Korean boy band BTS has announced a hiatus. The seven band members want to focus on solo projects and need time to develop as individuals. Their manager promises it won’t be a long hiatus and the singers say they still have plenty of joint plans. But the history of boy bands shows that such a break can last for years or even lead to cancellation.
BTS
Since its formation in 2010 and the release of its first music in 2013, BTS has grown into an international phenomenon. In recent years, the boy band has also achieved great success in the United States and Europe. BTS has big hits like Butter, Dynamite in My Universea collaboration with Coldplay.
In the video of BTS announcing the break, the band members explain that their schedule is very demanding and that it could come at the expense of their maturing. The singers have released no fewer than nine albums since 2014, sometimes several in a year. In addition, they have released a few solo singles or mixtapes.
J-Hope, RM, Jin, Suga, Jungkook, V and Jimin, as the band members call themselves, want to focus on their solo careers and personal development for the time being and are therefore taking a break. But the manager and the singers have now toned down the announcement. It is therefore not clear how long the band will slow down. Several boy bands led them to pursue solo careers. Some got back together after a number of years, but sometimes such a break turns out to be permanent.
One Direction
One Direction, a British boy band that formed in 2010 during the recording of The X Factor has been immensely popular for many years, especially among teenage girls. In 2015, Zayn Malik announced his departure, leaving four members. At the beginning of 2016, they announced that they were taking a break for an indefinite period. All members went on to pursue solo careers, with which Harry Styles in particular managed to achieve great success.
The singers are still regularly asked about a possible return of One Direction, but nothing concrete seems to be happening in the short term. With the success of Styles’ new album Harry’s House and several movie roles slated for later this year, his schedule seems too full for a reunion.
Take That
British boy band Take That was formed in 1990 and scored big hits in the following years with songs like Babe, Back For Good in Everything Changes† The five attracted a large crowd of young fans. The unrest in the band, as a result of the wild partying behavior of Robbie Williams, was widely reported in the press. When he left the band in 1995, it wasn’t even a year before the rest decided to quit as well. A shock wave went through the large, loyal group of fans, to whom helplines were even opened.
Although the band didn’t necessarily keep the door open for a comeback at the time, it did come in 2006. A compilation album was released, there was a tour – without Williams by the way – and new material soon followed, mainly written by singer Gary Barlow. Once again Take That scored big hits, such as Patience† And the band’s albums broke records again, especially in the UK.
In 2010 the entire original line-up – including Williams – was working on a new album. The plate Progress became a great success and the first single The Flood an international hit. Williams left the boy band for a second time in 2012 and Jason Orange followed in 2014. Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald, however, continue to dominate. An album was released in 2017 and a tour followed in 2019. The musical The Band currently being made into a movie: in Greatest Days Take That’s music is central.
In 2022, Take That still consists of Howard Donald, Gary Barlow and Mark Owen.
In 2022, Take That still consists of Howard Donald, Gary Barlow and Mark Owen. Photo: BrunoPress
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Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys managed to keep their break even shorter compared to other bands. They had their heyday in the nineties as a five-piece with countless hits, such as I Want It That Way, Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) in Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)† Even at the beginning of the millennium, the hits kept coming, until things started to rumble between the band, the management and the record company.
Nick Carter focused on his solo career while the rest of the band continued to record an album. The band members did not appear in public together for two years, until AJ McLean came out in 2003 with his alcohol and drug addiction. His bandmates accompanied him during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. The band members buried the hatchet and started work on a new record. The first single Incomplete was always a hit. In 2006 Kevin Richardson decided to leave the band.
The Backstreet Boys continued as a foursome and although there are no big hit singles, the albums are still sold well and the men regularly go on world tours. Richardson returned in 2012 and the singers have been inseparable ever since. Their most recent album was released in 2019 and they will perform in Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome on Sunday 9 October.
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