Boy Band - General Discussion

[WrongReasons]

Well BSB performing was definitely the highlight of this show - just made me ridiculously happy.

I have to say I'm kinda shocked Sergio made it and Jaden didn't make it.

Edited August 25, 2017 by WrongReasons

[soamused]

I think the boys recognized their silhouettes so knew right away.  There are 3 decent singer, rapping, and 1 hot guy.  I guess it's a reasonable mix.  

Eta:  well, clearly the 5 who performed must have known they were in it - that looked well rehearsed.

Edited August 25, 2017 by soamused

[wonald]

On 7/7/2017 at 9:23 AM, wonald said:

Most of the final band members are kinda obvious. They are 1) Chance, 2) Brady, 3) Michael Conor. The final 2 are a little more up in the air but I think they are Devin (I heard that he has 100K followers on Twitter alone) and Sergio. I think the 3 cute black boys (Cam, Marcus, and Dorian) cancel each other out since it's hard to tell them apart.

 

I wrote this in this thread after the first live show, I think. Almost named it.

[soamused]

Good job with the prediction!

That song was pretty forgettable. Although our teen said it was a typical boy band song and wasn't bad.  I hope the recorded version is more interesting.

Okay, re-listened, and it sounds very 1D-ish.  Maybe it will fly.

Edited August 25, 2017 by soamused

[alrightokay]

I'm on the West Coast but had to spoil myself.  So happy for Drew, sad for Marcus, and surprised by Sergio (Mikey seemed to have more fans online).  But Sergio's a good singer, so that's good for the band, for however long they last.  He's back to wearing capris, though, on the single cover.  (It's such a funny picture--Chance looks like he's flying.)  The song itself is just okay (I've only heard clips of the live performance though)--it's not as catchy as "What Makes You Beautiful," even though the message is similar.  

55 minutes ago, soamused said:

Our kid's classmate (Michael Conor) made it in - guess he definitely won't be coming back for his senior year!

Aww, your kid must be so excited.  He seems like a nice guy.  All of the Top 8 seem pretty grounded and sweet.

[soamused]

Teenagers - she's already moved on.  Second day of school, lots of homework already.  It was fun to root for Conor this summer.  The Boy Band producers finding him was a huge break.

The new Idol is holding auditions - Jaden should try out.  

[yorklee2]

I like the final 5. I got three of the four I liked voted in. Brady, Drew, and Sergio. Wasn't a big fan of Chance and Michael Connor was meh. But I can see now where Michael C. would make a difference in the band since rapping within a song seems to be fairly popular. 

I think you could have substituted Jaden for Chance and had a much better band but I get there always has to be a heart throb whether they can sing good or not. Hope Jaden gets another chance through the exposure he's received.

[soamused]

I liked all of the final 8 - they all seemed earnest, each had a strength to contribute, and they seemed to all be trying hard to form relationships with each other.

So I've listened to the single a few times and it sounds a lot better now - really very 1D-ish.  I'm sure that's by design since 1D is on hiatus and there's a void that badly needs to be filled.  Simon Cowell's 1D replacement boy band, Pretty Much, is full of very good dancers but the boys seem less cute than the 5 in In Real Life.  

Will be interesting to see if Eyes Closed will be pushed for radio play, or if Disney will sneak it into one of their movies - that would be really effective promotion.  

Edited August 25, 2017 by soamused

[Nessie]

Well, I hope those of you who saw the show enjoyed it.  For some reason, I got football instead...Carolina Panthers v/s Jacksonville, and I'm in Virginia!  My guide didn't show football, either.

I'm not pleased...

I'm actually glad to hear Jaden didn't make the band.  He's way too good for it.  I've said from the beginning he should be a solo artist.  Sorry to hear Marcus didn't make it, though.  

[soamused]

The boys' single performance is on youtube in case you are interested.  Jaden was the most distinctive singer in the final 8 - he would be an interesting solo artist.  I think he should audition for Idol.  Hopefully the Idol producers will reach out to him since they have just started auditions.

[waving feather]

Yay! I got the Despacito 5 minus Mikey and adding Brady. It's not bad. I think Jaden's talent is big enough to be a soloist. I'm just happy Drew is in. He's so underrated I was afraid America would overlook him.

