Recently I caught a trailer on MTV, promoting its latest reality series called "Return of the Boyband."
It will showcase members from five successful but now defunct boybands and their attempts to comeback to the boyband scene. The band will consist of Danny Wood (New Kids On The Block), Dane Bowers (Another Level), Jimmy Constable (911), Lee Latchford-Evans (Steps) and Bradley McIntosh (S Club 7).
Side note : NKOTB is probably the only American boyband among the other five. I noticed that UK have consistantly generated more boybands than America, not sure why though.
This bring back memories when I grew up being surrounded by boyband music, but somehow I was never really into the boyband scene.
My first taste of the boyband mania was during Primary six, where this group of guys from America called New Kids On The Block started driving people crazy with their hit song "Step by Step". I got to know them through my classmate, who was so crazy she bought button badges and adorned them on her schoolbag, and other fan memorabilia. She even gave me a button badge with the words NKOTB! Somehow I wasn't so influenced to buy any NKOTB stuff. Oh, and did I mention that my little brother actually bought a NKOTB album? (HOHOHO) Anyway, I guess his taste was VERY different then.
Probably one of the most influencial boybands during high school is Take That. Though I never really knew what was the fuss about about Take That and Robbie Williams, I enjoyed some of their hits such as "Pray", "Everything Changes" and "Back for Good". Subsequently when the band broke up, all of them pursue individual careers, but only Robbie is most successful to date. Gary Barlow's "Forever Love" and Robbie's "Angels" remain one of my favourite songs till now.
*edit : Take That did some sort of reunion in 2006 (minus Robbie) and came out with a noteworthy single called "Patience". Let's see how far can they go this time around*
There were other popular boybands during highschool and college such as Backstreet Boys and N'Sync, but I recall making fun of them more than anything else. Others simple just fade into obscurity.
If there is one boyband that I really like, it would be Boyzone. (Hey, everyone likes Boyzone, no?) They have a range of really nice ballads that are catchy and easy to sing-along. Some songs such as "Picture of You" and "No Matter What" brings back funny memories. I even bought their compilation album titled "By Request". That's probably the only boyband album I have to date.
If there is one boyband that I really like, it would be Boyzone. (Hey, everyone likes Boyzone, no?) They have a range of really nice ballads that are catchy and easy to sing-along. Some songs such as "Picture of You" and "No Matter What" brings back funny memories. I even bought their compilation album titled "By Request". That's probably the only boyband album I have to date.
Another favourite would be Westlife. Like Boyzone, they are Irish, sings mostly ballads and managed by the same person Louis Walsh. I quite like their first few singles such as "Flying Without Wings" and "My Love", but as they took on more cover songs, I lost interest in their music.
The Koreans have an impressive boyband by the name of Shinhwa 神話 (below left). Why I say impressive is that they have been around since 1998 , had 8 albums, and still going strong as a boyband even dispite some of the members also had successful solo careers.
The other Korean boyband in the rage now is TVXQ 東方神起 (below right). It's really evident as my younger cousins are raving about them, and that they actually had one concert in KL last year, with one more coming this year. Somehow I just can't accept their appearance coz they are just too pretty!! Haven't really listened to their music, although my cousins are just CRAZY about them.
The only other "boyband" performance I would love to see is Il Divo (nicknamed boyband of opera), but their tickets is @&*$%# expensive!!! Perhaps they are a boyband with class, so only those rich aunties and young ladies get the pleasure of watching their performance and be mesmerised by their voices.
That probably sums up my thoughts on Boybands. I just think that boybands do add in some variety in music, and sometimes a good topic of conversation, whether with a teen, or someone our age :-)
So, have you ever fancied any boybands? Or you just refuse to admit you once idolised Jordan Knight from NKOTB? Perhaps this blog may stir up some old memories :-)
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