Boy Bands: NKOTB to One Direction, Discuss Here!

[janie jones]

On 5/17/2019 at 8:42 AM, Misslindsey said:

I do not understand the appeal of BTS. Though to be fair, I am way out of the age demographic for them.

No offense to anyone who likes them, but...I had heard of BTS but had never heard anything by them until they were on SNL, and I was surprised at how bad they were.  I didn't like the music (I wasn't expecting to love it, but I also wasn't expecting to hate it).  And the choreography and dance moves looked like something from a junior high talent show.  I've subsequently seen them on other shows and my opinion hasn't changed.

On 5/17/2019 at 11:52 AM, GaT said:

I don't understand why their songs have some English in them. You hear them singing in (I assume) Korean, then all of a sudden there's a couple of lines in English. What's up with that?

Maybe because English is cool in some non-English-speaking cultures?  Perhaps it lends a certain cachet to the song?  But I also have been informed by Korean speakers that a lot of English has been borrowed into Korean, so it could just be that.

[blackwing]

I don't really get their appeal either.  They do seem talented but I don't get how they've become a worldwide phenomenon.  They don't seem any different than any of the other boybands of the past.

And present.  Speaking of which, the ageless Backstreet Boys released a "Reimagined" acoustic version of their signature song in celebration of its 20th anniversary.  20 years!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjCgsIx7kDI

Edited June 4, 2019 by blackwing

[MsJamieDornan]

12 hours ago, blackwing said:

Speaking of which, the ageless Backstreet Boys released a "Reimagined" acoustic version of their signature song in celebration of its 20th anniversary.  20 years!

Time has flown by.

[catlover79]

Tell me about it...I was in my first year of college when that song came out. Last year, BSB did a fun version of the song with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots:

[AgentRXS]

On 7/8/2019 at 12:16 AM, catlover79 said:

Tell me about it...I was in my first year of college when that song came out. Last year, BSB did a fun version of the song with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots:

Someone said Kevin looks like a white Snoop Dogg in that video, and now I can't unsee it. 😂

[janie jones]

On 7/15/2019 at 11:20 AM, AgentRXS said:

Someone said Kevin looks like a white Snoop Dogg in that video, and now I can't unsee it. 😂

I don't know who Kevin is, so I scanned the group and -- yup, now I know who Kevin is.

[27bored]

I wanted to cut BTS some slack and say maybe they got too big too fast. Unlike the 90s boy bands where they trained and got the vocals and dance moves right before anybody heard of them, BTS did seem to come out nowhere. But a quick Googlin’ shows that their first album came out in 2013, so...they oughta be at the height of their powers by now. 

I think maybe there are too many of them. I think trying to keep seven voices cohesive is hard. There’s also the issue of their numbers being not only over-choreographed, but theirs is more interpretive dance than pop choreography. N Sync’s choreography from Bye Bye Bye is a better balance — interpretive in parts, hip-hop in others. 

The thing I will say is, if you read the English translation of the lyrics to “Fake Love”, and you’re into poetry, woo boy. I wish American songs were that poetic. Beautiful imagery. Even the rapping in it is more pretty poetry than punchlines. And they know how to structure their songs well. They’re like Taylor Swift in that way. 

So, I don’t know. Maybe we’re just getting old.

[27bored]

Lance was on Stratham and Sara or whatever that show is called showing Keke Palmer the choreography for Bye Bye Bye. I never thought Lance would wind up not only aging the best but having the most fun personality. I can’t say I even knew what Lance’s speaking voice was like from 1998 till 2009. 

That said, he said back in the day he was a horrible dancer (which is FACTS, but Joey wasn’t anything to write home about either), and it made me ho back and watch them perform that song live. 

This is why BTS seems so lame. Watch them do that song on their HBO special. Keep in mind that they’re all singing live, they’re doing the entire routine, and this is the END of the show. 

[catlover79]

On 7/15/2019 at 2:20 PM, AgentRXS said:

Someone said Kevin looks like a white Snoop Dogg in that video, and now I can't unsee it. 😂

😂😂😂😂😂

[janie jones]

On 7/22/2019 at 8:58 PM, 27bored said:

Lance was on Stratham and Sara or whatever that show is called showing Keke Palmer the choreography for Bye Bye Bye. I never thought Lance would wind up not only aging the best but having the most fun personality. I can’t say I even knew what Lance’s speaking voice was like from 1998 till 2009. 

That said, he said back in the day he was a horrible dancer (which is FACTS, but Joey wasn’t anything to write home about either), and it made me ho back and watch them perform that song live. 

This is why BTS seems so lame. Watch them do that song on their HBO special. Keep in mind that they’re all singing live, they’re doing the entire routine, and this is the END of the show. 