[Spencer Hastings]

I'm kind of surprised that Mikey didn't make it since America saved him almost every week.

VERY surprised that neither Jaden or Marcus made it.  I sadly never expected both but figured one black boy would make it.  They probably cancelled each other out. 

[soamused]

Listening to Afterbuzz now and it seems the boys didn't know if they made the band until they were announced.  The silhouettes were cobbled from a different boy band and not from the final 5.  All 8 boys learned the 5 different parts of the performance during rehearsal - they all had to do the rap even - and as each was announced, the producer went over and told the "winning" boy what part he would be singing in the performance.  I'm impressed that the boys held it together until the end without melting down in tears.

Oh, and there's a video coming out next week, so I guess Hollywood/Disney is actually going to push the single.

Edited August 25, 2017 by soamused

[waving feather]

Watched the single performance again and I think America got it right with the boy band members based on the type of music they are going to sing. I don't see Jaden or Marcus fitting in singing bubble gum pop. And it's not a diss oh bubble gum pop because I love it haha. 

I'm so biased but Drew is such a little star in that performance. I hardly noticed Chance in that, tbh. Loved how he was rapping along with Michael Connor. He's a total package.

[soamused]

Drew definitely has the best vocal in the live performance.  I'm listening to the recorded/produced version on youtube now and it's definitely a pop earworm, will fit perfectly on radio if they are willing to play it.

[Lyinfait]

Seeing BSB made me happy (and sad when I saw how little Brian sang). I couldn't understand Sofia Carson, she reminded me of Ariana Grande in that way. I can't understand James Arthur when he sings live either. Maybe it's my aging ears. 

The group is about what I expected. I kept hoping one of those silhouettes would be of Marcus though. I didn't realize how much I wanted him in the group. I'd have switched out Michael Connor for him. Overall, as someone posted previously, any combination of the final 8 would have worked for me. They all have selling points. I do laugh at Michael Connor's rapping "changing the face of boy bands" or whatever such nonsense they were spouting. There was a reason 2gether needed the rapping bad boy in the group. I remember Justin and Chris throwing out some rhymes midsongs. LFO had a guy who rapped too I think? And 5ive! I loved them. They had not one but two rapping members in their boy band. I've been watching their videos all evening. 

In short, thank you boy band for the sweet trip down memory lane. This is has been far more fun than I expected. 

[alrightokay]

4 minutes ago, waving feather said:

I'm so biased but Drew is such a little star in that performance. I hardly noticed Chance in that, tbh. Loved how he was rapping along with Michael Connor. He's a total package.

I'm with you--he's adorable.

35 minutes ago, Spencer Hastings said:

I'm kind of surprised that Mikey didn't make it since America saved him almost every week.

VERY surprised that neither Jaden or Marcus made it.  I sadly never expected both but figured one black boy would make it.  They probably cancelled each other out. 

Yeah, I'm still really surprised that Sergio made it, because he seemed to fade, performance-wise, the last couple of weeks.  He was always good, but more solid than outstanding (I can't even hear Sergio on the recorded single--at least it doesn't sound like him when I compare it to the part he sang during the live show).  And he didn't seem to have the passionate fangirls that Mikey had.  But he did do a big push on social media last week, popping up in many of the other boys' Instagram videos, so maybe that helped put him ahead.

And while I think both Jaden and Marcus will still be able to pursue solo careers, I really wish one of them had made the band.  I know this topic is way too big for this thread, but I've been wondering how big a role race played in the voting.  It's too complicated to get into.  (And maybe I'm just sad because, while he got along with everyone, it seemed like Drew was especially close to Jaden and Marcus, so it's bittersweet that he won't have at least one of his buddies along for this ride.)

1 minute ago, Lyinfait said:

 There was a reason 2gether needed the rapping bad boy in the group.

OMG--2gether was so, so hilarious!  Thanks for reminding me of them! :)

[waving feather]

The recorded version lost some of the energy from the live performance, but still, Drew's recording voice is pretty great. Brady's not bad as well and reminds me of Nick Carter.

[mtlchick]

Post show thoughts: 

This wasn't the greatest show this summer and there wasn't a huge audience for it in the end but for someone who is about to hit 40 *eep* I found myself rooting for them, even the ones I didn't care for.  I wish the young ones luck. (Though I think IRL is a very odd name.) 

