April 25, 2025
Boy Bands and Girl Groups
Since 1965, when The Jackson 5 was created and dubbed the first “boy band,” groups of young musical men have taken the world by storm. “Girl groups” of all-female vocalists and musicians create the perfect counterpart to these bands, and together, they are a cornerstone of teen and young adult music. Fans love these groups’ music and love the members even more. There is just something about these musical ensembles that have kept people captivated over time as each new generation forms groups to call their own. For this edition of The Quill, we will be sharing some of our favorite boy band bops and girl group grooves!
One Direction
I, like many young girls who grew up during the 2010s, was and still am obsessed with One Direction. How could we not be? We got to watch the band come together with the help of Simon Cowell and the show X-Factor, and fell in love with each of the five members: Harry, the suave flirt; Liam, the mature gentleman; Niall, the shy goofball; Louis, the nerdy party animal; and Zayn, the mysterious bad boy. The obsession was real with these guys. Their fan base, lovingly known as the “Directioners,” knew all the words to every song, knew all there was to know about these boys, and would heavily debate who was the best. Personally, I was and always will be a Zayn girlie. What can I say? I like the bad boys. Unfortunately, on March 25th 2015, Zayn decided to leave the band to pursue a solo career, and while the band still made one more album after his departure, it was the beginning of the end. I still remember exactly where I was when I found out, and my entire 10-year-old world was left utterly devastated. But I suppose that’s enough rambling about the boys; let’s actually get to the music!
The group made five albums together — four all together, and one after Zayn’s departure. I usually pick one album to focus on, but I refuse to do so here. It would be like picking a favorite child, and that is just not right. Every album is special and holds a special place in my heart. There are absolute bangers on all of them. There are songs that we all heard almost too many times on the radio, and there are some that didn’t get as much play time but definitely deserved it. Though their music may be a bit juvenile and “teenybop,” it is still fantastic and has stood the test of time. Even after 10 years and the members going in their own directions by starting solo careers, fans wanted a reunion. However, this will most likely not happen, because, sadly, Liam passed away in late 2024, which left many grieving not only him as a person, but a piece of their childhood as well. While a reunion might not be in the cards anymore, the Directioners still stay loyal and will gladly listen to the music we already have.