•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

Back in the ’90s, it seemed like music producers followed the same simple philosophy to ensure success: they threw together four or five boys with different looks and characters who could shake their booties and sing a little, provided them with catchy-kitschy tunes, shot some corny music videos and bam, a new boy band was born. More often than not, these bands quickly gained a mass following, mostly consisting of screaming, hysterical teenage girls.

New Kids on the Block, Take That, Backstreet Boys, Westlife, ‘N Sync, Blue — the list of boy bands that topped the charts during that period is long.

Many of the groups enjoyed superstardom before fading away over the years.

In some cases, however, the bands broke up because one of the members wanted to pursue a solo career, most prominently Robbie Williams of Take That and Justin Timberlake of ‘N Sync.

Last Friday, when I opened my Twitter, many girls in my timeline (and some guys) were psyched that Williams is apparently back for good — he has rejoined his former Take That bandmates, and the group has already recorded a new album that is set for release later this year.

I still remember when Take That announced that they would part ways with Williams in 1996. In Germany, the hysteria following this breaking news reached unprecedented levels.

Emergency hot lines were even set up for desperate fans who had suicidal thoughts.

I never really liked Robbie Williams, though I did listen to some of Take That’s songs.

I was more of a New Kids on the Block fan in my younger years, then took a minor liking to the music of the Backstreet Boys and much later, when I was actually already way past the age of being a boy band-listener, I was very excited about Blue — well, more about Simon Webbe than the band itself, to be honest.

But I can’t remember being devastated about the bands’ breakups, and more than that, I have always hated the idea of them having reunions and trying to recapture some of their former stardom.

The Backstreet Boys disappeared from the music scene for three years before releasing a new album in 2005, while the New Kids tried a comeback in 2008, after a 14-year hiatus.

And now we can add Take That, already back together without Williams since late 2005, and now with its five original members in the lineup, to the list of reunited boy bands.

It feels different to see a boy band rejoining forces than, let’s say, a rock band because there is something absolutely ridiculous about it.

Starting with the name: The Backstreet Boys, most of them already in their 30s, hardly qualify as boys anymore, and the same goes for the New Kids.

Also, it is somewhat painful to see the bands trying to reinvent themselves in order to get a new image: older, wiser, more mature.

But it never seems to work out because once you start off as a boy band, the label just sticks. Boy band and grown-up men don’t really mix.

In May 2006, I attended a Backstreet Boys concert in Berlin. I was 26 at the time, and went to see the show with a 17-year-old girl whom I used to babysit when she was still a kid.

I watched the spectacle with interest and sarcasm: I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the aging stars trying to get the crowd going with some stiff dance moves and songs that reminded me of my high school days.

My friend, however, was pretty excited, and at some point in the concert said: “I know this sounds stupid, but that’s Nick over there. Nick Carter, my first love.”

At that moment, I was very happy that my first love, in terms of music, was Lenny Kravitz — it sounds way less embarrassing.

The experience left me wondering why boy bands feel the urge to get back together and make more music.

Is it because they can’t handle the fact that they were once big stars and have now been reduced to the level of us normal mortals?

Are they bankrupt and need the money? Or is it really the desire to make some more music together? I find that hard to believe.

Nonetheless, the reunion of Take That is big news, but I am not too sure if the former boy band can live up to its earlier success. The New Kids surely didn’t, and I haven’t heard from the Backstreet Boys in a while now.

It seems like their fans have already grown up and moved on. So, why can’t they just go ahead and do the same?


Katrin Figge is deputy features editor at the Jakarta Globe.