To more pressing matters: can Timbaland work with BSB and Rita on a song now?  Then have BSB tour with whatever Spice Girls combo they can get so I can relive being 20? 

[alrightokay]

2 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

To more pressing matters: can Timbaland work with BSB and Rita on a song now?  Then have BSB tour with whatever Spice Girls combo they can get so I can relive being 20? 

That would be so much fun.  Nick impressed me with his performance last night (I had to laugh at the "Am I sexual?" line)--he sounded the best out of the Architects.  Rita did well in her solo number, as well.

4 hours ago, waving feather said:

The recorded version lost some of the energy from the live performance, but still, Drew's recording voice is pretty great. Brady's not bad as well and reminds me of Nick Carter.

The autotune flattened out some of their voices, but they sound pretty good!  I still can't hear Sergio, though!  Does anyone hear him on the single?

[MMLEsq]

12 hours ago, soamused said:

Listening to Afterbuzz now and it seems the boys didn't know if they made the band until they were announced.  ....

I totally believe this.  When the last four were waiting for Rita to announce the final member, Michael Connor had a sour/pissed off look on his face (I guess he was assuming -- incorrectly at that point -- that he hadn't made it).

[HelloPenguin]

I already bought the song. I'm too old to be stanning a boy band, but here we are. 

[wonald]

Conor had a somber expression all night. I noticed that he cant fake it and smile like the other boys when he is uncomfortable. I first noticed this the night he had to sing Despacito.

I finally listened to Afterbuzz. The thing about the Silhouettes were interesting. I mentioned that I recognized that the one all the way to the right was Drew. My first thought upon looking at the left silhouette was that it was Conor but upon second look, I DID thought it might be Mikey, esp considering how popular he seemed to be. I still can't believe that he didnt make it but am ahppy about it.

[yorklee2]

3 hours ago, alrightokay said:

The autotune flattened out some of their voices, but they sound pretty good!  I still can't hear Sergio, though!  Does anyone hear him on the single?

Yes his part was right after Michael C. And to reiterate your point I think the autotune did change their voices considerably. That's why it's hard to single out Sergio and heck even Chance sounded good.

[alrightokay]

6 hours ago, yorklee2 said:

Yes his part was right after Michael C. And to reiterate your point I think the autotune did change their voices considerably. That's why it's hard to single out Sergio and heck even Chance sounded good.

Hmm, the part after Michael C. sounds like Drew to me (?).  And the part Sergio sang in the live show sounds like Brady in the recording.  Maybe Sergio was doing background/harmonies here and will get a bigger part on a later song?

I agree that Chance sounds good on the single--weirdly, his voice sounds the best to me because it's the least autotuned, whereas I can really hear the processing on Drew, Brady, and Michael's parts.  And it's interesting that the live version was longer, with an extra bridge for Chance; I wonder why they didn't include that part in the recording.

Here they are singing the song with Sergio playing the piano; unfortunately the song is chopped up into really short clips, so you have to swipe/click through to hear everything.  Here's Part 2.  They look so happy.

ETA: Another version (full song), this time with Chance on guitar.  They're starting to harmonize!  And I'm glad Brady is softening that part that's been giving him some trouble in his verse.  

Edited August 26, 2017 by alrightokay

[waving feather]

6 hours ago, HelloPenguin said:

I already bought the song. I'm too old to be stanning a boy band, but here we are. 

I am old enough to stan BSB hard back in the day and now I am getting attached to these kids, damn it. But no shame, because I really do think this group of boys are talented and adorable. That goes for all 8 of them. 

The bridge in the recording is definitely Drew but they auto-tuned his voice a little, grrr.

The boys did an Instagram Live and sang Eyes Closed at around 23:50 mark. Nice that they have an acoustic piano and guitar version now.

Edited August 26, 2017 by waving feather

[EyewatchTV211]

20 hours ago, Lyinfait said:

Seeing BSB made me happy (and sad when I saw how little Brian sang). I couldn't understand Sofia Carson, she reminded me of Ariana Grande in that way. I can't understand James Arthur when he sings live either. Maybe it's my aging ears. 