Is that one guy (Chris?) wearing light-up gloves?  Anyway, I'm no NSync fan, but that's a lot more professional-looking than what BTS is offering.

Also, am I the only one who thinks of the BTK serial killer when they hear about BTS?

[outofbounds]

3 hours ago, janie jones said:

Is that one guy (Chris?) wearing light-up gloves?  Anyway, I'm no NSync fan, but that's a lot more professional-looking than what BTS is offering.

Also, am I the only one who thinks of the BTK serial killer when they hear about BTS?

I tried watching them on SNL and I just...I mean ok I guess.  I'm not one to judge someone's choice of boyband.  But it all seemed very forced to me.  And there's TOO MANY of them.  Thank God they all chose different colors for hair or I wouldn't have known one from the other.

The songs weren't great, so much so that I just watched it a few weeks ago and I couldn't tell you what on earth they sounded like.

[27bored]

11 hours ago, outofbounds said:

I tried watching them on SNL and I just...I mean ok I guess.  I'm not one to judge someone's choice of boyband.  But it all seemed very forced to me.  And there's TOO MANY of them.  Thank God they all chose different colors for hair or I wouldn't have known one from the other.

The songs weren't great, so much so that I just watched it a few weeks ago and I couldn't tell you what on earth they sounded like.

LOL. Were you being cheeky just now or just honest? Either way that’s funny. And true. 

I kinda want them to come out with a BTS video game. Kind of like that Sega game they did with Michael Jackson back in the day.

[KatWay]

in fairness to BTS ( I was casually into them last year), their recent song they performed on SNL wasn't exactly the strongest by their standards, they've got songs with much more demanding choreo that I can't see NSYNC performing even in their prime. They're more known for dance and rap than vocals. But yeah they're not the strongest singers that's for sure. Although SNL live tends to be much more unforgiving than TV special live.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Boyzone never seemed to catch on in the U.S., but there's no denying that the ladies across the pond sure had a thing for Ronan Keating.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

[MsJamieDornan]

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/harry-styles-cover-interview-album-871568/

Harry has another Rolling Stone cover.

[rippleintime17]

Reading through this thread and safe to say, Harry has done alright for himself thus far.

Anticipating his new album had me going back to the 1D catalog. I always liked 1D but more on the periphery, I listened to songs on Spotify but not as much full albums. It's amazing to me how well-written some of these songs are. I made a playlist with a few other guy group faves and they are miles ahead of NKOTB stuff and even significantly better than the 90s boybands that I loved a teen. Made in the AM is such a great album! The stuff on Four is fantastic! It's fun listening to it in retrospect and hearing them evolve as their fans did, and also hearing especially Harry come into his own. I'm very excited to see him live again next summer! 

I've also been on a Jonas Brothers kick. I'm never sure if they fall into this category, since they are more of a band with Nick and Kevin playing their own instruments, but their reunion tour is just a total blast. I'm hoping they maintain their balance of having time/space to do the things they enjoy individually but also performing as a group, as having them back has been a lot of fun. 

Anyway, I'm also a little on the "older" end for some of this stuff, it kind of makes me laugh that when I was in high school, though I liked the pop and boyband and TRL stuff going on, I leaned more toward classic rock and stuff from before my time, and now that I am a full blown adult, the pop music is still calling to me! 

[MsJamieDornan]

On 12/2/2019 at 12:43 PM, rippleintime17 said:

I am a full blown adult, the pop music is still calling to me! 

It calls me everyday !

[Enero]

On 8/7/2019 at 9:11 AM, KatWay said:

in fairness to BTS ( I was casually into them last year), their recent song they performed on SNL wasn't exactly the strongest by their standards, they've got songs with much more demanding choreo that I can't see NSYNC performing even in their prime. They're more known for dance and rap than vocals. But yeah they're not the strongest singers that's for sure. Although SNL live tends to be much more unforgiving than TV special live.

Agreed. BTS has some talent and charisma. Hence their success. However, when it comes to K-pop/hip hop, I have to say one of my favorites is N’uest. Their vocals are amazing and I have enjoyed most of the songs they’ve released. Sadly, they don’t get nearly the due they deserve. 

[Robert Lynch]

Speaking of boy bands, did anybody remember 2gether from the early 2000s? It was a spoof boy band that had a movie and a series premiere on MTV. Chris Farley's brother was one of the members and the youngest one had Hodgkins Lymphoma. He also had cancer and his life was cut short during his brief stint with respiratory problems. I think they opened for Britney Spears in one of her concert. Does anybody remember them?

