Recently I wondered, imagine it were possible to access a version of ‘Spotify Wrapped’ which
accumulated the music from all the years of my childhood? Then I thought about all the CDs,
vinyl’s, old original iPods (and even a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy) which are all stored
somewhere – the original archive of my listening activity. From the radio stations my mum
played in the mornings as we got ready for school, the artists my dad played as he cooked in
the kitchen and the bands my brother played in the car once he first learned to drive, my music
taste has always been a kaleidoscope of the music of my home. Yet, I was certainly no stranger
to the distinctive phenomenon of the pop-band craze of the late 2000s and 2010s alongside
many young girls of my generation. Closing my eyes now I can still envision my light pink CD
player (in the classic portable boombox style), my hot pink iPod Nano and words that read
‘Happy 9th Birthday’, accompanied by five worldwide-known teenage boys on a banner in my
living room. In honour of keeping this nostalgia alive, my housemate and I often find ourselves
taking a trip down memory lane, rewatching the creative (sometimes incredibly saturated and
dramatic) old music videos of our childhood and early adolescence. From remembering my One
Direction CD collection to rewatching Fifth Harmony music videos, this deep retrospection into
the trajectory of my music taste over the years left me with one main question: where did all
the pop bands go?
During an episode of The Rest is Entertainment podcast, Richard Osman delved into the decline
(or altogether disappearance) of bands in the UK music charts. The trends and numbers Osman
observes and examines are of value, bands do not standout in the music charts as they once
did. Bands do exist, many still thrive, yet is interesting to see how it is now mostly solo artists
that dominate the mainstream instead. Personally, my music taste remains overwhelmingly
compiled of bands, with their genres mostly fitting into the alternative, indie, rock or indie-rock
genre: DMA’s, Paramore, American Football, Pale Waves, The 1975, Eagles, Grateful Dead, to
name a few. Or more recently R&B/Soul bands such as Thee Sacred Souls and Durand Jones &
the Indications. These bands are all incredibly popular in many ways, many which I listen to
have transcended time and remained popular for decades. Yet, when I think of the pop bands
of my childhood and adolescence, they seem to be situated in a unique sphere of their own –
trapped in a bubble of time.
The shift away from pop band culture in the UK and the US is largely reflective of a natural
progression in which the music industry has been both responsive to change and an instrument
of change. The way music has been produced, consumed and marketed has transformed
parallel to the technological advancements and so-called ‘Internet Revolution’ of this century so
far. Evidently, there has been a shift in what the music industry has deemed marketable and
profitable. Social media has had an insurmountable impact on this shift. By increasing the
awareness, alertness and responsiveness of young people to the world around them, social
media has contributed to people’s desire for individuality and authenticity. Perhaps Gen Z and
other generations find the desired ‘relatable’ personas more tangible from solo artists than the
heavily commercialised pop bands of my childhood. Further, it seems that young people want
someone to admire, look up to and relate to more so than seeking out the ‘heartthrob’ nature
of fanbase culture. This is most evident in the rise and sustained dominance of solo female pop
artists, particularly in the first half of this decade so far.
Though, pop bands have not disappeared entirely. K-pop bands now seem to hold the torch for
pop band dominance, sustaining their own fervent fanbase culture with their unique idol
system, training system, and marketing strategies which seem to have set it apart from the
Western pop. Perhaps the nature in which these pop bands were often formed speaks volumes
as to why many of them did not last and why they died out comparatively to K-pop bands. Kpop bands are invested in and moulded for success for years in a highly structured system,
whereas bands such as One Direction were made up of members originally striving to be solo
artists from the beginning. Were they really ever to last?
The digital era has spearheaded a transformative shift in the creative and economic musical
paradigm where labels, producers and artists have responded to. Artists can take advantage of
technological advancements and produce their own complex compositions in a simplified
manner without the need of a band to aid this process. This is beneficiary to labels who find
that bands are economically and creatively inefficient, where it is much cheaper to invest and
market a solo artist. Solo artists creating music without bandmates is nothing new, yet with the
rise of social media and this centralisation of music there has been a rise in those solo bedroom
artists who are more easily able to create their own music at a high level and be recognised
more quickly. Bands and solo artists coexisted at the top of the charts throughout my childhood
and have done so historically, however the latter seems to be outweighing the former
significantly now.
Although I feel a deep nostalgia for the pop bands of my early years, music has changed and so
have I. Bands are still an integral part of the music industry as they always have been. Music is
supposed to be the expression of the artist, whether solo or in a band. Perhaps pop bands do
not provide the opportunity for artists to express themselves how they want to now. Even
more so, perhaps we as consumers are expressing ourselves in different ways and seek artists
who are compatible with this.