The group is about what I expected. I kept hoping one of those silhouettes would be of Marcus though. I didn't realize how much I wanted him in the group. I'd have switched out Michael Connor for him. Overall, as someone posted previously, any combination of the final 8 would have worked for me. They all have selling points. I do laugh at Michael Connor's rapping "changing the face of boy bands" or whatever such nonsense they were spouting. There was a reason 2gether needed the rapping bad boy in the group. I remember Justin and Chris throwing out some rhymes midsongs. LFO had a guy who rapped too I think? And 5ive! I loved them. They had not one but two rapping members in their boy band. I've been watching their videos all evening. 

In short, thank you boy band for the sweet trip down memory lane. This is has been far more fun than I expected. 

AJ and Kevin actually did a little light rapping in the early days, too - I think it may have been more on their songs released in Europe that were not released here. Like the song "Get Down."

[galaxychaser]

I was in love with Nick when I was young. 

[alrightokay]

14 hours ago, waving feather said:

The boys did an Instagram Live and sang Eyes Closed at around 23:50 mark. Nice that they have an acoustic piano and guitar version now.

Thanks for this--they're really endearing here.  

Lots of fun moments and interesting announcements in that video, but the one I was most fascinated by was the offhand reveal that Drew had tried out for PrettyMuch (I had been wondering about that, because he seems to be friends with one of PM's members who's also from the Bronx).  Nick is now trying to start up a (friendly?) rivalry between the two bands, but I like them both.  (And nothing could be as rabid as BSB vs. *NSYNC.)

In the video, the guys spoke briefly about their "boy band roles," with Brady being the "baby," Michael being the "bad boy," etc.  From how he took charge at certain moments, Chance seems to be more of a "big brother" than a "heartthrob."  But as I was watching them together, they totally reminded me of Friends:

Chance is both the Rachel (the hot one) and the Monica (keeping the group on task/on schedule)

Brady is the Ross (earnestly persnickety and professorial in the Realists vs. Lifelines argument)

Michael Conor is the Chandler (snarky/witty but also self-critical and self-aware; the way he talked about being the last to make the band and wanting to be sensitive to Marcus, Jaden, and Mikey's feelings at that moment was really interesting)

Drew is the Phoebe (joyfully sweet and sometimes seems like he's in his own world)

Sergio is the Joey (seems suave at first but is deep down a likable, easygoing joker)

Will they still be as sweet and affectionate with each other two years from now?  Or will they be jaded, tattoo-covered messes?  I can't imagine Brady with tattoos; then again, I couldn't imagine 1D with them either, when they first started out....

Edited August 26, 2017 by alrightokay

[waving feather]

I also noticed they are really sweet and physically affectionate with each other. I haven't seen this much touching between boys their age. LOL, hope that didn't come out wrong. Michael Conor is definitely the opinionated one of the group. Chance and Drew both appear more laid-back and less excitable, I think it's probably because they are older at 19. Brady is such a chatterbox. He never stops. Hopefully they are able to keep their sweet personalities in the Hollywood land. Doubtful, but I can hope. ;-)

26 minutes ago, alrightokay said:

From how he took charge at certain moments, Chance seems to be more of a "big brother' than a "heartthrob."

Chance is totally the big brother. He is good at paying attention to everyone and keeping everything on track. I see Drew more of a heartthrob type to little girls.

[soamused]

The single is a total bop.  It made top 10 on itunes, which has to have exceeded expectations.  Looks like they are spending real money on it - a real hitmaker of a songwriter, making a video next week ... will be interesting to see if they send it to radio next week as well and if they actually push it.  Radio Disney is playing it, but I don't think that is much of an indicator since Hollywood is also Disney.  Interesting that they will be recording some sort of holiday song as well - may be either a quick cheap way to capitalize, or a clever way to keep the boys visible while they work on an EP.  Assuming they will invest in an EP if the single continues to do well.

The show was a fun summer diversion but now it looks like the band may be fun to follow afterward.  And yes, I bought the song as well.  I've never been into boy bands but I enjoyed 1D so - total shocker to me - I'm enjoying IRL so far.  

