Boy bands, which included legendary groups from the 1960s to the present, have played a big role in music for many years. These bands, which play a variety of genres including pop, R&B, hip-hop, and punk, have devoted fans who provide a wealth of musical diversity, love, and excitement.
Some bands, like the boy bands from the 1990s and early 2000s, wow the audience with their incredible dance, while other bands, like Five Seconds of Summer, perform on instruments. A key component of pop music, 13 of the finest and most well-known boy bands in history each have their distinct sound, style, and legacy.
Boyz II Men
The popular R&B duo Boyz II Men rose to prominence in 1987 with the release of their smash song “End of the Road.” Nathan Morris, Wanna Morris, Shawn Stockman, and Michael McCary make up the group. They have won four Grammy Awards and sold 60 million records worldwide.
Having formed in 1985, the group became well-known in 1991 for the song “Motownphilly”. They have achieved multiple platinum status on more than ten albums and many Hot 100 number-one positions. The trio, which has four Grammy Awards under their belt and established records for the most weeks at the top of the Hot 100, is presently on tour until the autumn of 2024.
The Beatles
Naturally, discussing boy bands or music in general would be incomplete without bringing up the Beatles, widely considered one of the greatest musical acts of all time. Legendary artists John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr made The Beatles.
They were formed in 1960 and became global superstars in a few years. With over 600 million recordings sold worldwide, the group remains the best-selling musical group of all time despite only being together for ten years before breaking off into their famous individual careers.
One Direction
The boy band One Direction, who formed in 2010, has a $305 million total net worth. Following their auditions for The X Factor in 2010, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik formed the group that went on to become well-known. The trio went on four global tours as headliners and published five full-length albums.
They smashed records and became the first band in US Billboard 200 history to premiere all four albums at number one, even though they were not nominated for a Grammy Award. Since then, each member has followed a single professional path, with Styles finding success in his endeavours.
98 Degrees
Brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons, and Justin Jeffre met in Los Angeles in 1996 to establish the boy band 98 Degrees, which originated in the late 1990s. They were a contemporary of Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, and they participated in the boy-band frenzy of the 1990s and 2000s. Their song “Thank God I Found You” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999, marking their commercial and critical triumph.
The group briefly broke up in the early 2000s, got back together in 2012, and released their most recent Christmas album in 2017. The lads, from Ohio, started the band in Los Angeles, where they played gigs before signing with Motown to record their debut album in 1997. There have been rumours of a reunion performance circulating, and an announcement is anticipated later this year.
The Jackson 5
Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael Jackson were the brothers that made up The Jackson 5. They were created in 1964. After winning talent shows all around the world, they earned a contract with Motown in 1968. In addition to performing on television, the trio recorded 10 studio albums and went on one tour in 2012. Michael passed away in 2009, but the brothers got back together to go on future trips.
Their net worth as a couple is $7.2 million. With more than 100 million records sold, The Jackson 5 brought the boy band genre widespread recognition in the 1960s. Although Michael Jackson went on to sell 500 million records as a solo artist, boy bands came forth as a result of the group’s impact, and boy bands are still prominent in music today.
New Kids On The Block
The Boston-based boy band New Kids On The Block, which was founded in 1985, is credited with perfecting the genre. Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Woods made up the group, who put out five LPs and two more studio albums. They split up in 1994, came back together in 2008, and have since put out two more studio albums.
The band, whose estimated net worth is $98 million, has won two American Music Awards, topped the Billboard 200, and appeared on the Hot 100 thirteen times. As the supergroup NKOTBSB, they paired together with the Backstreet Boys in 2011.
Backstreet Boys
Since 1996, the American boy band The Backstreet Boys, who are based in Orlando, Florida, have sold a lot of records and had great success. They have embarked on eleven global tours, published ten full-length albums, and received eight Grammy Award nominations. With a collective net worth of $200 million, the group—which consists of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, and Kevin Richardson—has sold over 180 million albums.
Six Hot 100 top 10 songs have also been released by them, including “I Want It That Way” and “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart).” In 2024, The Backstreet Boys will embark on a tour that will include a residency in Las Vegas.
NSYNC
The Orlando, Florida-based boy band NSYNC was formed in 1995 and has a $253 million total net worth. The group, which consists of Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, and Justin Timberlake, has put out three albums and received eight Grammy Award nominations. Even though the band broke up in 2002, they had a huge cultural influence on the music business, selling over a million copies of an album in a single day for more than fifteen years.
Since then, Timberlake has established a prosperous solo career and won Entertainment Weekly’s award for greatest boy band of the 1990s and 2000s. Even with their brief professional lives, NSYNC continues to have a major cultural influence in the music business.
Hanson
Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson formed the band Hanson, which rose to international prominence in the late 1990s with the song “MMMBop.” The song rose to the top of the charts in twelve countries and became a pop anthem. The Hanson brothers kept putting out music, experimenting with various styles and adding folk, rock, and soul components. Their 1997 single landed them three Grammy nominations and 22 weeks on the Hot 100 list. They established their label in 2010 and put out “Shout It Out,” which peaked at number two on the Independent Albums list.
New Edition
Singer Bobby Brown founded New Edition in 1979, and the group pioneered the boy band genre by playing pop, hip-hop, and rhythm & blues. Throughout the 1980s, they enjoyed popularity with hits like “Candy Girl” and “Cool It Now.” The trio was joined in 1987 by Johnny Gill when Brown left to pursue a solo career. The trio broke up in the early 1990s, with Bivins, Bell, and Devoe becoming Bell Biv DeVoe. Since then, New Edition has come back together and is still performing. The boy band trend that emerged in the 1980s is said to have started with the group.
BTS
Since making their debut in 2013, the South Korean boy band BTS has gone on six tours and eight studio albums. The group, which consists of seven members, is the best-selling artist in South Korean history and has popularised K-pop in the US. Due to South Korea’s required military duty, BTS is presently on hiatus. The group intends to get back together when their duty is over, despite their break. Hip-hop and conventional pop components are combined in BTS’s K-pop music, which has sold over 30 million records and made them the best-selling musical act of 2021.
Jonas Brothers
Joe, Nick, and Kevin Jonas are the brothers that make up the boy band The Jonas Brothers, which was created in 2005. Their total net worth is $150 million. They became well-known in 2007 after being on “Hannah Montana” and opening for Miley Cyrus. Alongside Demi Lovato, they starred in Disney’s “Camp Rock” and its sequel. The Jonas Brothers have 25 songs that are on the Billboard Hot 100 list and have published four studio albums, two of which are platinum. The brothers got back together in 2019 after taking a break from 2011 to 2019, and they are now touring and making new songs.
Conclusion
Boy bands have had a big influence on pop music since the 1960s, and they have a distinctive sound, look, and history. Notable bands include Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, BTS, Boyz II Men, The Beatles, One Direction, 98 Degrees, The Jackson 5, and New Kids On The Block. Every group has seen tremendous success and multiple platinum status. In the 1960s, The Jackson 5 helped popularise boy bands, while NSYNC helped refine the genre. K-pop gained popularity in the US thanks to the 2013 formation of BTS, the best-selling act in South Korean history.
