Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich1

Its Gonna Be Me: An Ethnographic Study of the Boy Band/ Male Idol Subculture

Blaine Brubaker, Olivia Rakas, Xenia Yelovich

SMU 240, World Music

Dr. John Seybert
April 26, 2016

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich2

Abstract
This paper traces the origins of the boy band through the 1960s up through contemporary
artists. To further explain the phenomenon, it focuses on specific groups the Beatles,
the Backstreet Boys, and SMAP. Data was collected through print and audio research, as well as
interviews with individuals connected to this music scene.

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich3

Britain in the 1940s was aching for a musical revolution. The country had just come out
of World War II and mainly listened to Classical music, folk songs that had been written for the
soldiers, and jazz. In 1953, the Teddy Boys emerged from working-class youth who decided to
adapt a style of rock from across the pond, America.1 Lonnie Donegan became one of the most
successful British recording artists before the Beatles after he revived the term skiffle, which was
music that found its roots in jazz, blues, and folk.2 From this craze arose the first groups of boys
who wanted to play this catchy and upbeat music. One of those groups was the Quarrymen, who
after some changes in members became the Beatles. In 1962, the Beatles recorded their first
single with Love Me Do as the A-side, and P.S. I Love You as the B-side. After its release,
the band skyrocketed with touring, more records, and even their first movie in 1964.3 The term
Beatlemania arose when a music promoter saw the effect that the boy band had on their young
fans and the frenzy it sent them into.4 The Beatles were the peak of the British invasion, but that
did not mean that there were not many other boy bands that arose to fill the need for catchy
melodies and upbeat tunes. The Rolling Stones, The Hollies, The Animals, The Kinks, and The
Who also were born out the British Invasion and all seemed to have a strong effect on the young
girls of the times.5 Was it the music, was it their looks, or was it a longing for something new and
different that drove the craze of the boy band in Britain for much of the 1960s? How did the fans
show their devotion for their favorite bands? Is the boy band craze still alive and well today?
Method
Data were collected through books, articles, Music Charts, and interviews about the rise
of British boy bands in the 1960s. The magazine editor of the Official British Beatles Fan
Club was interviewed through email to give her views on how the Beatles effected the UK, how
they set off the boy band era, and how it continues today. An interview was also conducted
through email of a current member of the fan base of one of the biggest boy bands in the UK
today, One Direction. The same questions were answered, but in regards to the present day
instead of the 60s.
Interpretations/Results
Michele Copp is a 54-year-old Senior Systems Analyst born in the United States of America with
a strong love of the Beatles. She acts as the magazine editor for the Official British Beatles Fan
Club in her spare time after work.
It is very interesting to see how Ms. Copp reacts to the Beatles being called a boy band.
She gets very defensive about the fact and says it was not even a concept at the time. There is a
strong emphasis that she places on the band being more about making music and being happy
1 Amy Helen Bell, Teddy Boys and Girls and Neo-flneurs in Postwar
London, Literary London 11, no. 2 (Autumn 2014): 3-17.
2 Dave Laing, Donegan, Lonnie, Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online.
3 Walter Everett, The Beatles as Musicians (U.S.: Oxford University Press,
1999), 43-65.
4 Annie Randall, Beatlemania, Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online.
5 Annie Randall, British Invasion, Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online.

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich4

with the product than they were with gaining fans or attracting young women. The economy of
1960s Britain was begging for something that young people could get involved in, and teenagers
now had money to spend on something that their parents did not have control of. She also adds
that it is not just middle-aged women who remain supportive of the groups of the time, but also
men. The Beatles grew with their fans and they matured together. Paul and Ringo are still touring
with sold out shows and people of all ages are there to listen to the music that they know and
love. It is also interesting to hear her views on the boy bands of today and how they are unable to
hold attention for more than a few years.
Olivia Shultz is 21 years old and an avid fan on One Direction. She is a Hospitality and
Tourism major at Seton Hill University and she is from the U.S. She was asked almost the same
questions as Ms. Copp, with the exception of her role in the One Direction fan base. One area to
take note is how the generation gap causes a rift in how the younger generation sees boy bands of
today. It certainly is not a fleeting love of these young men, and the focus shifts from making
music for the fun of it, to seeing how many fans a band can have. The fans go from screaming
and scheming at live concerts to building bases on the Internet. The younger generation also sees
the current boy bands directly targeting young girls, instead of the view that they merely want to
make good music. It is also curious that Olivia states that One Direction was the first boy band in
a while, when later, we will take a look at just how boy bands have lived up until today.
Boy bands have been around for centuries starting in the U.K. and we can see in the
present day that the U.K. has made another resurrection of the boy band craze. Different
generations see their boy bands differently and the impact of the boy band has fluctuated
through out the years in the U.K., the U.S. and Japan. But, the recurring theme is that no matter
what age you are or what country you come from, boys singing and dancing proves to be a
valuable part of entertainment and musical history.

Conclusion
When doing this study again, I would like to have a broader area of ages and genders to
talk to about each boy band. Getting the different views was the most interesting part of my
research and if people are available to talk, it would have proved useful in seeing how others felt
the bands related to not only their own time period, but to the time periods of others.