[EyewatchTV211]

The bit of talk about the group's diversity that I have seen is interesting. Not so much here, as I know we're trying to avoid too much controversy in this discussion about a fun, light summer show. Obviously, none of the African American contestants made it (which I was upset about, as I preferred both Jaden and Marcus over certain others....), but 3 of their members are Latino/Hispanic if I'm correct. Everyone talks about Sergio as the token one, but aren't Drew and Chance also? Maybe it isn't the best way to judge, but their last names are Ramos and Perez. So just 2 traditionally white/non-Hispanic (as forms say) members in a boyband is a little different, besides past bands that were all from a certain background besides white (Boyz II Men, Menudo). Watching a lot of these singing reality shows, it seems like the biggest lack is actually Asian singers. I've seen a lot of comments about the show The Voice and how the few times they've had Asian contestants, they've been montaged and eventually not chosen. 

Anyway, not trying to stir up controversy or anything.  

Edited August 26, 2017 by VMepicgrl

[waving feather]

I actually think the Architects or producers actually cast a diverse group of guys, and we ended up with the best Top 8, but at the end of the day, it comes down to which boys have (mostly young) fans who will power-vote for them.

[HelloPenguin]

Sergio is of Mexican descent, Drew is of Puerto Rican descent, and I believe (?) Chance is half-Hispanic. Both Sergio and Drew can definitely sing in Spanish. I'm not really sure if Chance might be able to fudge it. Admittedly, I feel sad that Marcus didn't make it (though his performances could be uneven, potential-wise he could have gone far with more work.) It is a diverse band though--Maybe they can make a Spanish version of the original Christmas song they're going to be doing later?

[alrightokay]

1 hour ago, VMepicgrl said:

Obviously, none of the African American contestants made it (which I was upset about, as I preferred both Jaden and Marcus over certain others....), but 3 of their members are Latino/Hispanic if I'm correct. Everyone talks about Sergio as the token one, but aren't Drew and Chance also? Maybe it isn't the best way to judge, but their last names are Ramos and Perez. So just 2 traditionally Caucasian members in a boyband is a little different, besides past bands that were all from a certain background besides white (Boyz II Men, Menudo). Watching a lot of these singing reality shows, it seems like the biggest lack is actually Asian singers. I've seen a lot of comments about the show The Voice and how the few times they've had Asian contestants, they've been montaged and eventually not chosen. 

Anyway, not trying to stir up controversy or anything.  

I tiptoed around this topic above, but I was upset as well about Marcus and Jaden.  I can't really fault the show, though, because the Architects all praised Marcus and Jaden's performances and really rallied for them on solo night, with Nick even saying that Marcus reminded them of Justin Timberlake, Bobby Brown, etc.  My only misgiving is that Marcus had to perform first, which I think threw him off and also made him less memorable as the night went on.  And I'm still not sure why Jaden shaved his head--did he feel pressure from the producers to look a certain way?  But they did give Marcus star turns in both "Jealous" and "Fighter," and Jaden was treated as a vocal standout throughout the competition (the only stumble was on "Since U Been Gone," a song that didn't fit any of the boys, really).  I think the producers did the best they could to ensure that the Top 8 was diverse; it was super important that Devin got eliminated at Top 9--he might have snuck in and taken Drew or Sergio's spot.  It was all up to the voters, and for some reason, Marcus and Jaden just didn't have the passionate fans that the others had.  As you said, there's so much to unpack here, but it might get too unwieldy.  

And yes, I would love to see an Asian American/API finally be a successful mainstream singer.  Harry Shum on Glee might be the closest we've gotten.  The only really prominent female Asian singer I can think of is Lea Salonga--can anyone here think of others?  To be honest, I'm Asian myself, and I think part of why Zayn Malik appealed to me so much in 1D (besides the fact that he's got an amazing voice) was that he's South Asian.  It was great to see an Asian finally be in the spotlight, though I know it's taken a toll on him (he's had to deal with a lot of racism and Islamophobia).  Not to get too off-topic, but one of the reasons I love the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is that the main love interest on the show, Josh, is Asian and he sings and dances.  (And funny enough, in one episode, the protagonist imagines Josh in a boy band where he plays all five members.)  It's been wonderful seeing an Asian on TV not acting out the usual stereotypes.  But tellingly, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has terrible ratings....

