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Encyclopedia > Boy bands

A boy band (American English) or boyband (British English) is a style of somewhat to mostly prefabricated pop group featuring about between three and six young male singer/dancers, but normally five. Often, they evolve out of church choral groups, or are put together by managers or producers who audition the groups for appearance, dancing, and singing ability. They are similar in concept to Girl groups. Though the term is mostly associated with the late 90s, antecedents exist throughout the history of pop music. The Temptations, popular in the 1960s, may be considered a boy band, while The Monkees certainly were prefabricated, and Latin boy band Menudo was founded in 1977.


Equally important to the group's commercial success is the group's image, carefully controlled by managing all aspects of the group's dress, promotional materials (which are supplied to teen magazines), and video clips, the most famous boy band manager being Lou Pearlman. Typically, each member of the group will have some distinguishing feature and be portrayed as having a particular personality stereotype - such as "the baby", "the bad boy", "the nice boy" - whilst managing the portrayal of popular musicians is as old as popular music, the particular pigeonholing of boy band members is a defining characteristic of boy and girl bands.


In most cases, their music is written, arranged, and produced by a producer who works with the band at all times and controls the group's sound - if necessary, to the point of hiring session singers to record guide vocals for each member of the group to sing individually (if the members can not harmonize together well). A typical boy band performance features elaborately choreographed dancing, with the members taking turns singing (or, sometimes, lip-syncing, though Pearlman insists none of his bands do) to pre-recorded music. More often than not, boy bands are disallowed from composing or producing their own material, unless the members lobby hard enough for creative control (e.g. The Monkees and *NSYNC).


Though some fans consider the music to be in some cases brilliant, the commercial success of specific boy bands does not tend to last long. As the fans (mostly preteen girls) of boy bands age, their musical tastes evolve and they seek something different. If success is sustained, often one or more members of the band will leave and seek a solo career (particularly if they have some songwriting ability), though few manage sustained solo success. (Exceptions: Michael Nesmith, Michael Jackson, Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake.)


Famous boy bands


  Results from FactBites:
 
boy band (623 words)
They are, in fact, a band, and they are in fact comprised of three boys, but this is not a boy band in the typical sense of the word "boy band." Ok, without the coreography, and the highlights in the hair, you might be thinking.
This band of boys won't disappoint in the photo department.
Conclusion: Typhoon Ferri is not a boy band.
Boy band (1534 words)
Boy bands tend to be heavily criticized by certain musical press for appealing only to pubescent female teenagers and for emphasizing marketing and packaging over quality of music.
Some critics compare boy band output to the "machine-generated" popular music found in George Orwell's novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, noting that much of their music (as well as the bands' compositions) is extremely formulaic.
However, even though these bands may play their own instruments and sight such bands as Green Day as an influence, there has been accusations that some of these bands are just as manufactured as those tagged as 'boybands'.
  More results at FactBites »


 
 

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