Interviews
INFORMATION ABOUT INTERVIEWEE
Name: Michele Copp
Age:

54

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich5

Occupation/Field
Country of

of Study: Senior Systems Analyst

birth: USA

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Olivia: Why were teenage girls the targeted demographic? Have they always been the targeted
demographic?
Ms. Copp: I don't believe The Beatles did target a specific demographic of teenage girls. In fact,
I they didn't target any demographic. The Beatles loved the music that was coming from America
and arriving via sailors on ships that docked in Liverpool and they spent all their time honing
their musical skills mastering these songs. Once John and Paul became friends and they
discovered they were both writing some of their own songs, they began writing together. Their
sole goal was to write good songs. They were not trying to write for their audience. This is also
born out by the fact that as The Beatles evolved and became more popular, they have more
creative control over what got recorded and released and the music changed and become more
experimental, multi-layered and creative differences started causing friction within the group.
Had they been targeting a demographic, they would not have been each going off in different
directions musically. They were out to please themselves not a specific audience.
Olivia: What were/are the main ways the fanbase express(ed) themselves?
Ms. Copp: In the beginning the fans reacted to The Beatles with screaming and scheming.
Concerts were drowned out by tearful screaming girls desperate to be noticed by their favorite
Beatle. They almost didn't seem to care that they couldn't hear the music. Many have written
books or articles in later life of the extreme measures they went to trying to meet The Beatles
including sneaking backstage and climbing onto hotel balconies. The fans at this time were
mostly female but not entirely. However, despite these early reactions, the fans remained loyal
and devoted even as the music changed over time and became less "pop" and more complex,
psychedelic and diverse. Today these same fans still join fan clubs such as ours and still identify
themselves as fans. These enduring fans often have big collections of Beatles memorabilia that
goes beyond just albums and CDs and includes books, magazines, figurines, etc. The fan base
today includes new fans as well. At a recent Ringo concert, the audience was a huge mix of ages
from preteens to senior citizens.
Olivia: Where were boy bands most popular - or did it vary group by group?
Ms. Copp: Although people like to refer to The Beatles as a "Boy Band" today, this was not a
concept when they came onto the music scene. There were loads of bands at the time and most of
them were male but sometimes there were female singers in the groups. Most groups were
named around one of the band members. For example "Rory Storm and the Hurricanes" or "Cliff
Richard and the Shadows". The Beatles were the first band of note to make a conscious decision
not to give one member star billing in the group's name. There were lots of famous female

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich6

singers at the time but they usually did not call themselves a band. Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield
and Helen Shapiro were all hugely popular around the time of The Beatles.
Olivia: Why were boy bands so popular? Was it the music, the dancing, the intimate
connection with the audience (through lyrics and live shows), a sexualized image, the sale of
merchandise, the influence of technology like radio, television, and later the Internet - or
something different altogether?
Ms. Copp: I hate to use the words "boy bands" when talking about The Beatles and their
contemporaries because they were not called that at the time. They were simply bands or groups.
The reasons for their popularity in England and America were for different but similar reasons.
England was in a depressed state in the 1950's and there were still food shortages. But as the
economy picked up at the start of the 1960's teens were no longer just mini adults. They now had
jobs and money to spend and new markets opened up. First the first time in history, clothes were
designed for their age group and they had money to spend on hobbies and fun that their parents
would never do. Music was a connecting force and it provided both a social experience separate
from their parents but it made you feel good to be dancing and moving and rocking and rolling.
For the girls in the audience, the band members were cool, good looking and so unlike the boring
respectable men at home. For the guys, they saw how the girls reacted and they wanted to be like
the boys in the band. Many guitars were sold in this era to people who never learned to play them
because every guy wanted to be like the bands they went to watch. In America, the story varies
slightly. By the time The Beatles reached America, two things had happened. President Kennedy
had been assassinated which put the country in mourning and news of the Beatlemania in
England made the news. It was enticing to know this Beatlemania was coming to the states and
girls and boys, ready to shake off the grief from the assassination, dove into the mania headfirst some had not even heard a Beatle song yet but they were already to jump into the happiness that
came with Beatlemania. The merchandise came later as a result of the mania rather then causing
it. Interesting side note - the mania may have come first, but the endurance of the band's music
shows that it was deserved.
Olivia: In your opinion (and/or based on your research), why have so many middle-aged women
remained supportive of the boy bands of their youth?
Ms. Copp: It isn't just middle-aged women who have remained supportive. I can't speak for
other bands but as a member of the committee that runs the British Beatles Fan Club, I can tell
you we have just as many, if not more, male members as we do female and they are all equally
"mad" about the band today. One factor is that unlike many of today's "boy bands", The Beatles
music dramatically changed as they grew musically. So in a way the music grew up along with
the fans. As the fans matured, the music was more mature and it kept things interesting. In
addition, it helped that the four band members in the later years of the band started doing more
solo tracks that appeared on the Beatles albums so that once they had broken up, they continued
on seamlessly as solo artists and taking their fans along on the new journey. Paul and Ringo are
still touring and filling stadiums and concert halls with their old fans as well as their new fans.
Both continue to make new music and it keeps their fans interested and engaged.
Olivia: Do you feel the boy band craze is still alive today? How has it changed?

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich7

Ms. Copp: I have seen my young nieces going mad on the latest boy band so the craze to like a
boy band and go "ga ga" over the individual members, always discussing and picking favorites
with their friends, but I have yet to see any of them stay with one band for more than a few years.
In my opinion, the bands are too formulaic and are not maturing their music and the fans
outgrow the band. In a few rare instances, a band member has broken away and gone solo taking
some fans with him, but as a general rule today's boy bands seem less interested in making music
and more interested in being popular. They Beatles were first and foremost about the music not
popularity.
Olivia: What made The Beatles stand above the rest of the bands of the day?
Ms. Copp: The Beatles were musically genius and talented but they were also a product of their
time. The right combination of talent, connection (their manager Brian Epstein ensured they
could focus on the music and not the business) and being born in the right time and place. The
stars aligned and made it possible for them to change the world while doing what they loved best
and their talent allowed them to become the best. Even today every new sensation claims to be
"the next Beatles" but no one has yet managed it.