It would have been great for IRL to be even more diverse than it already is, because even though it's just a cheesy boy band, it does play a role in showing kids what's "ideal," and it would be awesome to show that people of all races and backgrounds can be seen as desirable.  O-Town came really close, with Erik and Trevor (and almost Ikaika!).  And we'll see how well PrettyMuch does; it's diverse without it being a big deal (though their members were hand-chosen, rather than voted on by the public).  Okay, sorry for the essay; I'll get off my soapbox now!

Edited August 26, 2017 by alrightokay

[EyewatchTV211]

I don't know of any current female Asians who are prominent. You mentioned Glee. At the time, there was Charice Pempengco, who blew me away vocally. But Charice is now Jake Zyrus, so I don't know of any other successful females. 

I was even more saddened by Jaden not making it when I saw the video of him dancing to BSB while they were rehearsing. He was excellent and super enthusiastic - others have said he'd be a great soloist, but it made me wonder if he really did want to be in a boyband specifically. 

[soamused]

The final 5 are essentially the Despacito group with Brady swapped in for Mikey.  There are the t(w)eens voting every week they could, and then the more casual fans who stepped in to vote only at the end.  I would argue that of all the performances, Despacito left the strongest lasting impression for casual voters, and may have set some preferences early on.  I thought Marcus would make it in - I didn't expect that 3 Latino/Hispanic boys would - but maybe Despacito made enough of a difference.

I agree that the show did all it could to cast a diverse (except for Asian!) cast, and to promote both Marcus and Jaden.  

Edited August 26, 2017 by soamused

[alrightokay]

47 minutes ago, soamused said:

The final 5 are essentially the Despacito group with Brady swapped in for Mikey.  There are the t(w)eens voting every week they could, and then the more casual fans who stepped in to vote only at the end.  I would argue that of all the performances, Despacito left the strongest lasting impression for casual voters, and may have set some preferences early on.  I thought Marcus would make it in - I didn't expect that 3 Latino/Hispanic boys would - but maybe Despacito made enough of a difference.

I agree that the show did all it could to cast a diverse (except for Asian!) cast, and to promote both Marcus and Jaden.  

Great point--that song has been on the radio all summer (and is still going strong); the boys in that group definitely benefited from that association.

And I finally thought of another (somewhat) mainstream Asian American female singer--Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls is Filipina/Hawaiian.

[Lyinfait]

1 hour ago, soamused said:

The final 5 are essentially the Despacito group with Brady swapped in for Mikey.  There are the t(w)eens voting every week they could, and then the more casual fans who stepped in to vote only at the end.  I would argue that of all the performances, Despacito left the strongest lasting impression for casual voters, and may have set some preferences early on.  I thought Marcus would make it in - I didn't expect that 3 Latino/Hispanic boys would - but maybe Despacito made enough of a difference.

I agree that the show did all it could to cast a diverse (except for Asian!) cast, and to promote both Marcus and Jaden.  

I agree that the Despacito performance left one of the strongest impressions--I saw a clip of that performance and decided to check the show out after all. I rewatched it after the band was announced and felt pretty good about the winners. I felt that I finally got a glimpse of them performing together as I saw the beginning performance  (minus Brady) and then the final one. 

2 hours ago, alrightokay said:

I tiptoed around this topic above, but I was upset as well about Marcus and Jaden.  I can't really fault the show, though, because the Architects all praised Marcus and Jaden's performances and really rallied for them on solo night, with Nick even saying that Marcus reminded them of Justin Timberlake, Bobby Brown, etc.  My only misgiving is that Marcus had to perform first, which I think threw him off and also made him less memorable as the night went on.  And I'm still not sure why Jaden shaved his head--did he feel pressure from the producers to look a certain way?  But they did give Marcus star turns in both "Jealous" and "Fighter," and Jaden was treated as a vocal standout throughout the competition (the only stumble was on "Since U Been Gone," a song that didn't fit any of the boys, really).  I think the producers did the best they could to ensure that the Top 8 was diverse; it was super important that Devin got eliminated at Top 9--he might have snuck in and taken Drew or Sergio's spot.  It was all up to the voters, and for some reason, Marcus and Jaden just didn't have the passionate fans that the others had.  As you said, there's so much to unpack here, but it might get too unwieldy.  

