ensemble.
Michael Steele took Zilinskas’ place in 1983 and the group released All Over the Place, their first successful album. 2011 saw the release of Sweetheart of the Sun, the Bangles’ sixth studio album, and they went on tour. They put out a compilation album and a set of covers in 2014.
All Saints
The 1993-formed band All Saints became well-known when Nicola and Natalie Appleton, twin Canadians, joined in 1996. Their single, “Pure Shores,” was used on Leonardo DiCaprio’s film The Beach, and their debut album, All Saints, peaked at number two in the UK charts. T
he trio successfully returned in 2013, releasing new music and opening for Take That on a stadium tour. They had sold 12 million CDs by then. They didn’t become as well-known as the Spice Girls, but their tracks “Never Ever” and “Bootie Call” were nonetheless rather successful.
Spice Girls
The British female group Spice Girls has continued to be a household name despite selling 80 million records. “Wannabe,” their 1996 breakthrough track, revolutionised mainstream music and ignited the Girl Power movement. The group—which included Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Victoria Beckham, and Melanie Chisholm—became the all-time best-selling female group.
The Spice Girls’ second album, Spiceworld, was praised by the Royal family and went on to earn around $100 million worldwide. During the 1998 Spiceworld Tour, the group played before an audience of nearly two million people.
The Supremes
The Detroit girl group The Supremes, who had 12 number-one hits between 1964 and 1969, had a big impact on Motown Records throughout the 1960s. The quartet, which included Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Diana Ross, was a classic soul-pop outfit that was independent of culture, ethnicity, and class. At fifteen, Ross became a member of the group and went on to join The Primettes, who subsequently evolved into the Supremes.
Where Did Our Love Go, their album from 1964, was a success. Up until 1976, the ensemble put out music with a changing lineup. Diana Ross is still going strong, but Wilson and Ballard are no longer with us.
The Go-Go’s
Founded in 1978, the all-girl pop musical group The Go-Go’s rose to prominence in the ensuing ten years. One of the rare all-girl ensembles in a male-dominated field, the group included Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine, and Jane Wiedlin. Members kept working on projects after splitting up in 1985, including penning songs for pop artists like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.
In addition to performing at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, the band acquired a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011 and released “Club Zero,” their first new song in 19 years. The group received an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
Fifth Harmony
The members of the well-known American quintet Fifth Harmony were Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane Hansen, Camila Cabello, Lauren Jauregui, and Ally Brooke. The trio put out two albums and achieved multi-platinum success with hits like “Work From Home” and “Worth It.” “Sledgehammer,” their debut top 40 Billboard Hot 100 entry, was certified platinum.
The group finished in third position after forming during season two. Now that all five of the ladies are solo performers, Brooke is proud of the group’s accomplishments in music, girl groups, and female empowerment. In 2018, they formally announced their break.
BLACKPINK
Major K-pop girl group Blackpink shot to international stardom in 2016 with their hit “Boombayah.” The quartet—Kim Jisoo, Kim Jennie, Park Chaeyoung (Rosé), and Lalisa Pranpriya Manoban—became well-known for fusing pink and black motifs in their songs. They were established in South Korea as part of the K-pop trainee system by YG Entertainment.
“BLACKPINK in your area,” which is part of their trademark, denotes their dominance on a worldwide scale. The group holds the record for the most views in 24 hours for music videos on YouTube, with over 84 million followers and 1.7 billion views. They will be Coachella’s first K-pop headliner in 2023.
Conclusion
With well-known girl groups like Destiny’s Child, TLC, The Chicks, The Spice Girls, Salt-N-Pepa, and the Pointer Sisters, the 1990s saw a golden era of music. With their songs, TLC influenced millennials, while The Chicks rose to fame in the country music industry. Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams formed the well-known trio Destiny’s Child.
A focus of Salt-N-Pepa was women’s sexual health. Significant contributions to the music business were also made by other female pop groups, such as Little Mix, The Bangles, All Saints, Spice Girls, The Supremes, and The Go-Go’s.
