 In our last video, we tried to compare and contrast the world's most famous boy bands, and some of you had some very strong opinions. As some of you have pointed out, there were things we chose not to include in the video, because unfortunately, if we included everything we could have talked about, it would have easily been an hour or longer. It wasn't supposed to be exhaustive, and neither is this video. This is simply an overview of its history. Now boy bands love them or hate them, they've been around for quite a while Although the term can be loosely applied to any all-male vocal group such as the Buffalo Bills, or the Inkspots, they aren't the first boy bands in the traditional sense. That distinction is reserved for the Beatles. At the time, the term boy band didn't exist, and it wouldn't until around the 80s. However, as Hollywood reporter put it, the Liverpool quartet known as the Beatles were not only the quintessential rock band, but many consider John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr to be the original boy band, especially in the early 1960s, when young girls would scream at the top of their lungs and pass out upon first sight of the Fab Four. And as the Telegraph put it, mass stage invasions, faintings, and hospitalizations, the Beatles were the first boy band before anyone had thought of the term. But before we go any further, a question worth asking is, what exactly is a boy band? Wikipedia lists several key factors that make a boy band a boy band. Number one is they make pop music, of course. Number two, every aspect of the group's image is meticulously controlled and typically catered to teens. Number three, they have to keep up with the latest fashion and music trends. Number four, each member needs a distinguishing feature or personality stereotype, such as the baby, the shy one, or the bad boy. Number five, their music is written, arranged, and produced by a producer who works with the band at all times and controls the group's sound. Number six, they have elaborately choreographed dancing. And number seven, every member sings. No one should dominate the stage more than anyone else. But wait a second, one direction doesn't really have choreographed dancing, but we definitely consider them to be a boy band. And when it comes to other groups such as BTS and definitely the Beatles, they do write some of their own music. And here's something that's also brought up a lot. What about playing their own instruments? Some people say that the Beatles shouldn't count as a boy band because they play their own instruments. Well, the Jackson Fives certainly did, and so did the Jonas Brothers. So it seems like that's a non-factor. The thing that's difficult about trying to quantify boy bands is that most groups don't fulfill all the criteria. In an article by Billboard, they state that the Beatles aren't interesting boy band debate, because either they're the furthest thing from a boy band, or they're the most important boy band there's ever been. I don't know if there's much room for an in-between interpretation. And while it's true, they set the bar that every successful boy band today hopes to reach. Crowds of screaming fans, sold-out concerts, the perfect hair, the matching outfits, the charming personalities, the romantic songs, the fangirls, the dashingly good looks. They were known for these physical qualities just as much as they were known for their vocal talent. And I don't think it's wrong to say that the Beatles were the very first boy band, especially given how much the Beatles have influenced modern-day boy bands, and the constant comparisons that are made to the Beatles, whether it's the Monkeys, One Direction, and even BTS. It's fine if you disagree, because the very idea of boy bands has definitely evolved over time. Though the Beatles slowly departed from their typical pop music formula, they absolutely dominated the music scene from the 60s to their eventual break-up in 1970. The Monkeys were a group formed in 1966 that was actually conceived for profit, and the actual band members were chosen from a group of 437 candidates. I'm sure this doesn't sound too different from how some boy bands are created today. Trainee auditions. Believe it or not, in big-time Rush fashion, they started as a TV show whose premise was, as described by band member Mickey Dolan's, about an imaginary band that wanted to be the Beatles that was never successful. They eventually outgrew their TV show, cancelling in 1968, and ironically became one of the most successful boy bands ever. And they're still active today. I'll call the 70s the Silver Age of boy bands. The 70s saw the Osmonds and the Jackson 5. Now the Osmonds started in 1970 with Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay, and later joined by Jimmy, and of course, Donnie. Funny enough, they got their big start after a Disney executive heard their singing and hired them to perform on television. And big surprise, they aren't the only boy band that got their start with Disney. Jackson 5 formed in 1965 as one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, and they're especially notable in that they incorporated dance moves into their performances, something that has become a staple in modern day boy bands. They're also notable for being the first non-white boy band on this list. It seems as though the 70s were a popular time for family bands. In addition to the Osmonds and the Jackson 5, the 70s also saw the Bee Gees, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, and others. But none of them were boy bands, but there's a notable one that will come later. Now there are several important groups that became big in the 80s. The first notable group was New Edition, formed in 1978, who were first discovered by producer Maurice Starr at a local Hollywood talent show. Starr helped them record their first album, Candy Girl, which quickly rose to the top of the