Everyone knows them and hates them or loves them: boy bands are still often incredibly successful. You can find the ten most successful boy bands of all time (so far) here.
The hype that boy bands still experience today goes back to the 1960s. It started with groups like the Jackson 5, the Osmonds and The Monkeys, all of whom achieved great success. The second big wave of boy bands began in the 80s with the New Kids On The Block and extended until the end of the 90s with global pop phenomena such as Take That, *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. But anyone who thinks the typical boy band is a relic from the MTV era is wrong: One Direction, Big Time Rush, the Jonas Brothers and BTS are just a few examples of boy bands from the 2000s and 2010s that still managed or are still managing to fill stadiums and make fans swoon. But what exactly makes a boy band?
Basically, boy bands differ from other bands in that they clearly define and address their target group right from the start: teenage girls. However, attracting young women as a target group requires more than a few radio-friendly hits. Every member of a boy band should look good (according to the respective cultural ideals of beauty) and thus be potentially adored. This is also a reason why many boy bands are cast – after all, handsome young men who can also sing and dance don’t often just meet on the street. Another success factor: The band members should be about the same age as their fans. This not only makes them approachable, but also contributes to the illusion that fans have a real chance of a relationship with their favorite band member.
And what about on a musical level? Boy bands are defined by their often romantic, even cheesy songs, which present their members from the soft side. The fusion of hip hop and pop has also proven to be successful: both the New Kids On The Block and the Back Street Boys and the forgotten Brits East 17 made their breakthrough with their mix of rap parts, breakdance interludes and pop hooks. Choreography and dancing talent have always been part of the model kit of a successful boy band: rehearsed choreos at a concert are mandatory and at least as important as the music itself.
The basic success factors of a boy band are therefore defined. To find out which are the ten most commercially successful boy bands of all time (as of February 2020), all you have to do is take a look at our gallery. The scale of our evaluation only refers to the records sold worldwide by the respective band. And here you can read the sources of our list again.
The most successful boy bands of all time
1o place: Take That
45 million albums sold
The British boy band was formed in 1990 and enjoyed success for six years with hits like “Back For Good” until they announced their disbandment in 1996. Although Gary Barlow was considered the band’s star, Robbie Williams ultimately became famous after the band’s split. Take That made their comeback in 2005 and are still musically active today – but only as a trio. The band released a total of eight studio albums.
9th place: One Direction
50 million albums sold
Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles met on the British talent show The X-Factor, where they formed a band and ended up in third place. One Direction achieved four number 1 and double platinum albums in the US and UK during their existence. In 2015, Zayn Malik left the band for personal reasons. The remaining band members tried to act as a quartet for some time, but in 2017 they announced their final disbandment.
8th place: Westlife
55 million albums sold
The Irish boy band formed in 1998 with the help of producer Louis Walsh. Westlife had their greatest success in Great Britain, where they reached number 1 in the singles charts 14 times between 1999 and 2006. The band split up in 2012, and six years later the members announced their reunion. During their 16-year existence, Westlife released 11 studio albums.
7th place: Boyz II Men
60 million albums sold
The band was founded in 1988 and are still making music today. Boyz II Men were originally conceived with the aim of representing a black counterpart to the (mostly) white boy bands – but over the years the band was able to leave the cast boy band image behind and developed into one of the most successful R’n’B groups of all time.
6th place: *NSYNC
70 million albums sold
It is still controversial today whether Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick and Lance Bass founded the band *NSYNC on their own or were put together. Their debut album of the same name sold more than 10 million copies, and its successor, NO STRINGS ATTACHED, even achieved diamond status with more than 16 million records sold. In 1999, *NSYNC became embroiled in a major legal battle with their former record label, with the band being sued for $150 million. In 2002, *NSYNC disbanded after seven years and three studio albums. Of all the band members, Justin Timberlake had the greatest success after the breakup.
