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The cringe-worthy names of boy bands like LMNT (pronounced “element”), soulDecision and Savage Garden bring back fond memories of the 90s. Even though our collection of boy bands of today may have slightly better names, in a few decades we may be questioning why we even liked those bands in the first place.
From The Beatles to NSYNC to One Direction, it seems like boy bands will never die in the entertainment world. That’s why we’re taking a time machine back to some of the boy bands of the 90s, and looking at the boy bands of today.
98 Degrees
This American quartet had their breakthrough in the late 90s. Their popular singles include “I Do (Cherish You)” and “Just Give Me One Night (Una Noche).” They kick-started their career with a self-titled album and only went up from there. They, along with Boyz II Men, signed with Motown Records and established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in their genre. Although they were not among the most popular boy bands of the 90s, they had a loyal fan base and sang both Pop and R&B music.
Memorable Lyrics: “I do cherish you for the rest of my life / You don’t have to think twice / I will love you still from the depths of my soul / It’s beyond my control.”
Where Are They Now? In 2013 the band teamed up with Boyz II Men and New Kids on the Block for a “Dirty Dozen” tour. They also released a new album entitled “2.0” in May 2013.
Boyz II Men
These three made up American R&B group Boyz II Men. They were at the height of their career with “I’ll Make Love To You” and “End of the Road” and were known for their sultry voices and soulful ballads. Their first album, titled “Cooleyhighharmony,” was released in 1991. They took a break in 2003 but made their comeback a year later with a new album and reunion tour.
Memorable Lyrics: “I’ll make love to you / When you want me to / And I will not let go / Till you tell me to.”
Where Are They Now? The trio, without Michael McCary, appeared on “Grease: Live” and sang “Beauty School Dropout.” Morris came in fourth place on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 22.
*NSYNC
The band where celeb Justin Timberlake’s fame was born, *NSYNC was one of the most popular bands of the 90s. The American group’s most memorable songs include “Bye Bye Bye” and “It’s Gonna Be Me.” This boy band’s name was a play on each of the original members’ last letters of their first names – Justin, Chris, Joey, Jason, JC – although Jason Galasso dropped out at the last minute. Lance Bass joined the group and had to be nicknamed Lansten to keep the name in sync. Their first album was self-titled and they were eventually signed to RCA Records.
Most Memorable Lyrics: “You’re all I ever wanted / You’re all I ever needed, yeah / So tell me what to do now / When I want you back.”
Where Are They Now? In 2013 the group reunited for a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards and released a hits and unreleased songs album in 2014 entitled “The Essential *NSYNC.” Fatone and Kirkpatrick starred in the SyFy film “Dead 7” which aired in April of 2016.
Backstreet Boys
This American group’s first album was released in 1996. Almost instantly, they became international sensations and sky-rocketed to the top of the charts. Their most well-known songs include “I Want It That Way” and “As Long As You Love Me.” They kept much of their popularity through the 2000s and were the best-selling boy band in history with 130 million records sold worldwide. They are also the only boy band in the world to have their first nine albums reach the Top 10 on the Billboard 200.
Most Memorable Lyrics: “Tell me why / Ain’t nothin’ but a heartache / Tell me why / Ain’t nothin’ but a mistake.”
Where Are They Now? In January of 2015, the group released their first documentary entitled “Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What We’re Made Of.” Carter, Dorough and McLean also star in the film “Dead 7” that Carter wrote.
5 Seconds of Summer
One of the most popular boy bands of today, this Australian quartet is making it big on the charts. Although 5 Seconds of Summer does not like to be called a boy band, they are blurring the lines and are widely considered as both a pop-punk band and a boy band. The four twentysomethings launched their first album in 2014 after several limited release EPs. They toured with One Direction and are signed to Capitol Records, although they announced in 2014 that they have created their own record label called Hi or Hey Records. Their most popular songs are “She Looks So Perfect,” “She’s Kinda Hot” and “Amnesia.”
Memorable Lyrics: “You look so perfect standing there / In my American Apparel underwear / And I know now, that I’m so down.”
Where They Got Their Start: The group slowly came together in 2011 and gained quickly popularity from their covers on YouTube. One Direction members Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson tweeted their videos and they gained traction not only in Australia but worldwide.
Big Time Rush
This American boy band formed in 2009 and released their first album “BTR” in 2010. Their most popular single is “Big Time Rush,” which was used in the opening sequence of their TV show. They released a film called “Big Time Movie” in 2012, which received mixed reviews. The band went on hiatus in 2014 to pursue other careers but there is talk of them reuniting in the future.
Memorable Lyrics: “Go and shake it up / Whatcha gotta lose / Go and make your luck with the life you choose.”
Where They Got Their Start: The four mid-twentysomethings got their start on Nickelodeon with their TV show “Big Time Rush.”
One Direction
This English-Irish boy band is known as the most popular boy band of the 2010s. They won countless awards and quickly rose to fame via social media in 2012. In 2014, they were named Forbes’ second-highest earning celebrities under thirty. Although member Zayn Malik left the band in 2015, the four-member group’s fifth album “Made in the A.M.” was released after his departure. They were reportedly on hiatus after the album and expected to make a return, but with members signing onto labels as solo acts, it seems that they have officially broken up. The original boy band’s most popular songs include “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life.”
Memorable Lyrics: “Baby you light up my world like nobody else / The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed / But when you smile at the ground it ain’t hard to tell / You don’t know, oh oh / You don’t know you’re beautiful.”
Where They Got Their Start: All five auditioned as solo artists on the UK’s X Factor singing competition show in 2010. Simon Cowell brought the five together as a group during the show and they ended up placing in third.
Union J
The four boys in this British boy band were popular during the early 2010s, when they reached their peak of popularity. Member George Shelley left the band in March 2016 and Casey Johnson replaced him in May. Their first album was self-titled and released in 2013. The original boy band’s most popular songs are “Carry You” – which was featured in the movie “Kick Ass 2 – and “Beautiful Life.” They also have a popular cover of Bastille’s song “Pompeii.”
Memorable Lyrics: “Get up out the dark / Open up your eyes / You’ll discover there’s a world outside / To fix a broken heart / You have to try.”
Where They Got Their Start: Similar to One Direction’s path, three members of the band auditioned together on the UK’s X Factor in 2012 as Triple J. When Shelley joined in the band during the show, they became Union J and eventually placed fourth in the competition.