INFORMATION ABOUT INTERVIEWEE

Name: Olivia Schultz
Age: 21
Occupation/Field of Study: Hospitality and Tourism
Country of birth: United States of America

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich8

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Olivia R.: Why were teenage girls the targeted demographic? Have they always been the
targeted demographic?
Olivia S.: I think that teenage girls were the target audience because that is when girls are most
likely to be crushing on boys. I believe that it always has been the target demographic. The boys
in the band were also around the same age of the girls.
Olivia R.: What were/are the main ways the fanbase express(ed) themselves?
Olivia S.: I noticed that the fanbase for One Direction was usually found on Twitter or Tumblr.
Olivia R.: Where were boy bands most popular - or did it vary group by group?
Olivia S.: Honestly, One Direction was popular everywhere. It seemed like girls all over the
world knew who they were.
Olivia R.: Why were boy bands so popular? Was it the music, the dancing, the intimate
connection with the audience (through lyrics and live shows), a sexualized image, the sale of
merchandise, the influence of technology like radio, television, and later the Internet - or
something different altogether?
Olivia S.: I think that One Direction first became so popular because they were baby faced cute
and British. As they found their musical styling they gained more fans. One Direction, when they
first started definitely tried to have relationships with their fans. Honestly television and the
Internet helped them succeed. They were found on the British X Factor and then their
performances were uploaded on YouTube for everyone to watch.
Olivia R.: In your opinion (and/or based on your research), why have so many middle-aged
women remained supportive of the boy bands of their youth?
Olivia S.: I think they remained supportive because they basically grew up with them. They are
now making a comeback and the middle-aged women are reminiscing on their younger selves.
Olivia R.: What do you think made One Direction stand out from other boy bands of their time?
Olivia S.: I think how unique their sound was and that they were the first huge boy band for a
while. They had everything that they needed, good looks, good music and people were so
interested in how they were formed.
Olivia R.: How were you involved in the One Direction fanbase?
Olivia S.: I was very active on social media and I bought as much merchandise as I could. I went
to a concert in 2015 and it basically just made me love them even more. I found out about One
Direction before they really hit the US so I feel like I had a close connection with them.

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10
Bibliography
Bell, Amy Helen. Teddy Boys and Girls as Neo-flneurs in Postwar London. Literary
London: Interdisciplinary Studies In The Representation of London 11, no. 2 (Autumn
2014): 3-17. MLA International Bibliography, EBSCOhost (Accessed April 25, 2016).
Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians. U.S.: Oxford Univerity Press, 1999.
Laing, Dave. Donegan, Lonnie. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University
Press. Accessed April 25, 2016.
Randall, Annie. Beatlemania. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University
Press. Accessed April 25, 2016.
Randall, Annie. British Invasion. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford
University Press. Accessed April 25, 2016.

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11
Introduction
Around 1983, boy bands began to dominate national and international charts with
consistently loved releases. In mid-late 80s, the R&B band New Edition and the pop-based New
Kids on the Block (NKOTB) exploded onto the scene and paved the way for a new music craze.
NKOTBs single You Got It (The Right Stuff) was released in 1989: almost overnight, it
reached #3 on the American Billboard Hot 100 list, and topped UK and Australian charts6. Their
fan base was loyal to the point of obsessive; soon, countless other boy bands were springing up
across the nation, wishing to emulate NKOTBs outstanding success. For the rest of the year,
NKOTB remained a notable outlier in comparison to other boy bands. In the 1990s and early
2000s however, the boy band scene was dominated by two main groups: the Backstreet Boys and
N*SYNC.
The Backstreet Boys (BSB) came directly out of NKOTBs success. The latters manager,
Maurice Starr, had risen to fame unexpectedly and suddenly: even after paid royalties, he
accumulated immense wealth from ticket, record, and merchandise sales. Lou Pearlman formed
BSB because he wanted to mimic Starrs mind-blowing international success. He carefully
gathered five promising teenagers - Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Kevin
Richardson, and AJ McLean - and went in search of financial backing. Pearlman achieved his
vision almost overnight: their 1996 debut album peaked at #1 on charts in Germany, Norway,
Switzerland, the Netherlands, Finland, Austria, and Canada, and landed in the Top 20 on
American charts7. By the time they released their second album, Millennium in 1999, their
reputation had been established. The album sold 1.3 million copies in the first week alone, and
continued to be the #1-selling album for two more weeks in 25 countries8. While subsequent
albums continued to place on the Top Hits charts, it was the success of Millennium that placed
BSB in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest selling boy band of all time. As of
2015, the group had sold 38 million albums in the United States, and 180 million worldwide.
BSBs international appeal was almost inevitable, as they had formed connections
overseas before they officially formed the band. Knowing the competition he would face in
America, Lou Pearlman took his new group to Swedish producers. Through the 1990s, 2000s,
and even today, Scandinavia and northern European countries like the Netherlands continued to
provide a loyal fanbase9. As recent as 2014, the group reconnected for a high-grossing
Norwegian beer commercial, featuring the pun Lager than Life (see Appendix). Such
commercials show the groups lasting influence on both aging fans, and an upcoming generation
of teens who still find the music appealing.
6 Hickey, Walt. "90s Boy Bands: A Numerical Retrospective." DataLab. June 04, 2014. Accessed February 25,
2016. http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/90s-boy-bands-a-numerical-retrospective/.
7 "Backstreet Boys." LetsSingIt. 2015. Accessed March 24, 2016. http://artists.letssingit.com/backstreet-boysb7k82.
8 Ibid.
9 Simone Driessen (PhD candidate), interview by Blaine Brubaker, Olivia Rakas, and Xenia Yelovich, April 7,
2016, transcript.

