#90s!5sos

[smile-files]

cute girls with cute voices <3

[wiiildflowerrr]

I'm 48 and my top artist is 5SOS, cos being middle-aged doesn't mean you don't have good taste in music.

[girlmagazineedits]

The Lost Art of Boybands

Boybands meant everything to the average teen girl but lately, there doesn’t seem to be any musical teenage heartthrobs. The average boyband's music wasn’t made for just anybody, their target audience was girls ages 9-16, which made them so special. In a confusing world of adolescence, insecurities, puberty, and newfound feelings, girls had a safe space within their favorite boyband. Where did the tween and teen market for boybands go?

The Beatles were one of the most popular boybands and best-selling artists of all time, a group who single-handedly changed music and boybands forever in the 60s. They had girls from all over the globe falling at their feet. Since then music and the teenage heartthrob market soared. Skipping to now, boybands have had a great run, NSYNC, One Direction, and The Jonas Brothers shook the hearts of Millenial and early Gen Z girls everywhere. Boybands dominated the pop charts, the music industry, and our parent's pockets with as much merch as possible from pencils and room decor to concert tickets and meet and greets. 

The tween and teenage girl market is so important and it is becoming less and less. Girls 9-16 jump from children’s music and television to adult media with the impact of social media. With the rise of Instagram, TikTok, and apps alike, social media became the main source for heartthrobs, no more music and television. Teen girls now idolize their favorite YouTubers and influencers. We saw this rise in social media fandom circa 2014 when Magcon and YouTube celebrities like O2L became the new “boybands”. Music was no longer profitable for the hearts of teenage girls if they could watch their favorite boy crushes post content on Vine, YouTube, or Instagram every day. Why wait annually for an entire album or single?

What makes boybands so special is the hope and confidence they give young girls through a very confusing time. Middle and early high school can be depressing, there are so many influences and triggers, you're becoming more understanding of the world around you, body changes, hormonal changes, gossip, friends, school, and parents, the list never ends for the stressors of a teenage girl. Boybands sing about giving girls confidence, empowerment, romance, being a gentleman, and having fun, which makes the girl listener feel seen, heard, and understood. For decades boybands were so influential because they are managed by adults who understand the demographic. With the lack of tween and teen media powered by the influence of the phone and social media, came the lack of our favorite pop-y boybands. There is simply no market for boybands anymore.

[edge-oftheworld]

someone help me out here what’s the late 2000s dance song that the verses of wicked habit remind me of

[ijustdontlikepeople]

Em’s 90s!Muke WIP as requested for @pixiegrl

[ilostyou]

Hii M! It's sooo nice seeing you have a meltdown over 5sos (and luke) cause I was like, alright one show is enough (cant really afford more since i'm doing three for taylor). And now I feel like I'll also end up in Budapest after seeing your reactions. And I know this could happen since I wanna go to more than one sooo bad 🫣

Also which songs were the 'highlights' in your opinion?

hiii!! you can always count on me for a meltdown 🤭 the funny thing is the first show i went to was the last minute one, and the second one was always the plan! i actually did enjoy the second one a lot more - not for any concrete reason just the vibes were SO insane (and i was also with my best friend and not solo lol)

highlights!!!! some of the standouts from the setlist imo (obvious and not as obvious) are bad omens, blender, why won’t you love me, best friends, don’t stop, amnesia, and outer space. they also seem to be really really enjoying carousel like they look soooo happy on stage and it’s so nice to see lol. carousel in msg got me all 🥹❤️‍🩹

[kindahoping4forever]

Hey there!! Hope you're doing well with all the craziness this week with tickets and stuff!! Personal wise and 5sos related things wise hahahaha I'm here to ask you a question if you don't mind...🙃 My friend and I are considering getting soundcheck for one of the concerts but the thing is, we're not entirely sure what that entails 🤷‍♀️ We would love to know a little bit about it to make sure it's gonna be worth it spending that money... Have an amaaaaaziinig day!!

Sure, I'd love to help! I did soundcheck for the first (and second lol) time last year during Take My Hand and I'd say it made for a very fun and special but exhausting day.

Things will likely vary slightly this time since there are now two different soundcheck packages, with separate activities made available to the top tier. (All the details are available here but essentially, the Friends of Friends package includes the soundcheck experience plus access to a private lounge with photo ops, drinks and merch shopping.) But the traditional VIP experience has you checking in with VIP Nation in the early afternoon (you'll receive an email a few days before explaining what time to be there by and where you'll check in for your line number and laminate. At my shows, check-in officially began at 2pm, with soundcheck scheduled for 4:30 and to my memory, it began closer to 5) and waiting in line while everyone gets sorted. (They had a merch stand near the line for us to shop while we waited but I'm unclear on if that's just for the FoF package now.)