charts in both the US and the UK, but they quickly separated due to financial disagreements. However, they were more of an R&B group than a boy band. Starr decided to try his winning formula once more. It was 1985, and they were the model boy band. They were the first big successful boy band of the modern era. They paved the way for the boy bands of the 90s and the early 2000s. Starr asked his talent agent to find a bunch of, quote-unquote, white boys who could rap, sing, and dance, a tried and true formula to this day, and thus, new kids on the block was born. And Marky Mark, aka Mark Wahlberg, was a former member. Lastly, there was a group that was living proof that the boy band formula could find success even outside of the UK and the US. Menudo started in 1977 in Puerto Rico and became the first world famous boy band to be non-white and non-English speaking, performing in Spanish. They were very young. Even when compared to boy band standards, the youngest being only 9 years old when they first started, former group of the one and only Ricky Martin. The 90s is the golden age of boy bands. There's too many notable examples here to even go into depth for each of them. Boys to Men is an all black boy band that once again proved that the boy band market is not exclusive to anyone race. And they still find their way onto everyone's playlist when Mother's Day comes around. There was 98 degrees with I Do Cherish You. There was 5, O Town, Together, Dream Street, LFO with Summer Girls. Savage Garden And of course, Backstreet Boys. Now these guys weren't groundbreaking in any way, they just did everything better than those who came before them. We've already talked about Backstreet Boys in our last video, but it's hard to ignore their absolute dominance in the 90s. And of course, there's N-Sync. Of all the members of N-Sync, Justin Timberlake was really the one who was able to continue his career in music. But then again, Lance Bass ended up becoming Sephiroth in Kingdom Hearts. So who was really more successful? You decide. The 2000s. There were small groups trying to keep the boy band dream alive, but for the most part, boy bands were kept off the airwaves. After the huge 90s wave and incessant screaming of teenage girls, we thought the world was done with boy bands for good. That was until the 2010s, which I would call the renaissance of boy bands. We saw family bands make a big comeback, as the boy band revival was spearheaded by the Jonas Brothers, who formed in 2005 being another big boy band formed by Disney. Big Time Rush, in a similar move to How the Monkees Got Their Start, debuted with their own TV show in 2009 before becoming a full-fledged band. The Wanted also got its start the same year. I'm glad you came home. Though it's debatable whether or not 5 seconds of summer formed in 2011 was in fact a boy band, and I've seen it go both ways, they're definitely worth a mention. Last but not least, we have One Direction, formed in 2010, who was really the backbone of the whole era. We've already talked about One Direction in our previous video, but I can't say enough how much One Direction really embodied the archetypal boy band. And then we get to the modern age of boy bands, the end of the 2010s and the year 2020. J-pop boy band Arashi made waves recently, when they, according to IFPI, beat out Taylor Swift for the best-selling album of 2019, with their album 5x20, all the best 1999-2019. And while I could talk at length about J-pop, it's clear that the real worldwide phenomenon is K-pop, and the fact that while modern day K-pop got its start with Seyo Taiji and the boys in 1992, it was the Hallyu or the Korean wave that brought it to the forefront of modern popularity. Trailblazers such as TVXQ, SHINee, Beast and Super Junior paved the way for the success that K-pop boy bands enjoy today, and of course, the kings of K-pop, Big Bang. They were really the first boy band to carry that K-pop fever beyond the shores of Korea. This was evident by their 2015 Made World Tour, which spanned 15 countries through 66 shows. Until this day, the biggest K-pop world tour and US tour ever. Today, we have a variety of K-pop boy groups who are known around the globe, including NCT 127, MONSTA X, Stray Kids, EXO and a few others that I'm sure we'll get angry comments about because we didn't include them. They are all amazing groups and their own right, but of course, there's none that can rival the success of BTS. And we could go through all this again, but if you've watched the first part of this video and every other video we've made on BTS, you already know how much critical acclaim and financial success BTS has had. They didn't lead the charge to make K-pop the absolute powerhouse it is today, but they are without a doubt the most popular group, not only in K-pop, but the entire music industry today. It seems like K-pop, and to a lesser extent J-pop, has dominated the boy band industry. While Western boy bands have seemingly fallen to the white side, the question is, why? As I was doing research for this video, I found several reasons as to why the typical classic boy band isn't popular anymore. And there are several exceptions, of course. One of the biggest reasons I've seen is that the subjects of their songs are pretty shallow, usually classic bubblegum pop with no real substance. And when the subject of their songs are no deeper than surface level, the appeal kind of wears off once you become 30 or so. So they have a limited shelf life. I mean, who wants to see these guys perform anymore? And if that isn't enough, a lot of boy bands simply just fall apart because they don't want to be in a boy band together anymore. Each group will have their own Michael Jackson or Zayn Malik who will be the first one to leave the group and pursue a solo project. And that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Even the Beatles weren't immune as Paul McCartney wished the