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich

12
Part of BSBs success comes from their flexibility. Definitions of Millennium vary: some hear a
pure pop sound, while others consider it adult contemporary. The New Grove Dictionary of
Music defines adult contemporary as a term used to describe popular music that appeals to
listeners between the ages of 25 and 55...embracing a wide range of genres10. Such a broad
definition shows the rationale behind labeling Millennium as adult contemporary. The targeted
preteen demographic was stronger than ever; but this album appealed to their siblings and
parents, too. It was easy to listen to, and had been created from strict observance of the wants of
their audience - not as a musical piece of art. This, more than anything, contributed to its initial
sales. Later, heavily-financed music videos helped keep the album at the top of the charts.
Just as BSB descended from NKOTB, the newest boy band, N*SYNC, were created out
of inspiration for BSB. Twenty-four-year-old Chris Kirkpatrick went to Lou Pearlman for advice
(Harrison). He researched the aural and visual components of boy bands, and found out what
worked and what failed. From there, he set off with four teenage boys in tow: Justin Timberlake,
JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass. Together, the five of them created a whole new boy
band idol. By 2000, album sales had raised them to BSBs equals. Their single Bye Bye Bye,
on the album No Strings Attached broke the record for most album sales its opening week11. As
of 2015, still held the record.
Unlike BSB and NKOTB, N*SYNC were formed entirely as an image that would sell to
their demographic; the music was secondary. Their music followed a simple format: whether an
upbeat pop anthem or a slow ballad, it had a memorable chorus and get-the-girl theme.
N*SYNC was a boy band that gained most of their appeal visually. For them, live performances,
merchandise, and image were everything. As their name suggested, they were truly in-sync
with each other - through dance routines - and with their audience, who asked for easy-to-digest
love interests and got them. After all, with their dance-toned physiques, bold fashion choices, and
frosted-tipped hairstyles, the boys of N*SYNC were universally irresistible. Preteen fans
prefered to use their imaginations to provide perfect personalities to their crushes: they did not
want to have to interpret complex individuals, and luckily, N*SYNCs rather shallow image
meant they did not have to do so.
Method
Data were collected through research, Top 40 charts, and interviews.
Interpretation
Were 90s boy bands nothing more than a consumer fad? Historian and author James
Ciment claimed as much, describing the boy band phenomenon as a fad that peaked and then
dwindled in the early 2000s. He describes social fads as nothing more than a popular fashion
10 Westover, Jonas. "Adult contemporary." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press,
accessed March 24, 2016,http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/A2234111
11 Hickey, Walt. "90s Boy Bands: A Numerical Retrospective." DataLab. June 04, 2014. Accessed February 25,
2016. http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/90s-boy-bands-a-numerical-retrospective/.

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich

13
that rapidly gains and then loses a high level of acceptance and adoption among the public.
Usually, the process unfolds over a matter of months, but it can sometimes last a few years.
Some fads disappear entirely after having had their heyday, while others merely settle in a less
conspicuous place in popular culture12.
A look at Billboard Top 40 charts appear to support this argument.Throughout the 1990s
and early 2000s, there were always several boy bands in Top 40 charts. By the BSB/N*SYNC
era from 1996-2002, the two boy bands essentially monopolized their spots in the Top 20. Soon,
however, both groups disbanded; other boy bands began to fade in general popularity. The fan
base was still loyal, but was aging: they were no longer teens. Ciments fad theory could appear
plausible.
Simone Driessen of Erasmus University doesnt think so, however. Driessen, who is
currently working on her PhD dissertation on the popularity of the Backstreet Boys in the
Netherlands, believes that 90s boy bands still hold a significant influence on todays music
industry. Bands like One Direction are also a new direction - they must tailor to a slightly
different audience, but their message is essentially the same. Driessen put it bluntly: Theres
always young girls, and theres always good-looking guys! So, if you put the two together, I
think theres a continuous development13. Boy bands will always remain a socially-appropriate
fantasy to a demographic that is beginning to explore their sexuality.
Compared to contemporary movements in other areas of music - the development of
grunge, for example - boy bands were tame. Parents did not understand their daughters
obsession, but at least it appeared to be harmless. Most of the time, this perception was by intent:
music industry marketers knew that parents still held some influence over what their sons and
daughters could hear. Lionel C. Martin, a director involved in BSB and N*SYNC music videos,
thought that boy bands innocent sexualization was perfectly in-tune with the needs of current
consumers. He described the phenomenon: I think parents feel good about these boy bands
because theyre not really controversial. I think the boy bands are real safe for America. My
daughter loves N*SYNC - I feel safe. Thats great. You dont feel threatened, you dont feel like
theyre gonna come home with some bad habits. So I think think thats one of the things thats
really appealing about these groups right now14.
In many ways, boy bands were not so much musical artists as they were the pawns of
skilled marketers. Merchandise sales soared: In addition to standard items like cassette tapes,
CDs, posters, and T-shirts, boy bands advertised their image on products as diverse as Christmas
ornaments and heart-shaped necklaces. Most merchandise was blatantly targeted at the female
teenybopper demographic. These kids were entering adolescence and finally felt like individuals;
they were just beginning to develop crushes and were starting to have their own money to

12Ciment, James. Postwar America: An Encyclopedia of Social, Political, Cultural, and Economic History.
Armonk, NY: Sharpe Reference, 2007.
13 Simone Driessen (PhD candidate), interview by Blaine Brubaker, Olivia Rakas, and Xenia Yelovich, April 7,
2016, transcript.
14 Levy, Frederick. The Ultimate Boy Band Book. New York: Pocket Books, 2000.

