I love boy bands unironically. Apparently, you guys do too, as evidenced by the fact that we still get visits to our 2012 April Fool's Day post announcing NSYNC's decision tour again (so, so sorry about that) and our post about the top five boy bands of the '90s. While most people can rattle off the bands from our first list — Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Boyz II Men, Hanson, and 98 Degrees — fewer are able to name any more than that.
But the '90s were a boy band pinnacle; some might even argue they were an over-saturation (but not me, because I'll take all the boy bands I can get). Here are five that are often forgotten when we discuss the '90s boy band craze, but who still had fans (me) who bought their CDs (me) in a time when buying CDs was still a thing people did.
LFO
LFO's first and biggest single, "Summer Girls," was totally nonsensical, completely weird, and awesomely '90s. The trio's debut album actually sold more than 2 million copies, a feat almost unheard of today. They had one other Billboard hit, "Girl on TV," which featured Jennifer Love Hewitt in the video. But the band will forever be known for that song with random lyrics: New Kids on the Block had a bunch of hits/Chinese food makes me sick/And I think it's fly when girls stop by for the summer/For the summer.
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The Backstreet Boys announced they'll embark on a summer 2013 tour, starting in August. If you follow the blog at all, then you know I'm kind of a fan, so I'm extremely pumped. The "In A World Like This" tour kicks off in Chicago, IL on Friday, Aug. 2, and wraps in Concord, CA, Sunday, Sept. 8. Currently, the band is touring in China.
The general on sale for most tour dates will happen this Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18, at 10 a.m. local time (12 p.m. local time for Chicago). A pre-sale for exclusive BSB fan club members starts Wednesday, May 15, 7 a.m. local time. Tickets will be available soon, so keep checking back! In the meantime, for a full list of dates, click the cut. (And OMG! I can't wait!)
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Today marks the 20th anniversary of the formation of the Backstreet Boys. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’m still secretly obsessed with them and I’m suuuper excited about this. All five members are back and they’re performing a 20th anniversary concert in L.A. tonight, for free, where they’ll be debuting new music and showing a new clip from their upcoming documentary. (I’m crying inside because I’m on the East Coast.) On Monday, April 22, the band will get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which I think is pretty fitting for the best-selling boy band of all time. On top of that, this year we’re also expected to get a new album (WITH Kevin) and a tour and I. CAN’T. WAIT.
Aside from proving how much of a huge loser I am, here’s what their 20-year celebration also means: we’re all getting old. Seriously, guys. All of the members of the Backstreet Boys are married or soon-to-be and most of them have babies! One of them is 40! When did that happen? Here are 10 other things that will help make you feel seriously old.
1. Zac Hanson is no longer just the cute little "baby" of Hanson, playing drums with his older brothers. Actually, he's 27. Meanwhile, some other boy band "babies"? Justin Timberlake, NSYNC, is 32. Drew Lachey, 98 Degrees, is 36. Joey McIntyre, New Kids on the Block, is 40.
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Yay! I get to mention Beyonce in this week’s post because we’re talking about…
Jay-Z and Beyonce in Cuba
Jay and Bey simply cannot catch a break. The couple recently vacationed in Cuba to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. But they immediately came under fire from legislators (and the general public) who questioned how and why they were able to visit a country the U.S. restricts its citizens from traveling to. Rather than release a statement, Jay-Z released a new song, "Open Letter," to tackle criticisms. I wouldn’t have it any other way. (The video, above, features the clean version of the song, with the unedited version available on YouTube.) Everyone was talking about the song following its release — even White House representatives, who issued a formal response.
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Remember “MmmBop”? Or maybe you do but you wish you didn’t? Whatever, Hanson is back, and it’s April 2 so you know I’m not joking.
The thing is, for Hanson fans, the band never left, as they’ve been releasing albums and touring since their “MmmBop” fame.They have ten albums under their belt, eleven tours, and this year marks their 21 year anniversary. Pretty impressive.
Yesterday, the band members announced they will be releasing another record, “Anthem,” on June 18, followed by a tour, which kicks off in June. Tickets will likely be available over the next few days, so keep checking back. Until then, if “MmmBop” was the last Hanson song you heard, there’s a lot of catching up to do. Or you can check out this Taylor Swift cover they recently did, because why not?