5th place: Bay City Rollers
Just over 70 million albums sold
The Scottish boy band Bay City Rollers had its origins in 1965. Over the years, the group often changed members and band names until they had their breakthrough in 1971 with the song “Keep On Dancing”. In 1974, the Bay City Rollers reached their career peak; The former members Alan and Derek Longmuir, Erik Faulkner, Leslie McKeown and Stuart Wood are still considered the “real” band members to this day. In this constellation, a real “Rollermania” broke out and the band’s famous “Tuffy” hairstyles became a worldwide trend. After singer Les McKeown left the band in 1978, the group was never able to build on their earlier successes. However, to date, the Bay City Rollers have never officially disbanded. Their most successful album ROLLIN’ from 1974 received platinum status.
4th place: The Jackson 5
75 million albums sold
The Jackson 5 were founded in 1964 by Joseph Jackson and initially consisted of his three sons Jackie, Tito and Jermaine. Two years later, Marlon Jackson and the then seven-year-old Michael Jackson joined as lead singers. It was in this constellation that the band was able to achieve its greatest successes to date: their songs “I Want You Back”, “ABC” and “I’ll Be There” became global hits. By mid-1975, The Jackson 5 had released a total of 13 albums. In 1984, Michael Jackson left the band to concentrate on his solo career. While he wrote music history as the “King of Pop,” his brothers were unfortunately never able to build on their earlier successes. Fun Fact: In 2001, Michael Jackson celebrated his 30th stage anniversary as a solo artist and invited not only the Jacksons but also *NSYNC onto the stage during a performance of the song “Dancing Machine”.
3rd place: The Osmonds
77 million albums sold
Like the Jackson 5, the Osmonds came from a large family. In the late 1950s, brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay began singing together and performed at local village fairs and amusement parks, where they were discovered one day. A few television show appearances followed and in 1971 their debut album of the same name was released. The record received gold status, as did the four subsequent albums that were released within two years. From the mid-1970s onwards, the Osmonds lost popularity in the USA, but gained great popularity in Europe: Osmondmania broke out. With the great success, however, came the strokes of fate and family conflicts: the Osmonds’ success quickly declined from the 1980s onwards. In 2008, the band celebrated their 50th anniversary with a joint concert in Las Vegas, where all members came together again for the first time in 27 years.
2nd place: New Kids On The Block
Just over 80 million albums sold
The New Kids On The Block were founded in 1984 and are still considered pioneers of the boy band phenomenon of the 1990s and 2000s. Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood were still children when the band was founded, but had just come of age when they made their breakthrough in 1988. With the first hit “Don’t Go Girl” and the opening act of the singer Tiffany, mass hysteria broke out, which was later compared to Beatlemania. For years, NKOTB were besieged by fans and even received death threats. At a 1992 concert in Seoul, South Korea, a young man died from injuries caused by mass panic and hysteria. The band then stopped playing live for the time being. In 1994, NKOTB disbanded – until then they were at times the highest paid entertainers in the world, earning a billion dollars a year in merchandise. Their third album STEP BY STEP received triple platinum status in the USA. In 2008 the band celebrated a very successful comeback – including several tours and albums with the Backstreet Boys.
1st place: Backstreet Boys
More than 100 million albums sold
The Backstreet Boys, aka Howie Dorough, Alexander James McLean, Nick Carter, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson met in 1992 and decided to form a band. Success didn’t take long to arrive: their first single “We’ve Got It Going On” achieved gold status in Germany, and their debut album, titled after the band’s name, achieved six-times platinum status. Their second record BACKSTREET’S BACK also brought success in the USA: their third album MILLENIUM with the global hit “I Want It That Way” sold 1.3 million copies in the USA within a week, breaking the record for the best-selling album in the first week of release.
In 2006, Richardson left the group but rejoined six years later. The Backstreet Boys are still musically active today. Fun Fact: When the Backstreet Boys were formed, their manager was none other than former NKOTB manager Johnny Wright.