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich

14
spend15. Across the world, 13-year-old girls were able to broadcast their devotion to a group or
favorite group member from their school supplies and lunchboxes.
Boy bands were highly commercial - sometimes literally. Society was continually
becoming more media and technologically based, and television continued to be one of the
primary ways to reach a large fan audience. The channels E! Entertainment, MTV, and VH1 were
dedicated to music and entertainment. In general, MTV was more youth-oriented, and VH1 more
adult-oriented16. In the pre-YouTube days, popular bands used these channels as ways to
broadcast their music videos and advertise albums and merchandise. Many bands featured on
television were able to enlarge their fanbase. The Backstreet Boys and N*SYNC were no
exceptions. In addition to sharing and selling music, reality shows like House of Carters gave
viewers a chance to follow specific members of the group. Even though these shows often
portrayed the group members as shallow and spoiled, their status as an idolized love interest
combined with the overly-dramatic expectations of daytime-TV reinforced their appeal. As BSB
admitted in a recent interview, There was a lot of beefcakin going on.17 Quickly, boy bands
were expanding from the music world into other areas of everyday life and consumerism.
Boy bands experienced a devoted following that was nearly unprecedented in the music
industry. The shrieks and charged feelings of live audiences bordered on hysteria: it was a
notably different atmosphere than at other concerts. It was not uncommon to see fans cry when
their favorite group member appeared. Rachel Simmons, author of The Curse of the Good Girl,
compared weeping female fans to men crying with emotion at live sporting events. She
elaborated, In their day-to-day, non-concert-going lives, girls dont have a lot of permission to
scream. A concert offers an oasis from the daily rules about being good girls. Screaming is about
letting go and leaving the confines of being the self-conscious pleaser (Richards). Most of the
fans were preteens and impressionable: primal screaming was a literal way for girls to have a
voice in what they enjoyed. The bands themselves thrived on the devotion. Sound is energy!
claimed N*SYNCs JC Chasev, in response to deafening screaming when he walked out on
stage18. Those who could not attend a live performance got their boy band fix by watching
livestreams and music videos on TV.
In addition to TV, the upcoming generation was increasingly reliant on the Internet.
Youthful boy band-devotees found that the Internet provided both information, and a form of
expression and communication which could connect them to people across the globe. Fan pages,
blogs, online photo albums, and domains like ilovejustintimberlake.com were organized by
teenage fans who could finally broadcast a personalized declaration of their love for a boy band.
15 Simone Driessen (PhD candidate), interview by Blaine Brubaker, Olivia Rakas, and Xenia Yelovich, April 7,
2016, transcript.
16Westover, Jonas. "Adult contemporary." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press,
accessed March 24, 2016,http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/A2234111
17 2014-05-08 - Backstreet Boys Exclusive Sitdown with ET Canada. Filmed May 8, 2014. YouTube video,
2:44. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNrYlqqVwv4
18Richards, Chris. "Beatlemaniacs, Beliebers, Directioners - Why Do They Scream?"The Washington Post, July
26, 2014. Accessed February 29, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/beatlemaniacs-beliebersdirectioners--why-do-they-scream/2014/07/24/ae5437b4-1273-11e4-9285-4243a40ddc97_story.html.

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15

Conclusion
While the Backstreet Boys and N*SYNC have had their heyday, they left their lasting influence
on contemporary culture. Each of the members are still active in the entertainment industry
through solo careers. Boy bands remain popular all over the world. New bands, like One
Direction, are the new direction.

INFORMATION ABOUT INTERVIEWEE -- 4.7.16

Name: Simone Driessen
Age: 29
Occupation/Field of Study: PhD candidate at the Erasmus Research Centre for Media,
Communication and Culture and a lecturer in the Media and Communication department of
Erasmus University, Rotterdam.
Country of birth: Netherlands
Interviewed by Blaine Brubaker, Xenia Yelovich, and Olivia Rakas

Xenia Yelovich: Thank you for interviewing with us and sharing your research - its been really
helpful.
Simone Driessen: No problem.
XY: We wrote out a few questions if thats okay, just about the 90s boy band demographic.
SD: Mmm-hmm.
XY: Mainly what we were concerned about was, why were teenage girls the targeted
demographic? Was that by intent, or did that just kind of happen?
SD: I think that it isnt new - its not that the 90s were new already. If you look back to the old
boy band era, if we start back in the 60s with the Beatles, the Monkees, they were all
specifically targeted at young people. Whether it was young guys or young girls - it didnt matter
that much, but they were always just really targeted at a young crowd, because they were looking
for an identity. They were also the ones beginning to have a little money to spend. But most of all
they were interesting because they were able to create such an enormous, well, basically, they
were able to come to these concerts. And if you look all the way back to the Beatles they was
also a very social reason, as back in the day in the 60s, as a woman for instance, you were not
allowed to wear super short dresses, you were not allowed to go super crazy at a concert - which
now is totally accepted by Justin Bieber fans for instance. But back in the day it wasnt like that.
It was also a form of protest for these kids actually, but in the 90s, I say the biggest difference
there is that it was even more commercial than it was in the 60s. So, the layer of protest was sort
of gone, but there was still this notion, this feeling of these young kids going, okay, now we can

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finally attach ourselves to something; now how do we do this? I think that is why there is such a
big marketing going on with these boy bands.
XY: Thats interesting. So do you think that contributed more to their popularity than their
music?
SD: I think their looks *everyone laughs* are definitely contributing more to their popularity
than their music, and as you look at them, most of the time they are not really good singers
*everybody laughs*.
XY: Thats true! Awesome. Then - that answered most of our questions, actually. But really, the
only other thing we were wondering is, do you think then thats why the older fanbase now - like
the middle-aged mom crowd thats still really into this area - do you think thats why? Because it
was so expressive when they were teenagers?
SD: Yeah. Yeah. Because, this is fixating, like if you turn 34 your music doesnt change
anymore. But I think what most of us have now is that once you start to go through these changes
of becoming a mom, having a first full-time job, or - these changing environments, right, you
lose friends from the past but you do still want to keep a connection to the past, because you do
feel that thats important. At least, your teenage years are very formative in that sense. And I
think that this music is what helps a lot of them to reflect on this period but also to sort of escape
their current life. Because if youre a mom with a crying baby, its not always fun. *everyone
laughs* Even though people tell you having kids is wonderful, at least if I hear my colleagues
its not fun! And just having a listen to this old record might remind you of who you were as a
16-year-old girl who was in love with, say, Nick Carter for instance. These give you a
momentary break from things. It makes you escape the world you are currently living in. So I
think thats for most of these middle-aged fans at least, or, well, middle-aged is tricky to say
so! - more 40s, older not young fans, thats a reason for them to still listen and commit to the
fanbase.
XY: Okay, so its more kind of like a fantasy for them.
SD: It sort of is, yeah. Its like, I mean, maybe youve heard of the book, where all these stay-athome moms read these novels like Fifty Shades of Grey.
Everyone: Oh! Yeah, yeah.
SD: This study was conducted and its sort of the same principle. They do it to escape from
whatever youre doing now, but it makes you more conscious I think of that moment in your life
when youre there. Thats a side effect, but were not very conscious for all of them, but at least
if we look at it academically then thats a reason why we should study this - why we can study
this.
XY: Yeah! Thats so interesting. That answers most of the questions I had, I didnt know if either
of you had any more.
Blaine Brubaker: So, for today, do you feel that the boy band era is still continuing? Is it
slowing down? Is it expanding?
SD: *laughs* Thats a good question because thats actually what the recent developments in the
One Direction fandom, I think thats very very interesting. Apparently, his going solo, thats the
biggest selling artist ever to break away from a band, which says something, which makes me