When it's time, you're led into the venue (according to the number you were assigned when you checked in) and after a bit more waiting, the band comes out and plays a song (occasionally it's something from the setlist, but typically it's not. Afterwards, they sit on the stage and a short Q&A session begins. (This appears to only be available to the FoF package now but previously, in the VIP Nation check-in email, there would be a Google form for fans to submit a question for the band. If your question is chosen, you're pulled aside during the check-in process.) This part is fun vibes (I think they expect silly questions and are game for it but they clearly get excited when someone asks something of actual substance) and after they answer a handful of questions, maybe 5-10 depending on how long Ashton talks the answers are, they get up and play another song. That concludes soundcheck and then typically you're allowed to stay inside the venue and take advantage of the low lines for merch, restrooms and concessions before the doors open to the rest of the public.

So the actual soundcheck is probably only a 30-45 minute experience but you do get 2 extra performances (and there's often fun, unexpected choices! At my first show, they did Valentine and Long Way Home and for my second, they did Moving Along and Voodoo Doll lmaooo) and to basically chill out with them during the Q&A. A lot of people also appreciate the exclusivity of the experience, as phones and cameras are prohibited (there were unfortunately multiple instances of leaked content last tour but for the most part, what truly happens during each soundcheck is a mystery to all but those in attendance lol). Also if you have GA for your show, being let into the venue before the majority of attendees is absolutely a bonus (my shows were GA, which I hate so honestly the early entry was the main reason I upgraded). The only real downside to it tbh is that it makes for an extremely long day, especially if you're GA (and depending on where your venue is located, you may be waiting for soundcheck in heat/direct sun). Your frame of reference could be different of course, but I am traditionally not a GA girlie nor a line camping girlie, so I was dying by the end of the night after being on my feet basically non-stop for 9-10 hours. (Oh, the gloriously ravenous Taco Bell feast that took place when we got back to our hotel 🤌🏻) But otherwise, it's a lot of fun and if you can afford it, I think it's worth giving a shot at least once, to have the experience!

[celestialivy]

Just finished making a 100 song playlist with an accompanying 3000-word Google doc explaining them for my friend. This is my love language.

[pixiegrl]

x

[loveofmylouis]

.

[travelingtwentysomething]

Bro I thought this was an 80s/90s artist and album 🥲 I was SHOOK when I realized

"I'll be honest with you, I really didn't realise CDs were poppin still...I haven't used a CD in about, it has to be ten years!" - Ashton Irwin, June 8th 2024

[lover-of-mine]

Look, I know I mostly gif buddie so that means I mostly get my scenes from season 2 and forward, but like specific colorings I have saved for recurring locations like the station not working on season 1 footage is actually driving me mad. What the hell was happening with season 1 for it to be soon warm???? I'm tired of correcting the orange.

[tuesdaygray]

i love that 5sos come out on stage these days with absolutely zero outfit or aesthetic coordination. like we’ve got:

- reformed eboy

- late 90s skater

- slutty businessman tipsy after one (1) happy-hour margarita singing (impressive) karaoke at the bar

- leather cowboy

and they always eat.

[edge-oftheworld]

there's no feeling quite like attempting to play all the parts of thin white lies on piano and realising. there is A LOT to work with here

[ilostyou]

there is no validation quite like having strangers compliment your music taste

[cherienymphe]

I hate when young/youngish celebrities die because the day always feels weird after.

I know this is fucked up because of parasocial relationships I guess but I always feel guilty afterward for not being able to help them. Like, I wasn’t even a fan of Liam, I haven’t listened to One Direction for years, and barely thought about Liam… yet my sister woke me up last night to tell me about him and I could not get back to sleep. I literally had a massive panic attack because I was feeling guilty? It happened when Angus Cloud and Chance Perdomo died too. And it’s not just celebrities either.

I was always a 5SOS girlie but will never forget how 1D helped them

It's a harsh reminder of our mortality. He was 31 and that is too young to die for anyone. Never mind the fact that for 90% of us, our parasocial relationships with them were during our most formative years. We're talking 10/11-18/early 20s when majority of the fandom was fans. At that age, these people seem immortal and invincible and you don't even think about the day they'll leave bc it just seems unrealistic. I'm sure in the back of our minds we still felt that way on a subconscious level