Sunday, January 10, 2016

Backstreet's back... ALRIGHT!

98 Degrees. One Direction. N*SYNC. Backstreet Boys. Jackson 5. Boys II Men. Jonas Brothers. All bands who are made up of all boys. Boy bands were the all the talk of the 90s and early 2000s and surprising to some, still exist and are crushing the music charts. Boy bands have created a splash in the music industry and in the hearts of teeny boppers around the globe (I may be guilty of this, as well). Unfortunately for these heartthrobs, their reputation has been taken through the gutter. The single story of boy bands is that these artists are actually not taken seriously as musicians and they have nothing to add to the industry but just another couple of pretty faces.

The artifacts I found perfectly describe the single story much of the media represents. In the article by The Odyssey Online explains perfectly the opinion of boy bands that many possess: they aren’t taken seriously. The reasoning this article poses is because their audiences are typically young females, an audience that isn’t taken seriously. The SNL skit from the year 2000 shows and pokes fun at the hype around boy bands and their immature audiences. The article College Magazine wrote about the six archetypes found in a boy band and explains how each boy band is the same. These messages that are being sent are influencing the opinions of others about boy bands in a negative view when the claims being made are not always true.

This single story of untalented boy bands limits the opportunity for these groups to grow as musicians. Many times people in the bands will try to go for a solo career and fail because of the opinions that the media has formed about them. These boy bands may not be able to sign on with record and label companies because they do not believe in the talent they actually have. The artifacts I have found do not explore the real opportunity of boy bands and the influence they have in the music industry. These musicians’ full potential may not be reached because the single story others give them is most likely not deserved.


4 comments:

  1. I have never thought of this! But I understand how this could be a real issue for some people. I know I don't take 'boy bands' very seriously. It didn't occur to me that my thoughts and actions are limiting their success. Something to think about!

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  2. I think that you've definitely got a point here. I wonder, though, are The Beatles considered a boy band? They're understood to be some of the most important musicians of all time. A lot of it might have to do with how/if these performers are revolutionizing the art.

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  3. I really think boy bands are underrated. I think they really do produce good music. Most guys also don't want to admit to liking their music since it could cause questions about their masculinity. I am very distraught over Zayn leaving 1D though. He's so beautiful... RIP Zayn

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  4. I was kind of biased reading this because I love boy bands. The artifacts you found were cool too. Way to back up your case.

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