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question, what is the value of a boy band nowadays? For instance, in the Netherlands here is a
show on TV that is looking for the next boy or girl band.
XY: Oh wow.
SD: So I dont think it has stopped, right? And then, what is what we typically define as a boy
band as well. Is it something just for a group of boys in a band that qualify as a boy band in
pop music for instance? So, it is a bit tricky, right? But I do think there is a sort of continuation,
or at least a loop every 10 years. We see these bands coming back, and it is also - think about the
guys who are now in charge of creating these bands, like Simon Cowell. They are old enough,
they now have the money to actually produce these bands, and maybe 15 years from now one of
the One Direction guys has money to create such a talent show or competition, that they set up
their own boy band again. They already know how it works. I think that is important to realize
that. Theres also the commercial side to this, I mean very commercial interest in keeping this
phenomenon going. Theres always young girls, and theres always good-looking guys!
*everyone laughs* So, if you put the two together, I think theres a continuous development.
XY: Yeah.
BB: Also, do you think the highly-sexualized image of the boy band led to more of a sexual
revolution within that world-wide culture?
SD: I think back in the 60s that argument is quite valid.
BB: Okay.
SD: If we look at the Beatles or Rolling Stones fans yes. But we look at now or later on in the
90s, I think that the rave culture and more of the dance culture was much more sexually
liberating and innovative in that sense, in comparison to the boy bands. If you look at them now
even, yes the girls, its the point where they first realize what love is, actually fall in love and
realize they have physical sensations coming from looking at these guys for instance, but I dont
think it is as strong as it used to be. Also because we now live in a much more media-centered
world obviously.
XY: Do you think its partly just from who backs them? Because boy bands you tend to think
more of the Disney crowd, whereas rave is still more underground. Do you think that had an
influence on it?
SD: Definitely, yeah. I think its also - I mean, what you see now actually is how boy bands are a
bit more - I dont know how to properly phrase it, but I think theyre a bit more structured, polite,
shallow perhaps. I mean, in the past they were also shallow, but we do live in a different era now.
Even though they are so highly accessible, right, I mean, we can tweet them, we can see their
Facebook page, we can follow them on Snapchat or Instagram or whatever, it is a bit more
shallow than in the past, and I do think that these guys are very aware of this. It has formed this
idea of what is mainstream and how this compares to underground scenes for instance - thats
also very different.
BB: Okay.
XY: Okay!, Well, that answered everything we had, so thank you so much for Skyping with us!
SD: Youre welcome! It is no problem. And I would love to read your paper when you are
finished with it.

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Bibliography
2014-05-08 - Backstreet Boys Exclusive Sitdown with ET Canada. Filmed May 8, 2014.
YouTube video, 2:44. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNrYlqqVwv4
"Backstreet Boys." LetsSingIt. 2015. Accessed March 24, 2016.
http://artists.letssingit.com/backstreet-boys-b7k82.
Ciment, James. Postwar America: An Encyclopedia of Social, Political, Cultural, and Economic
History. Armonk, NY: Sharpe Reference, 2007.
Harrison, Thomas. Music of the 1990s. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2011.
Hickey, Walt. "90s Boy Bands: A Numerical Retrospective." DataLab. June 04, 2014. Accessed
February 25, 2016. http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/90s-boy-bands-a-numericalretrospective/.
Levy, Frederick. The Ultimate Boy Band Book. New York: Pocket Books, 2000.
Richards, Chris. "Beatlemaniacs, Beliebers, Directioners - Why Do They Scream?"The
Washington Post, July 26, 2014. Accessed February 29, 2016.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/beatlemaniacs-beliebers-directioners-why-do-they-scream/2014/07/24/ae5437b4-1273-11e4-9285-4243a40ddc97_story.html.
Simone Driessen (PhD candidate), interview by Blaine Brubaker, Olivia Rakas, and Xenia
Yelovich, April 7, 2016, transcript.
Driessen, Simone. "Larger than Life: Exploring the Transcultural Fan Practices of the Dutch
Backstreet Boys Fandom." Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies
12, no. 2 (November 2015). Accessed April 10.
Westover, Jonas. "Adult contemporary." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford
University Press, accessed March 24, 2016,
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/A2234111

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich

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Introduction/Purpose
The 1990s were a time ripe with popular music: upbeat, catchy, and simple tunes that
resonated with people all across the world. This music, similar in nature between several
countries, especially flourished in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Japan,
however, took the boy band one-step further. Known as idols19 or talent20, these young
performers sing, pose for photographs, and appear frequently in the media.21 Although
female idols had been around in Japan since the 1970s, it was not until the 1990s when male
idols exploded onto the popular music scene.
Johnnys Jimusho (management agency), or Johnnys for short,22 is still today a major
agency producing male idol groups. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Johnnys created some
of the most popular male idol groups such as SMAP,23 Arashi,24 and KAT-TUN. Most Johnnys
groups get a start in the music industry by first acting in popular television dramas, being on
various television or radio variety shows, or participating in commercials, or CMs. Once the
groups have solidified their status in Japanese households, they then release an album and hold
concerts in Japan and other Asian countries.25 For example, statistics were taken by Dacapo
magazine in 2002 on idol group SMAPs appearances on television:
A study of Video Research ratings by Dacapo magazine in summer 2002 revealed that
SMAP members totaled 117 percent of ratings points in a week (Johnnys members
totaled 250.7 percent); in other words, in a typical week they are seen, on average, more
than once by every viewer in Japan.26
19 (aidoru), literally translated as idol.
20 (tarento), literally translated as talent.
21 Patrick W. Galbraith and Jason G. Karlin, Introduction: The Mirror of Idols and Celebrity,
in Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture, ed. Patrick W. Galbraith and Jason G. Karlin
(New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), 4-5.