Edited February 8, 2020 by Robert Lynch

[Popples]

1 hour ago, Robert Lynch said:

Speaking of boy bands, did anybody remember 2gether from the early 2000s? It was a spoof boy band that had a movie and a series premiere on MTV. Chris Farley's brother was one of the members and the youngest one had Hodgkins Lymphoma. He also had cancer and his life was cut short during his brief stint with respiratory problems. I think they opened for Britney Spears in one of her concert. Does anybody remember them?

U + Me = Us! I recorded that movie off of MTV and had about 4 of their songs on my last Mp3 player until it died and I couldn't remember every song I had. Now I might have to correct this because those were my jams.

[Jaded]

On 2/8/2020 at 11:44 AM, Robert Lynch said:

Speaking of boy bands, did anybody remember 2gether from the early 2000s? It was a spoof boy band that had a movie and a series premiere on MTV. Chris Farley's brother was one of the members and the youngest one had Hodgkins Lymphoma. He also had cancer and his life was cut short during his brief stint with respiratory problems. I think they opened for Britney Spears in one of her concert. Does anybody remember them?

Since I've had the song stuck in my head since last night....

This was from 2012....

 

Edited February 9, 2020 by Jaded

[Ohwell]

I just have to say it:  I love BTS! 

And I'm old. 

[EyewatchTV211]

On 7/15/2019 at 2:20 PM, AgentRXS said:

Someone said Kevin looks like a white Snoop Dogg in that video, and now I can't unsee it. 😂

OMG. Just seeing this now. I've ALWAYS thought Kevin looked like a white Snoop Dogg. Not just in this video.

Edited July 4, 2020 by VMepicgrl

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Gotta have some Take That  in the mix here. 

[Bill1978]

Take That will always be the #1 Boy Band for me. No other group comes close.

So a student of mine is a major, major BTS fan and through their perseverance they have made me a sucker for Dynamite. That song is a damn earworm. Maybe it's the years of One Direction's jump up and down choreography but its nice to see a boy band prepared to actually dance. Having aid all that I still don't get the large mass appeal of the group while other better boybands just disappear. What happened to the days of Battle of the Boybands. Seems today's crowd act as a collective and can only handle one group to support at a time.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

I watched that video of BTS Dynamite and it doesn't compare to any of the big hits of Take That.  It sounds like a number of BTS singers actually had to use vocal processors on their vocal tracks, wth? 

[rippleintime17]

Since last seen in this thread, I have fallen pretty hard for BTS. I get the reservations for them, as I wasn't really interested until all of a sudden, I was, and they've quickly become a favorite. And especially if just judging based on SNL, which didn't represent them super well. "Mic Drop" (the more hip hop of the songs) is a fantastic full package song but a little hard to replicate on the SNL stage, and "Boy With Luv," while not one of my favorite songs of theirs, was much better presented on Colbert's show.

I'm honestly fascinated by how much I love their music as an English-speaker. Since getting into them, I've gone back to absorb their lyrics but the songs are so appealing to me regardless. Only their earlier stuff ("Dope," "Look Here," etc.) remind me of the boybands of my 90s youth. They kind of become their own thing after that, mixing genres, making use of their seven members almost equally (too many? never! especially with military service on the horizon) and creating artistic music videos and live performances that blow away any of the boybands of my youth (check out "Blood Sweat and Tears" or "On" for a good intro to the world of BTS music videos). They are definitely a step ahead of those groups when it comes to choreography. Yes to the person who called out their lyrics as poetry! And I think that is helped by their lyrics being written by their three rappers (RM, J-Hope and Suga) instead of someone who isn't in the group. Those three are very good at expressing themselves and include pretty mature, self-aware and open-minded topics. As time has gone on, the four vocalists have gotten more involved, and now each member gets a chance to shine on their own with solos on the albums & in their shows as well. This allows them to play to their own strengths and interests, such as Jimin's contemporary dance background, J-Hope's dance leadership, Jin's particularly positive messages in a band that is full of positive messages, etc. Their live shows are massive and full of energy. Their NPR Tiny Desk concert is also fantastic, and represents them very well! 

Mostly, they are just good for the soul. They are kind, and encourage the same of their fans. Their messages of inclusivity, acceptance and self-love are inspiring and refreshing. They even spoke at the UN about it! They're easy-going and down-to-earth, considering they're among the most famous people in the world, and they clearly love each other and interact so comfortably with other another. It's just really nice to see in today's world! 

Anyway, not here to sway anyone, just wanted to share a little more about them. Check out a few of the links above if you're interested to know more! And make sure captions are on, as most of their music videos include English translations! 

Edited November 8, 2020 by rippleintime17

[TrininisaScorp]

After DNA dropped, my head turned for BTS.  I'm in my 30s, so while this isn't NKOTB or Nsync levels for me, I do like BTS.  They are fun, the messaging for their fans is rather deep, and their production, especially on live shows (check out their latest remote entry for James Corden or the Grand Central Station performance on Fallon) is always great.  I think they have def smoothed out some of the sloppiness in their performance for sure.  Frankly, I'm super impressed at how amazingly quickly they have picked up English.  That's pretty cool.  