part with the group to pursue his own career. Oftentimes, it's just a simple case of not being talented enough. Whether it comes to singing, dancing, or songwriting, a lot of boy bands don't write their own music and they aren't talented enough to the point where the hype around them alone is enough. And of course, popular music genres and styles change over time. An artist can't be too over-reliant on a single style. But for the final point, and here's where the South Korean music industry comes into play. Compared to South Korea, as an artist, it's easy to make a name for yourself independently in Western countries. I mean, Adele got her start on MySpace, Justin Bieber got his start on YouTube, Sean Mendes got his start on Vine of all places. And add that to the fact that you can end up signed to a dozen different record labels. Each of those labels also specialize in a unique sound or genre and sometimes when the artists get big enough, they even form their own record label. Perhaps this would be the fact that for better or for worse, the Korean music industry is controlled by a small number of companies. There's a reason why it's called the Big Three. Basically the three biggest entertainment agencies in K-pop control everything. SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment. And it's basically up to those Big Three to determine what is popular and what is not. And when we talk about the South Korean music industry, we can't fail to mention Korea's idol training system. This system can be traced back to that of the US and the UK where talent is scouted, they train, and they're put in a group where they fit best. But that's cranked up to 11. It's a well-oiled machine. Some prospective idols do rigorous and meticulous training for years before they even debut. But when they do, they are some of the most talented, polished, flawless artists in the music industry. In fact, G-Dragon of Big Bang trained for 11 years before debuting. And the simple fact is, Koreans put this system in place better than everyone else. Now, these are reasons why K-pop boy bands are bigger and more active today when compared to Western boy bands. But this begs the question, why is BTS in particular so popular? I mean, they broke the Beatles record topping the Billboard list with three number one albums in less than a year. They become bigger than pretty much any other boy band in recent years. Perhaps the biggest reason is because they simply broke the mold. What's even more extraordinary is that the boy band industry has been historically dominated by white, English-speaking boy bands. BTS's success can be attributed to nothing less than their talent, hard work, and a bit of a one-in-a-million miracle. They did it through their own blood, sweat, and tears, so to speak. They are so hardworking, and it definitely shows. Remember that whole list I talked about of why boy bands fail? BTS has done the exact opposite of that. In contrast to other boy bands who sing about romantic relationships with girls and what some people would call predictable bubblegum pop tunes, according to an article by vulture.com, they are continuously pushing the envelope and changing their styles. In the same article, they describe the style as much less a successor of the Backstreet Boys and more of the successors of Michael Jackson, whose choreography and charisma were unprecedented. While of course there's a lot of love for the angelic vocals of BTS, rap has also played a very important part in creating their own style. In stark contrast to the typical boy band where every member sings, it's so refreshing when you're in the middle of a song and you hear RM's raw rapping skills. J-Hope's energy or Suga's soul put into every single line. Interestingly enough, at the first glance it seems as though the success of BTS was miraculous, despite not being part of the Big Three. But it can also be argued that their success was because of their separation from the Big Three. Their label, Big Hit Entertainment, has a founder that emphasizes artistic freedom over everything else. It's not often that a K-pop group does something special with each of their songs and albums, utilizing strong storytelling that can go beyond simply the song itself, but rather interconnected with other songs and even other albums to create one large overarching story. The strongest examples of which are Luna and BTS themselves. They also write their own music and let their style evolve over time. BTS during their debut was such a far cry from Wings era BTS and current day BTS. They also choose to tackle more adult issues instead of simply love and girls, while they definitely don't have a shortage of those, they also cover very important issues such as mental health, regret following your dreams, hard work, self-love and others. Add that to the fact that as fans we can feel the authenticity of the members themselves. In this fast-paced world where things change at unthinkable speeds, BTS has stayed grounded and faithful to who they were and who they are. Those kids we saw in American Hustle Life along with their dreams and passions are the same that stand before us today. And while some artists like to keep their personal life private, BTS giving us a look at their personal life through their vlogs allows us to be more connected with them than anyone else before. What is truly amazing is that they're doing all of this while singing in their native tongue, Korean. Their music holds so much power that it literally breaks through the barriers of language itself. John Cena said it best. Boy bands have evolved a ton since their conception, and with a new generation of boy bands being created every few years, it doesn't look like they'll be stopping anytime soon. But they won't be here forever. Let us reminisce boy bands past, enjoy the boy bands we have today, look forward to the future, and remember to let it be and love yourself.