Anyone else yearning for One Direction?
I’m just going to come right out and say it: I miss boy bands. What happened to them? It feels like just yesterday I was 10 years old, listening to “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction at softball camp.
Some of my favorite childhood memories were forcing my mom and sister to let me aux while we drove around; I would always, without fail, choose One Direction. “Night Changes” went platinum in my mom’s Toyota. So what happened? Why am I not seeing 14-year-olds now obsessing over the latest boy band?
Well, maybe that’s because there haven’t really been any. At least not any notable or viral enough to make a splash. I’m telling you, the boy band to K-pop pipeline is real. Post One Direction breakup, my BTS era went crazy. For me, I feel like there’s really little to no merit in a boy band breaking up. Obviously, the individuals want solo careers, which is understandable; yet they became famous as a group. That’s the appeal, you know? It’s all of them together. Leaving the group is taking a big gamble. That’s what I like so much about K-pop: they remain as a group, for the most part, while pursuing solo careers simultaneously. Is that too much to ask for? Sorry, it still hurts.
The other day, I was talking to a group of girls about the battle for Harry Styles tickets (personally, I’m giving up). One girl chimed in, saying she had instead bought Louis Tomlinson tickets. Another said she was waiting for Zayn to go on tour. All of their names are still linked together through the fandom of One Direction. Can you imagine how crazy it would be if they were still together as a band? I’m dreaming.
The point is, I just wish there was a One Direction 2.0, a Big Time Rush part 2, or something for today’s tween girls to enjoy. Growing up with those bands was such a core part of my childhood, and is honestly still a big part of my personality to this day. I’ve bonded with so many people about our crazy BTS obsessions, or the One Direction posters up in my bedroom, even years later. Being a part of a fandom like that, surrounded by people just like yourself, is so much fun for teenagers. Even my mom loved my One Direction and BTS phases! It’s fun for everyone. Can we please run it back?
Fangirling over a boy band is just so much fun, and it feels so wholesome. It feels like kids nowadays are really growing up too fast. I know, I know, I was, and kind of still am, a kid. Still, it feels like Gen Z was the last generation to really appreciate childlike wonder. I joke about being an iPad kid, but I miss when kids weren’t on TikTok and just played with dolls.
Boy bands are fun for everyone, especially teenagers. I miss forcing my mom to rent the One Direction This Is Us movie every other week. Why are we denying Gen Alpha their opportunity to experience a good boy band? I wish I had the answers.