The 2013 VMA Award Winner for Song of the Summer. And this angered a lot of people. I don't understand why. And so, I am going to embark upon my defense of One Direction.
When I was a kid, we had boy bands. Specifically, we had a singing group named New Kids on The Block. Those five kids from Boston made boy bands a little cool. The next generation of kids had N*Sync and the Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees and Take That and a whole bunch of boy bands that will probably all be featured on this blog sometime.
These boy bands all had two things in common. First of all, they were made up of a bunch of mates who harmonized well together, VOCALLY, but were primarily vocal groups. Second, they sang nice, quiet, sanitized pop songs, with little variation.
These five guys who just barely beat Cher Lloyd on X Factor (she came in 4th, they came in 3rd) have become a huge worldwide sensation, for real. But they did it a little differently than boy bands that came before. There's a pop sensibility -sure - but these guys clearly have a stronger rock influence than the boy bands that came before them. I'm not saying they're AC/DC here, but there is more of an edge than we've seen before.
More to the point, though - these guys are five very powerful vocalists who advanced on X Factor as soloists in their own right. And some of them even played and play instruments. They aren't just a vocal group. They've got musical talent.
I mean, there's no doubt they were a little manufactured by Simon Cowell. But they've grown much better than that.
And if you doubt my claim on them playing instruments.... well, here they are, some of them with instruments. That they are actually playing.
Now that you've seen this, go over to Totally Covered and check out a cover by these guys.
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