This year has me feeling some kind of way, and I fell down the Nsync live performance rabbit hole this past weekend.  I loved them then, but man, those guys were really something.  No voice (smooth, sexy, rich) and no performer (crisp, but smooth, powerful, alluring) will ever appeal to me the way that JC Chasez did; I'm still so sad he wasn't a bigger deal after the group broke up.  With the 20th anniversary (OMG...wut) of No Strings Attached happening over this past summer, Lance had each guy on his podcast.  They were all really good; Lance asked some tough, but respectful questions and all the guys were clearly doing this b/c it was Lance asking.  JC seems particularly happy doing production/writing and not performing or being in the spotlight.  He specifically talked about the solo album not being a good experience for him, and that he thrives better in the group setting (I can speculate what position he took at that final band meeting in 2004).  I think I remember even in their big days that he was always super careful about his money, so I am sure after performing his entire adolescence (at the MMC) and then thru his 20s, he is happy doing whatever makes him happy.  But, I'm not going to lie and say that I don't miss his voice on records and the pure passion he sang with.  I will always love Ralph Tresvant, Jordan Knight, and Joey McIntrye, but no voice touched me like JC's did. To my husband's great chagrin, the holiday album I keep on replay is the Nsync album, and JC blew the roof off on that one.  

As an Nsync fan, I was happy for Justin's success (as the youth say, my bias was always JC, though), but these last couple of albums and the last tour felt weird.  The Man of the Woods show was excellent production and JT was good, but that heart, playfulness, and excitement I remember him with when he was in Nsync wasn't there.  20/20 was a bit self indulgent, and that double record could have been 1 solid 8 song record; Man of the Woods was ok, but not one I find I relisten to. That may just be the impact of being older or wanting to do more, different things, but watching the old videos, I miss his spark (even if it was wasn't him my eyes were following). 

I don't know if there are Blockheads on here, but I have been super impressed with the New Kids fan engagement throughout the pandemic from April to now.  They have been doing some very candid live streams where one of their folks asks them some hard questions, have them react to old video clips, or play games.  It was the 30th anniversary of the Step by Step album (what is happening!), and they talked about how unhappy and overworked they were.  It was fascinating to hear their perspectives and such from that time.  B/c they were everywhere...music, the cartoon, the comic, touring, commercials, etc.  Since their normal cruise was in April and was cancelled b/c of the Rona, they held a virtual cruise with lives/streams/events, they did a special stream about the Fenway shows, they just did a holiday potluck live stream.  Plus, they released House Party with Boyz II Men, Naughty by Nature, Jordan Sparks, and Big Freedia, and a weird, wonderful little quarantine video to go with it.  I love seeing how much they seem to have command over their ship these days and how much engagement they put in with the fandom.  I've always been a huge fan, but this year really underlined my love.  It's weird to say, but I genuinely feel cared for as a Blockhead.   

[Annber03]

11 hours ago, TrininisaScorp said:

With the 20th anniversary (OMG...wut) of No Strings Attached happening over this past summer

....holy crap, it has been that long, hasn't it? Damn. 

I should mention this podcast to my sister (presuming she doesn't already know about it). *N Sync was her group back in the day (Backstreet Boys were mine, though I did come to appreciate *N Sync over time). I bet she'd enjoy listening to those interviews. It's nice to hear the group's happily each doing their thing now. I remember JC's solo album...Schizophrenic, wasn't it called? I liked that "Blowin' Me Up" song of his. 

As for BTS, I don't know much about their music, but I saw them on Colbert's show once, and I can totally see why people are going gaga for them. It was really cute, too, because they got onto the topic of the Beatles at one point during that interview and Colbert asked them what their favorite Beatles songs were, and the guys all launched into singing a bit of "Hey Jude" in response :). 

[RealHousewife]

On 1/24/2020 at 3:36 PM, MsJamieDornan said:

It calls me everyday !

Me too. Pop makes me happy. Probably will forever and ever. I know it's not considered cool, but I don't care!

Backstreet was my fave boy band as a child, and it still is today. 🙂

[Twilight Man]

Thanks guys, we could all use a good laugh right about now.......

 

NKOTB

(with a little help from Salt and Pepa, Rick Astley, and En Vogue) decide to make fun of Devo, Toni Basil, that one Journey video (you know which one),

and a few others while reminiscing about the 80s.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

 

 

 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Great cover, Boyzone had the girls going crazy.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

 

 

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

 

Edited June 11 by One4Sorrow2TooBad

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]