The world appears to have got obsessed with boy bands…again. Why else is there so much of media attention being allocated for the British-based Wanted, and for the One Direction boy bands? The latter, a quintet, did make chart history in March this year by becoming the first debut album by a British band to top the US album chart, something that even the legendary Beatles could not manage. However, I must note here that this travesty was merely because the Beatles’ American record label (Capitol) did not believe that their music was suitable enough for the world’s largest music market and, hence, the label actually gave up release rights for the fab four’s initial few British singles and albums to independent labels such as Swan and Vee-Jay.
In any event, the so-called boy bands never went out of style. They were always present but the boom periods occurred intermittently, such as the New Kids On The Block and New Edition in the ’80s or the Backstreet Boys and ’N Sync in the ’90s, followed by 98 degrees, O-Town, and Dream Street, among other wannabes, who ruled the chart and sold albums by the millions. The common thread among most, if not all, was that they were manufactured by a Svengali who auditioned individual members through a casting call and, hence, those that were auditioned were neither required to play instruments nor compose hits. What was required, though, were impeccable looks, some ability to harmonise, and dance!
Closer home, there was — and is — A Band of Boys, which was formed when, reportedly in March 2001, over a thousand artistes pan-India were interviewed for the band, of which 250 potential candidates were auditioned in Mumbai. Four guys were eventually fortunate to be part of the band. Girl bands in India had their genesis not much later when the winners of the first season of the Indianised version of international talent contest Popstars, supported by Channel V, resulted in the formation of a quintet known as Viva. While there were intermittent albums released, most of the singers have since embarked on solo careers.
While I can’t think of other Indian “boy bands”, I can certainly discuss two more girl groups — one known as DMajor, an all-sister trio who, I am given to understand, plays to minus one tracks and, the other, the Mumbai-based Ménage À Trois, featuring Samantha Edwards, Shazneen Arethna, and Suzanne D’Mello. They are backed by an equally competent band. Each of the singers has a distinctive voice which is showcased when provided solo opportunities but, at the same time, the trio is a revelation when they harmonise.
Meanwhile, the genesis of popular girl groups internationally goes back to the late 50s when young singers combined their talent for harmonising in conjunction with record labels, which provided the back end, consisting of songwriters, studio musicians, and producers. Names that easily flow are the Shirelles, the Shangri-Las, The Ronettes and, of course, the Supremes. Manufactured girl groups reached its zenith with the UK-based Spice Girls in 1996, who became the largest selling female group in recording history.
While there are also sufficient examples of girl bands that not only play instruments and compose songs, one of them that travelled from London to India was Girlschool. Formed in 1978, they performed in Mumbai in 1985 (at the Khar Gymkhana, if I reminisce correctly), and the only song that I remember from the set list (the band’s recordings weren’t accessible in India then) was the encore: A rendition of Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode.
Nevertheless, it should only be a matter of time before girl groups once again achieve the accolades they deserve and, with it, match the sales of boy bands (if not exceed them), as the market in countries like Korea and Japan, the world’s second largest music market, have proved. All it requires is for the members to be visually appealing, dance to effective choreography, and be singers; the latter trait, as past history has proved, is not essential, but merely helpful. Of course, being young, cute, and having a “presence” would be supportive.
In fact, I am amazed that none of the existing Indian television channels have been proactive in establishing one or more girl groups as their brand — or, should I say, band — ambassadors!
The writer has been part of the media and entertainment business for over 23 years, still continues to pursue his hobby, and earns an income out of it!