User:CassidyMedeiros20/Boy band

Controversy
Since the 2000s, groups such as Backstreet Boys and LFO have disliked the term "boy band" and have preferred to be known as a "male vocal group".[52][53] Being categorized among boy bands was also the main reason the Moffatts split up.[54] Boy bands have been accused by the music press of emphasizing the appearance and marketing of the group above the quality of music, deliberately trying to appeal to a preteen audience and for conforming to trends instead of being original. Such criticisms can become extremely scathing. Boy bands are often seen as being short lived,[55] although some acts such as The Jackson 5, Backstreet Boys, Human Nature, New Edition, SMAP, Shinhwa[56] and Westlife (before they split up in 2012) have sustained lasting careers.

A consistent reason why so many boy bands failed to succeed is their demanding management. They're under constant pressure to perform to their greatest ability and hold a strong public image. Popular five-person boy band Why Don't We spoke out against their management Signature Entertainment in 2021, alleging that the band had been mentally, emotionally, and financially abused. Why Don't We claimed their manager "controlled us 24/7, setting an alarm that would go off if any door or window was opened. Needless-to-say, we were not given the security code to the alarm, essentially making us hostages in our own home." Billboard reported that Why Don’t We filed a petition with the California Labor Commission to throw out their contracts with Signature Entertainment.

Most recently, Korean boy bands have been under the light for having demanding management teams. Due to their rise in popularity globally, these issues are becoming more recognized. Popular Korean management companies such as, "SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment, begin recruiting as young as 12-years-old14 (Ho 2012:479) and contracts usually last between 10-15 years (Ho 2012:480). This includes training even before debuting that can last as long as 5 years (Ho 2012:480, Lee SY 2012:357). During this training, star personas are developed through lessons in “singing, dancing, mock commercials, personal grooming, body weight (and shape) management, foreign language lessons and at times even cosmetic surgery” The demanding schedules placed on boy band members have led them to terminate their contracts. Two members of Korean boy band EXO have filed lawsuits with SM Entertainment. "One of the members, Kris, claimed that he was overworked and that SM Entertainment disregarded his basic human rights."

Key factors of the concept
Seen as important to a "boy band" group's commercial success is the group's image, carefully controlled by managing all aspects of the group's attire, promotional materials (which are frequently supplied to teen magazines), and music videos. The key factor of a boy band is being trendy. This means that the band conforms to the most recent fashion and musical trends in the popular music scene. Bands like The Beatles had a distinguished style, "the signature Beatles’“look” in clothing and haircuts led to a generation inspired by them." 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", or "the shy one". For example, The Beatles were referred to as the Fab Four and each had a distinct identity, "Paul was the cute one, George was the quiet one, Ringo was the funny one and John was the smart one.” While managing the portrayal of popular musicians is as old as popular music, the particular pigeonholing of band members is a defining characteristic of boy and girl bands.

Their music is typically written, arranged and produced by a producer who works with the band at all times and controls the group's sound. If the members cannot harmonize well together, session singers will be hired to record guide vocals for each member. However, for clarity of each voice, recording each voice individually is most commonly the norm with most modern vocal groups. In recent years, auto-tune has become a popular tool for boy bands who are unable to sing to a high standard. Some boy bands have come under fire for this issue of using auto-tune. Some have also come under fire for lip syncing in their performances as well, for example New Kids on the Block.[48]

A typical boy band performance features elaborately choreographed dancing, with the members taking turns singing and/or rapping. Boy bands generally do not compose or produce their own material, unless the members lobby hard enough for creative control. However, some bands were created around the talent of a songwriter within the group like Gary Barlow of Take That or Tony Mortimer of East 17. It is not uncommon to find extra songs on an album written by one or more of the band members; however, their producers rarely use these as singles.

Recently, boy bands have been expected to write or at least contribute in some part lyrically to songs. Apart from the groups mentioned above who all had at least one primary songwriter from their beginning, other groups soon caught up. At the close of the nineties, groups like Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC who had previously used writers like Max Martin during their early albums began writing their own songs.[49][50] Newer groups from late 2000s such as JLS have all made a point from early interviews that they write their own songs and hold their own image as this is an important part of marketing. Some bands like The Wanted have even spent time learning the craft of songwriting.[51]

Individuals can also go on to achieve greater success as a solo artist coming out of a boy band having used the groups popularity to build on. Usually this signals the end of the group until potential future reunions. Examples of this include Michael Jackson from The Jackson 5, Donny Osmond from The Osmonds, Ricky Martin from Menudo, Justin Timberlake from *NSYNC, and Ronan Keating from Boyzone. Sometimes the most successful solo star from a band is not the most popular member such as Robbie Williams as opposed to lead singer Gary Barlow from Take That. Some boy band members have gone on to successful careers elsewhere in the media. Michael Dolenz of The Monkees went on to become a successful television producer, working for ITV franchises such as LWT and Television South.

Management
A managers performance determines how well the boy band succeeds. Good management is the key factor to a successful boy band while bad management can lead to the demise of a boy band. No matter how good a boy band can be individually, it's only as good as the person guiding them. It is important they have guidance because boy bands like One Direction, Jonas Brothers, and Big Time Rush were often young and a strong leadership role was needed.

5 key steps to a successful boy band include: "(1) Create a moral and varied team. (2) Know the target audience. (3) Have a social media presence. (4) Cross-market the bands. (5) Start small."