Boy power: They're topping the charts and melting fans' hearts

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Jun 07, 2099 Source: The Toledo Blade Submitted By: June 6, 1999 BY DAVID YONKE BLADE POP MUSIC WRITER A new generation of "boy groups" recently rocketed from fad to phenomenon when "Millennium," the second album by the Backstreet Boys, sold 1,134,000 copies in its first week. It entered the Billboard chart at No. 1 and shattered the first-week sales record set by country superstar Garth Brooks. Jive, the band's label, estimated that "Millennium" sold nearly 500,000 copies - the mark for earning Gold Record status - the first day, and that one out of every 10 albums bought in the United States that week was the Backstreet Boys CD. "They flew out the door," said Brett DuPont, assistant manager of the Harmony House music store in Tolodo. "They're incredibly hot," said Debbie Marinik, a music buyer for Toledo's Boogie Records. In the three years since the Orlando-based group released its self-titled debut, the Backstreet Boys have sold 36 million albums worldwide. They are in the forefront of a bevy of boy bands offering positive messages wrapped in sweet harmonies and delivered by attractive, wholesome-looking guys who are causing teenage girls to cash in their allowances for CDs and concert tickets. Among the new groups causing teenybopper hearts to beat wildly are 'N Sync, 98 Degrees, Hanson, Five, C-Note, and Boyzone. And spinning off of the boy-group craze are slightly older solo artists from a previous wave of boy groups: Ricky Martin, formerly of Latino craze Menudo, and Joey McIntyre, one of the New Kids on the Block. "They are 'safe' groups that you can recommend to parents when they come in," Marinik said. "They won't offend anybody. A lot of times, when kids first get into music, that's the stuff they like to listen to." He and his brother, Drew, 22, started out singing in barbershop quartets and the current lineup, with Justin Jeffre and Jeff Timmons, used to sing for meals at fast-food restaurants when they first moved to Los Angeles, Nick Lachey said. Philadelphia vocal band Boyz II Men paved the way for today's generation of vocal groups that put an emphasis on singing, Lachey said. "Boyz II Men kind of set a standard for bringing back vocal harmony," Nick Lachey said. "Also, Color Me Badd and All 4 One. There were a lot of talented people out there and we saw an opportunity to make good music." The members of C Note are all in their 20s and don't like to be lumped in with the "boy groups" because "we're not boys," they say. Three of the four singers are of Latin heritage and the group sings in both English and Spanish. Their music and lyrics are a bit more sensual than most of the young vocal bands. "The music that we make is the music that's inside us," Molina said. "We're saying what people our age are saying and feeling. We're not going to censor ourselves." The four members of 98 Degrees got their big break by singing their way backstage at a Boyz II Men concert in Los Angeles. While they didn't get to meet their heroes, their harmonies caught the attention of a Los Angeles disc jockey, who asked them to sing on the air. Their performance was heard by a Motown Records official, who ended up offering them a recording contract. "We like 98 Degrees because of their looks. And their music," said a breathless Renee Salim, 15, of Farmington Hills, Mich. She and two friends, holding handmade signs proclaiming their love for 98 Degrees, attended a recent sold-out concert by the group at the 3,000-seat State Theatre in Detroit. "We've got their posters, their CDs - everything!" said Angela Sesi, 16, of Southfield, Mich. When the theater lights darkened, signaling the start of the show, a piercing shriek from thousands of teenage girls filled the air and held steady until the spotlights shone on the quartet. Then it got louder. The unbridled passion today's teenage girls exhibit for their boy-group idols is similar to the hysteria that surrounded the Beatles in their heyday. Isn't it hard for the singers to hear their voices above the frenzy? "It's kind of funny," Nick Lachey said. "We switched to what's called an in-ear monitor and it makes it a lot easier to hear. There is a lot of screaming from the young girls who are excited, but for us that's great. It throws a lot of energy up at you." Hanson is another wholesome young band whose stage shows are greeted by the wail of thousands of screaming teenage voices. Brothers Zachary, 12, Taylor, 15, and Isaac, 17, who created the infectious hit single "MMMBop," differ from other teen-idol groups, however, because the blond brothers from Oklahoma not only sing but write their own songs and play their own instruments. Hanson and 98 Degrees took the standard route to success, forming their bands, honing their skills while playing live, and then landing record contracts. The Backstreet Boys, however, were organized by industry officials who drew up plans for the group and then held auditions to find the singers. Clearly, the managers selected wisely. The lineup of Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, and Howie Dorough released a debut disc in 1997 that recently reached the 10-million sales mark. Their "Millennium" disc debuted at No. 1 not only in the United States but also in Canada, Germany, Sweden, Portugal, Belgium, Austria, Mexico, Holland, Norway, Greece, and Switzerland. Such massive sales suggest that the band has a broader audience than teenage girls. But Boogie Records' Marinik said it's hard to tell. "If they have a wider demographic, the people who are buying the disc aren't going to volunteer the information that it's for themselves," she said with a laugh. "They won't admit it. They are very vocal that they're buying it as a gift." Coincidentally, both 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys were formed in Orlando, home of the world's manufactured-entertainment leader, Disney. Unlike the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync formed through normal channels. JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake had both been regulars on the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club program. They met up with Chris Kirpatrick and Joey Fatone and began singing in Orlando nightclubs before Timberlake's vocal coach recommended a bass singer, James Lance Bass. The quintet's first recording was released in Europe, where light pop was more popular than in the United States, where alternative-rock had ruled. Last year, 'N Sync was performing in small theaters. This year, the group is touring at major ampthitheaters, basketball arenas, and will even make an appearance at the cavernous Pontiac Silverdome. Just as Europeans were first to embrace the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, and 98 Degrees, another band that has conquered that continent and is now setting its sights on America is Boyzone. The Irish quintet of Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch, Stephen Gately, and Ronan Keating has been hugely popular throughout Europe since the release of its 1995 debut CD, "Said and Done." The group has had four No. 1 hits in the United Kingdom and 12 straight top-five singles. But Boyzone's U.S. debut album, "Where We Belong," languished since its release a year ago on the Mercury label. Only lately has interest increased in the United States for Boyzone. The group has been popping up in U.S. teen magazines and was seen in U2's video for the hit single "The Sweetest Thing." As for the large number of vocal groups now gaining popularity, Molina said that only the public can say when enough is enough. "I would say there's even more room for growth, as much as the United States audiences - actually, worldwide audiences - may want. If they want more, there's going to be more groups coming out. "Once they decide they want no more, you'll see the decline again, and another kind of music will come out," he said. "It's inevitable, because people's tastes change." Nick Lachey, of 98 Degrees, said there is no sense of competition among the "boy groups," and that while a few record labels are trying to cash in on the craze, the quality groups will rise to the top. "Some groups will come along and try to take advantage of what's going on. But I just think that pop music in general is coming back strong." Comment on this item. 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