Zayn Malik’s recent departure from One Direction in order to become a “normal 22-year-old” has left all of us wondering: what’s next? There’s been a lot of speculation that Zayn will move on to release a solo album, but will he go on to become even bigger than One Direction by himself? What happens after the boy band? Below we take a look at three boy bands you’ve probably danced to in your room, and what happens after a member leaves.
The Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are still going strong after two decades. The climax of their career was in the early 2000’s with the release of Millennium and Black & Blue. Admit it: we’ve all sang “I Want it That Way” on karaoke. They went on a two-year hiatus, but soon reconvened for their comeback album. However, in 2006, Kevin Richardson left the group. During this time, the band released two more albums while Richardson got married and started a family. Nonetheless, in 2012, Richardson rejoined the Backstreet Boys and revealed how much he enjoys being a part of the band and performing with them. It looks like there’s hope for the engaged Zayn yet; maybe he’s busy planning his wedding to girlfriend Perrie Edwards. Maybe, he’ll be back.
*NSYNC
Does anyone really even know if *NSYNC ever truly broke up? This best-selling boy-band of all time gradually shut down between 2002 and 2007 after taking a “temporary hiatus.” Only Lance Bass, who released his properly named autobiography “Out of Sync” in 2007, openly admitted to the break-up. His main reason why they broke up? Justin Timberlake wanted to pursue a solo career. There’s no denying that Justin Timberlake is one of the most successful post-boy band singers. His albums have produced major hits, but Timberlake’s success doesn’t stop there. He’s an actor as well, appearing in movies like The Social Network and Bad Teacher. From appearing in the All-New Mickey Mouse Club to SexyBack? Way to go, Justin.
Dream Street
Dream Street probably had the strangest break-up of all time. In 2002, a legal dispute involving the band’s managers and parents to the boys (apparently due to fear and suspicion that the young teens were being exposed to alcohol and porn) led to the boys being instructed to break-up. The band, which had been predicted to grow to the likes of The Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, broke off to their own careers, but none of the boys saw as much success as Jesse McCartney. He went the classic Disney route, appearing in Hannah Montana and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody before branching off to smaller roles in more mature shows. He also released a women’s fragrance and became a voice actor to movies such as Alvin and the Chipmunks. However, something tells us that Zayn Malik isn’t looking to sign onto Disney any time soon. But releasing a fragrance? That might be in his future.
So, what do you think will happen to Zayn? Will he come back to One Direction? Achieve the same solo career success as Justin Timberlake, or simply taper off to smaller acting roles? Let us know!