Backstreet Boys have blitzed the charts and concert box office — but are they biggest boy band?
Fan armies go to war every day in defence of their boy band heroes as they compare the Backstreet Boys, One Direction, BTS and New Kids On The Block. VOTE, HAVE YOUR SAY
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Whether naturally formed or man made, the boy band remains one of the most intriguing and lucrative franchises of the pop music business.
From the early incarnations of Motown vocal groups, most notably the family band phenomenon of The Jackson 5, through to the manufactured 80s and 90s groups such as New Kids On The Block and Backstreet Boys and the more recent phenomenon of the television talent quest formation of One Direction, the boy band has wielded pop culture clout and generated hundreds of millions of dollars for record labels and tour promoters.
The latest incarnation to command the global cultural zeitgeist is BTS, just one of dozens of
groups spun out by South Korea’s pop factories.
Determining who is the greatest boy band of the modern era is a fraught exercise because measuring success in the streaming era is a very different equation to the vinyl charts of the 1960s or the golden CD sales years of the 80s and 90s.
The advent of social media and streaming helped propel One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer to huge heights both on the charts and at the concert box office.
One now “man band” remains arguably the biggest of all time when considering both sales of albums and tickets.
And the Backstreet Boys’ claim to the title is further underpinned by the measure which remains elusive for the bands whose popularity is also reflected by the volume of screams which greet them wherever they go.
That measure is longevity. With the exception of a two-year hiatus from 2002, Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell and Howie Dorough are now in their 26th year.
And far from trading on nostalgia, their current world tour is in celebration of their ninth studio album DNA which debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard charts in January.
Their power at the box office also remains undiminished.
The Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life residency in Las Vegas was the fastest selling concert series for the casino mecca which has become a hub for megastars not fond of hitting the road for 18 months.
It spun out to 80 shows and finished in April ahead of the band setting off on their DNA World tour which arrives in Australia in May next year.
McLean said hitting No. 1 again with DNA, 19 years after their previous chart-topping record Black and Blue, was a “mind f …”.
“What we always really wanted was a career with longevity; we never wanted to be a flash in the pan,” he said.
“But how is this possible for a group like us? Yes, there are boy bands still out there but we are one of the few who have stayed the course through 26 years.
“We owe that to the fans and I think to being able to still put out great music and be passionate about what we do.”
The multi-generational appeal of the band is at the heart of explaining why they have stayed at the top of the pop game even as groups such as One Direction struggled to continue beyond the typical five-year shelf life.
Mums who fell in love to I Want It That Way two decades ago have shared their fandom with their daughters who would have streamed their latest hit single Don’t Go Breaking My Heart when it was released in May last year.
McLean said he look out into the audience at a recent show in Kentucky and saw a sign held by proclaiming “four generations of BSB fans”.
“We have always prided ourselves on making music for music lovers,” McLean said.
“I think that has given us a diehard, core fanbase who have taken a chance on a group like us. They’ve come along for the ride for 26 years and that doesn’t happen to groups like us.”
The DNA World tour kicks off in Australia on Brisbane Entertainment Centre on May 20 followed by Qudos Bank Arena on May 22 and 23, Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on May 26 and 27 and RAC Arena in Perth on May 30.
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WHO ARE THE GREATEST BOY BANDS OF ALL TIME
BACKSTREET BOYS
Signature hit: Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)
Album sales: 130 million
Social status: 2.2 million Instagram
Stream dreams: 13,752,937 monthly Spotify listeners
Cred factor: Latest single Let It Be Me features celeb DJ Steve Aoki
Box office: DNA World tour, 96 concerts
Solo star: Nick Carter has the biggest profile outside of the group but not always for his solo efforts. Carter was trending worldwide last month courtesy of his ongoing drama with younger brother Aaron.
THE JACKSON FIVE
Signature hit: I Want You Back
Album sales: 100 million
Social status: 191,000 Insta
Stream dreams: 6,276,207 monthly Spotify listeners
Cred factor: Janet
Box office: 30 concerts in 2019 including January tour of Australia
Solo star: Michael.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Signature hit: You Got It (The Right Stuff)
Album sales: 80 million
Social status: 493,000 Insta
Stream dreams: 1,315,373 monthly Spotify listeners
Cred factor: Donnie Wahlberg’s acting career
Box office: 55 shows in US for the 2019 Mixtape tour
Solo star: Jordan Knight reached solo career peak two decades ago with a gold self-titled debut record.
BOYZ II MEN
Signature hit: End Of The Road
Album sales: 60 million
Social status: 311,000 Insta
Stream dreams: 4,087,678 monthly Spotify listeners
Cred factor: Pioneers of harmony over hip hop beats.
Box office: More than 162 shows in 2018/19
Solo star: Shawn Stockman contributed vocals to the title track on Foo Fighters’ 2017 album Concrete and Gold.
NSYNC
Signature hit: Bye Bye Bye
Album sales: 50 million
Social status: 241,000 Insta
Stream dreams: 6,550,333 monthly Spotify listeners
Cred factor: All members except Justin Timberlake reunited to perform with Ariana Grande during her Coachella set this year.
Box office: Everyone is waiting on a reunion tour.
Solo star: Justin Timberlake.
ONE DIRECTION
Signature hit: What Makes You Beautiful.
Album sales: 50 million
Social status: 17 million Insta
Stream dreams: 14,940,256 monthly Spotify listeners
Cred factor: Ed Sheeran cowrites
Box office: Waiting on that reunion tour
Solo star: Harry Styles
TAKE THAT
Signature hit: Back For Good.
Album sales: 45 million
Social status: 305,000 Insta
Stream dreams: 3,248,136 monthly Spotify listeners
Cred factor: Relight My Fire with Lulu
Box office: 53 concerts on the Greatest Hits Live tour
Solo star: Robbie Williams
BTS
Signature hit: MIC Drop
Album sales: 15 million
Social status: 20.5 million Insta
Stream dreams: 11,171,564 monthly Spotify listeners
Cred factor: Boy With Luv feat. Halsey
Box office: 62 shows on the Love Yourself world tour
Solo star: They’ve all got solo deals but no one has left the band yet.