And yes, I would love to see an Asian American/API finally be a successful mainstream singer.  Harry Shum on Glee might be the closest we've gotten.  The only really prominent female Asian singer I can think of is Lea Salonga--can anyone here think of others?  To be honest, I'm Asian myself, and I think part of why Zayn Malik appealed to me so much in 1D (besides the fact that he's got an amazing voice) was that he's South Asian.  It was great to see an Asian finally be in the spotlight, though I know it's taken a toll on him (he's had to deal with a lot of racism and Islamophobia).  Not to get too off-topic, but one of the reasons I love the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is that the main love interest on the show, Josh, is Asian and he sings and dances.  (And funny enough, in one episode, the protagonist imagines Josh in a boy band where he plays all five members.)  It's been wonderful seeing an Asian on TV not acting out the usual stereotypes.  But tellingly, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has terrible ratings....

It would have been great for IRL to be even more diverse than it already is, because even though it's just a cheesy boy band, it does play a role in showing kids what's "ideal," and it would be awesome to show that people of all races and backgrounds can be seen as desirable.  O-Town came really close, with Erik and Trevor (and almost Ikaika!).  And we'll see how well PrettyMuch does; it's diverse without it being a big deal (though their members were hand-chosen, rather than voted on by the public).  Okay, sorry for the essay; I'll get off my soapbox now!

Great post! The discussion of race and diversity is a good one. I appreciate all of the above posters' comments and ability to articulate their views better than I can. I am a bit disappointed that neither Marcus nor Jaden made it but I'm happy to see that there was diversity both in contestants and the final group. I'll leave it there. Except to add that I agree that O-town (and their female equivalent Popstars Eden's Crush) did well with diversity in the group. Maybe that's a function of choosing a band on reality tv?

[adhoc]

Re: Asian singers

Didn't Tessanne Chin win The Voice in her season? Also, Judith Hill was a strong competitor, though she did not win. 

I personally would love to see the demographic makeup of voters for Boy Band.  Specifically, age, gender, ethnicity/race/whatever we are calling it these days (African-American, caucasian, Asian, etc.), and part of the country. I'd like to see this not just for the final voting, but for the preliminary voting (which I guess excludes folks on the west coast) as well.  

[EyewatchTV211]

9 minutes ago, adhoc said:

Re: Asian singers

Didn't Tessanne Chin win The Voice in her season? Also, Judith Hill was a strong competitor, though she did not win. 

I personally would love to see the demographic makeup of voters for Boy Band.  Specifically, age, gender, ethnicity/race/whatever we are calling it these days (African-American, caucasian, Asian, etc.), and part of the country. I'd like to see this not just for the final voting, but for the preliminary voting (which I guess excludes folks on the west coast) as well.  

I forgot about them, though interestingly they are both of mixed heritage, not fully Asian (with all the DNA stuff now, I guess we really all are). Did any Asians make it far on Idol? I didn't watch that show. I do remember that one guy who was famous for being so terrible.

I'd also be curious to know the demographic of just the viewers, which may be slightly different from the voters. I watched but didn't vote.

[kitten59]

Arnel Pineda is from the Philippines and he's the singer of Journey. When Steve Perry parted ways with Journey, they looked long and hard for a new lead singer and they found Arnel on Youtube. He was plucked from obscurity and his life changed forever. There's a good documentary about his "journey" called "Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey".

[EyewatchTV211]

I just watched the live performance again. Jaden was such a good sport, and probably these guys are all truly friends with each other as well, which helps! He was so into the song on the side and was cheering so hard for them at the end. 

And Sergio got to wear full length pants!

[bluwater]

3 hours ago, VMepicgrl said:

Did any Asians make it far on Idol? I didn't watch that show. I do remember that one guy who was famous for being so terrible.

 

Heejun Han (9th place)

Jessica Sanchez (half Asian/half Hispanic?) (Runner-up)

William Hung (LOL. I know he wasn't a contestant, but he was a HUGE deal back in the day.....for some reason)

Jasmine Trias (3rd place)

John Park (semi-finalist)

Ramiele Malubay (9th place)

Camile Velasco (9th place)

[waving feather]

8 hours ago, soamused said:

I would argue that of all the performances, Despacito left the strongest lasting impression for casual voters, and may have set some preferences early on.

