Here's a new good song: "Pillowtalk" by Zayn. I don't have any problem with boy bands per se. I think *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees had some good songs, as did some boy bands not as well known in the U.S., like Take That and Scouting for Girls, who had my favorite songs of 1995 and 2010 respectively -- "Back For Good" and "This Ain't A Love Song." There's no inherent reason why a boy band can't have a good song. In fact, the combination of vocal ability and access to talented writers and producers should guarantee some nice output.
There are two big exceptions to this, however. The first is New Kids on the Block, who from 1988 and 1990 produced nothing but terrible music, although I'll concede that their 2008 semi-comeback hit "Summertime" was fine. The second exception is One Direction. It doesn't take a genius to see the appeal of this group, because teenage girls and gay boys like cute boys who sing love songs. That's always been true and always will be, and that's fine. But their music is so bad it actually surprises me. And it's not just bad, it's also forgettable. At least NKOTB's bad music was memorable. Maybe I've just grown cynical. But whatever the reason, One Direction's shtick doesn't work for me, even though I'm sure the members are talented and work hard for their success, and I wish each of them well.
That said, former One Direction member Zayn Malik has just released his debut single, and I think it's pretty good. See what you think below. I'm put off by the pointless and cliched use of all-caps, but whatever. Enjoy!
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