22 (Janiizu Jimusho), literally translated to Johnnys Management Agency.

Also known as (Janiizu), translated as Johnnys.

23 Abbreviation for Sports Music Assemble People. Carolyn Stevens, Japanese Popular
Music: Culture, authenticity, and power (London and New York: Routledge, 2008), 53.
24 (arashi), literally translated as storm.
25 Kazumi Nagaike, Johnnys Idols as Icons: Female Desires to Fantasize and Consume
Male Idols, in Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture, ed. Patrick W. Galbraith and
Jason G. Karlin (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2012), 98.

26 Mark D. West, Secrets, Sex, and Spectacle: The Rules of Scandal in Japan and the United
States (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007): 199, quoted in Kazumi Nagaike,
Johnnys Idols as Icons, in Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture, ed. Patrick W.
Galbraith and Jason G. Karlin (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2012), 97.

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich

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One question remains: why do women, especially older women, have an attraction to
these idol groups when the groups are seen by and marked towards all ages? Is it their looks or is
it their music? The purpose of my research was to explore the male idol subculture in Japan,
which is the equivalent of the boy band subculture in the United States and United Kingdom, and
to answer the very questions proposed.
Method
Data were collected through articles and books on Japanese male idols and interviews.
One Japanese female student and three professors at three different universities were contacted
for interviews. Two responded: the Japanese female student and one of the professors. The
interview was conducted through video chat on LINE, a popular Japanese social media
application, and through email correspondence. Five questions were asked in total, ranging from
the subjects knowledge on Japanese male idols to an opinion on why Japanese male idols are
still popular with older women. The video chat interview was transcribed for easier reading and
study.
Interpretation
The name of the video chat interviewee was Misaki Suzuki. Misaki Suzuki is a 21-year
old Japanese Elementary Education major at Naruto University of Education in Naruto,
Tokushima Prefecture, Japan with a focus in English language education. From age nine to
fourteen, the subject studied in the United States during the American school year and lived and
studied in Japan during the American summer school break. Although studying English in the US
and furthering her studies after moving back to Japan has given her a complex understanding of
the English language, there was a slight language barrier during the interview.
Dr. Fabienne Darling-Wolf was interviewed through email correspondence, being asked
the same questions as Misaki Suzuki. Dr. Darling-Wolf is the Associate Professor of Journalism
at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a Global Media scholar. She is 46 years
old and even though she is living in the United States today, she was originally born in France.
Dr. Darling-Wolf has written several articles on Japanese male idol, especially on the fanbase
behind the idol group SMAP.
Teenage girls seem to be the targeted demographic because they have a disposable
income and are more likely to be involved with fan activities such as collecting merchandise and
discussing their favorite music online. Some of these websites include video streaming services
like YouTube, Nico Nico Douga, and Vimeo, and blogging websites such as Tumblr, Wordpress,
and Livejournal. According to Dr. Darling Wolf, Young men are also targeted, of course, but
music fandom has historically been feminized, in Japan as elsewhere.27 This feminization
by the music industry can be seen by the highly sexualized use of young men within male idol
groups. One common theme all of the male idol groups have in common are these attractive men.
27 Dr. Fabienne Darling-Wolf, interview by Blaine Brubaker, April 25, 2016, interview 2,
transcript, Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA.

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich

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By appealing to a demographic who are in the middle of discovering their own sexuality, this
leads to more of an attraction towards male idols by teenage girls.
As mentioned before, the fanbase expresses themselves through websites on the Internet
and the buying of merchandise. Merchandise can include posters, clothing, and albums. ABC
Popular News recently reported on an incident in January 2016 where the idol group SMAP
announced their potential disbandment. Fans were so outraged the Japanese Twitter servers
overloaded and SMAP went on television a few days later apologizing for the upset they had
caused.28 This shows how powerful the fanbases behind these male idol groups can be. By
banding together, these fanbases can sway the bands and the music industry into doing what they
want.
However, why are middle-aged females still so attached to the male idol culture? Middleaged females are a major target for the Japanese television industry due to the large amount of
stay-at-home mothers who watch a lot of television or will keep the television on for background
noise.29 Since Johnnys idols are so present in the media, the young men become easily
identifiable by all ages, especially those who consume a large amount of television. Other
research refers to older women treating their favorite idols like part of the family.30 The
image the male idol puts off is one of youth, energy, and the promise of success which all
give life to the middle-aged woman who may not have any of these three things.31 Finally,
todays middle-aged women were young when idol groups such as SMAP hit the music scene.
Both the idols and the women thus grew up together in a sense. Reminding the middle-aged
women of their adolescence, it urges a feeling of youth and a feeling of past memories whether
they be good or bad.
Conclusion
When doing further research, I would try to interview more female fans from Japan. The
issue is location. I only know so many people in Japan, and most of the time, language is a huge
barrier. Even though most Japanese must study English in school, many never have the chance to
speak English and a lot of English conversation skills are lost. Interviewing those who have done
in-depth research on the subject are highly important to understanding why older women are so

28 SMAP: Ageing Japanese 'boy band' stages televised apology for trying to break up, ABC
Premium News, January 2016.

29 Dr. Fabienne Darling-Wolf, interview by Blaine Brubaker, April 25, 2016, interview 2,
transcript, Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA.

30 Jason G. Karlin, Through a Looking Glass Darkly: Television Advertising, Idols, and the
Making of Fan Audiences, in Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture, ed. Patrick W.
Galbraith and Jason G. Karlin (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), 80.

31 Ibid.

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attached to male idols today. However, unless one actually interviews women a part of this
subculture, one is not getting the full story on the male idol fanbase.