After watching the whole season, my favorite boy band performance is still Despacito, so they did something right there and that was also the performance that got me into the show. There was such a sense of cohesiveness that worked really well, vocally and stage presence. No one was underperforming or outshining the others. I would have taken Mikey over Brady.

I adored Marcus and Jaden, so it hurt to see them not chosen but they are such strong singers and performers, they don't really need a band. I still hope Jaden tries out for The Voice next season. I can see him turning chairs. Marcus is a little star and the Architects really wanted him in the band but he's not enough of a teen fodder compared to the others. Overall, the final results is acceptable because I think all 8 are good enough in their own ways. 

[soamused]

Filed under "It's a small world":  our kid's friend is in the same dorm as Gavin Becker at Vanderbilt, where they are both freshmen.

Gavin was the kid who came in to the show with a substantial online presence and performance/recording experience.  I was a little surprised the architects got rid of him so early - he wasn't particularly interesting, but he wasn't outright bad - but then I realized that they probably didn't want to run the risk of letting voters decide to keep him since he already had more of a following than most of the other boys.

[Nessie]

Ok, I've now had a chance to watch the rather underwhelming (for me) finale.  Who is this Sophia Carson chick?  Is she a thing?  She needs to learn to open her mouth when she sings, because I couldn't understand a word.  The other guy was a little better, but not much.  I guess that's the style these days.  BSB and BBD were fun, and I even enjoyed Rita's song.  I missed most of the opening number.  

I'm mostly ok with the results but I'm still sad Marcus didn't make it, and I would have put him in over Brady (because the mom in me is very worried about what the music business will do to him) or Sergio (just because he's the least memorable to me).

Now that it's over, I went back and looked at my original prediction.  Chase, Devin,  Jaden, Drew, and Michael Conor or Brady.  So I got 3 out of the 5 right.  And I still think Devin would have made it if he hadn't exploded in a shower of arrogant glitter.

[soamused]

15 minutes ago, Nessie said:

Ok, I've now had a chance to watch the rather underwhelming (for me) finale.  Who is this Sophia Carson chick?  Is she a thing?  She needs to learn to open her mouth when she sings, because I couldn't understand a word.  The other guy was a little better, but not much.  I guess that's the style these days.  BSB and BBD were fun, and I even enjoyed Rita's song.  I missed most of the opening number.  

I'm mostly ok with the results but I'm still sad Marcus didn't make it, and I would have put him in over Brady (because the mom in me is very worried about what the music business will do to him) or Sergio (just because he's the least memorable to me).

Now that it's over, I went back and looked at my original prediction.  Chase, Devin,  Jaden, Drew, and Michael Conor or Brady.  So I got 3 out of the 5 right.  And I still think Devin would have made it if he hadn't exploded in a shower of arrogant glitter.

I think Sophia Carson is a new Hollywood artist and needed the promotion.  My understanding is that if you look like that, it matters not how you sound.

I'm not worried about Brady.  Apparently he comes from a show biz family - both of his older siblings are actors, and he is as well, having appeared in several TV shows, had a recurring role in an ABC show called Fresh Off the Boat, and he has a movie coming out next year.

Devin "exploded in a shower of arrogant glitter" is a perfect, and perfectly appropriate, turn of phrase!

[alrightokay]

Aww, look at the boys giving their best "Blue Steel" looks on the MTV VMAs red carpet.

ETA:

PrettyMuch is there, too.  I know IRL was literally put together three days ago, so they're still figuring out their "vibe" and how to do media events, but just comparing how the two groups look in these links, PM just seems more fun.  I wasn't a fan of the styling on Boy Band and now it looks like IRL is using the same stylists--everything is just so monochrome (and somewhat somber).  I know they want to distinguish themselves from PM's sporty/b-boy look, but more color and more playfulness would be nice!

Edited August 28, 2017 by alrightokay

[Nessie]

Thanks @soamused.  That gasp you might have heard was me when you said Brady was on Fresh off the Boat.  As a loyal viewer of that show, I'm surprised I didn't recognize him, which sent me to IMDB.  Yep, he was one of Eddie's friends in season 2, and once I found a pic, I remembered him.  That makes me feel better about him being in the band, knowing he has experience in showbiz.

And you are correct that it is an unfortunate fact that talent needed is in inverse proportion to attractiveness, for both males and females.