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich

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Interview Transcripts
Interview participant: Misaki Suzuki
Age: 21
Occupation/Field of Study: Elementary Education major at Naruto University of Education with
a focus in English
Country of birth: Japan
Interviewed by: Blaine Brubaker at Seton Hill University through LINE, a messaging app, on
April 8, 2016
Transcribed by: Blaine Brubaker
Blaine Brubaker: Okay! So, your name is?
Misaki Suzuki: Misaki Suzuki.
BB: And what is your age?
MS: I am twenty-one.
BB: And what do you do? Work, school?
MS: I go to [a] university.
BB: Where were you born?
MS: I was born in Japan.
BB: So, um, if I were to ask you, like, what do you think a boy band is, what do you think of?
MS: Um, I think they are wild.
BB: Wild? Ooo!
MS: Because I have kind of [a] rough image.
BB: Could you name groups, like bands, that would match this?
MS: [Laughs] Um Name?
BB: Okay, let me put it this way. If I were to say, like, an idol group. Do you think that is a boy
band?
MS: Yeah, some boy band is an idol group.
BB: Okay, okay. So some groups like Arashi or KinKi Kids or SMAP? Because in America, we
would see groups like that and think, Oh! Thats a boy band.
MS: Yeah
BB: Do you feel that way? Or do you think?
MS: Yeah.
BB: And, um, do you think a lot of young girls like these groups?
MS: Yeah, in Japan!
BB: Why do you think that is? Why do you think young girls like it so much?
MS: That the idol group one?
BB: Mm-hmm.
MS: Because they are good-looking maybe?
BB: Do you think, um, girls have always been who idol groups go to when they sell things or
make music?

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich

25
MS: What? Can you ask once more?
BB: Yeah! Um, why do you think young girls are the ones idol groups sell to or make music
for?
MS: Oh!
BB: Because they know they can make money?
MS: Because they have more girl fans.
BB: So, its just easy.
MS: Yeah.
BB: Next question. Um () [Laughs] How do you think fans of these groups express
themselves?
MS: () Eh like they [idol groups] appear in art.
BB: Uh-huh.
MS: Or they appear in some kind of big event?
BB: What kind of big event?
MS: Uh Like I think a concert is one.
BB: Uh-huh.
MS: And () Like, in Japan, you know we had a big earthquake in Tohoku [area containing six
prefectures in the northern part of Honshu, Japans largest island].
BB: Yes!
MS: And many of the boys idol group [groups] did a charity concert in Tohoku.
BB: Oh, thats cool!
MS: Um, those kind of events.
BB: Okay, okay. Thats so cool!
MS: [Laughs]
BB: I didnt know that. Um Where do you think these idol groups are most popular? Do you
think its the whole country?
MS: Uh () I think its true in [the] whole country but more in city places [cities].
BB: Okay. So not in the country [areas].
MS: Mm-hmm.
BB: One of my last questions is why do you think that idol groups are so popular? Is it like
music or dancing or like, um concerts or them being really cute?
MS: Um, () I think them being very cute is important.
BB: [laughs] Yeah! And, like, your mom likes some idol groups still, right?
MS: Yeah.
BB: Why do you think, like, she still likes them? Cause she liked them when they first
appeared, right?
MS: [Nods yes]
BB: So, why do you think she still likes them?
MS: Um.. Because they are so entertaining.
BB: [Nods in agreement]
MS: For example, they do many TV shows thats so funny.

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich

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BB: [Laughs]
MS: And, but, they are also cool.
BB: Mmm!
MS: I think.
BB: [Laughs] Okay. I think thats all the questions. That wasnt hard, was it?
MS: [Nods no and laughs]

Interview Participant: Dr. Fabienne Darling-Wolf

Age: 46
Occupation/Field of Study: Associate Professor of Journalism/Global Media scholar
Country of Birth: France
Interviewed by: Blaine Brubaker at Seton Hill University through email correspondence received
on April 25, 2016
Blaine Brubaker: Why were teenage girls the targeted demographic? Have they always been the
targeted demographic? Has this changed throughout the years?
Dr. Darling-Wolf: Teenaged girls are a particularly attractive demographic to marketers because
they have a good amount of disposable income and they are more likely to overtly participate in
all sorts of fan activities. There is less of a stigma for girls in doing such things as collecting
posters of their favorite singers or discussing them online than there is for boys. Young men are
also targeted, of course, but music fandom has historically been feminized, in Japan as
elsewhere think, for instance, of gendered nature of Beatles mania. If anything has changed
over the years it is that the target audience is getting younger and younger, with tweens (8-12)
now being a main target as well.
BB: What were/are the main ways the fanbase express(ed) themselves?
DW: Going to concerts and buying the music, of course, but also buying merchandize featuring
the bands and participating in fan clubs and online discussions. Recently, there was an interesting
case of the fanbase mobilizing itself when SMAP came close to breaking up (for umpteenth
time). There was a huge movement to buy the song Sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana online,
which resulted in bringing the 2003 song back to the top of the Oricon daily single ranking chart
in January 2016.
BB: Where were boy bands/male idols most popular - or did it vary group by group or by
different locations in the country?
DW: They are popular everywhere. This is due in part to the fact that music producers often are
careful to include singers that are clearly identified as coming from different regions. So, for

Brubaker, Rakas, Yelovich

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instance, on Shikoku, everyone knows that Kusanagi Tsuyoshi is originally from Ehime
prefecture.
BB: Why were boy bands/male idols so popular? Was it the music, the dancing, the intimate
connection with the audience (through lyrics and live shows), a sexualized image, the sale of
merchandise, the influence of technology like radio, television, and later the Internet - or
something different altogether?
DW: All of the above, plus the fact that Johnny Kitagawa has such a tight control over the
production of male stars in Japan and hes a pretty smart, even if quite shady, businessman.
BB: In your opinion (and/or based on your research), why have so many middle-aged women
remained supportive of the boy bands of their youth?
DW: One reason is that many of these bands never really go away. The SMAP members, for
instance, are almost all in their 40s now, but they are still doing all the things that they were
doing 20 years ago and they are all still quite visible. So the audience doesnt have a chance to
lose interest. Also, there was a strong middle-aged female following for all of these bands (even
the current ones with very young members). Middle-aged women are a main target of the
television industry because you have a lot of at home moms who consume a lot of television.

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