Twenty years after going larger than life with their 1999 blockbuster “Millennium”, the Backstreet Boys are back, okay! – with “DNA”, their ninth studio album, outside friday.
Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake – the unnamed biggest star Michael Jackson to ever hang out on a boy group – will bring his “Man of the Woods†tour back to Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
Not just a guy’s domain, boy groups were born with a youthful sound and spirit – plus some appeal for girls who want more.
Here we take out our synchronized dance steps and rank the 10 best boy groups of all time.
1. The Jackson 5 | Year launched: 1969
The family group that established the ABCs of the Boy Groups Playbook is still – and always will be – the great men on this canvas. Even after they had to change their name to Jacksons when they left Motown in 1975, they still had Michael’s magic.
Best song: “I will be there,” their biggest single and the last of four No.1 hits.
Memorable moment: After Michael became a solo superstar, the Jackson 5 staged a reunion thriller on “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” in 1983.
2. Street boys | Year launched: 1997
The best-selling boy group of all time, they are also one of the most enduring: they are up for a Grammy for “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” on February 10, 17 years after their last nomination. for “Shape of my heart.”
Best song: “I want it like this”, a ballad at its best.
Memorable moment: At the height of their popularity in 2000, they even had their own comic book, “Backstreet Project,†created by BSB’s Nick Carter and Marvel’s Stan Lee.
3. Boyz II Men | Year launched: 1991
They updated the old-fashioned doo-wop for a new generation with their Philadelphia High School-grown “Motownphilly†sound for the Creative and Performing Arts. Their vocal abilities and harmonies set the standard among boy groups.
Best song: “End of the Roadâ€, their Grammy-winning smash from the “Boomerang†soundtrack.
Memorable moment: Teaming up with Mariah Carey on 1995’s “One Sweet Dayâ€, they spent a record 16 weeks at No.1.
4. * NSYNC | Year launched: 1998
If they had just given us Justin Timberlake, that would have been enough. But while they only did three albums before JT went solo, they had a string of hits ranging from 1996’s “I Want You Back” to 2001’s “Girlfriend”.
Best song: “Bye Bye Bye” – and its iconic video with * NSYNC doing like puppets.
Memorable moment: They rocked the 2001 Super Bowl halftime show with Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly.
5. New edition | Year launched: 1983
As a new edition of the Jackson 5, this Boston quintet not only spawned a solo star with Bobby Brown but also another successful band with Bell Biv DeVoe. And they get bonus points for Michael Bivins who discovers and manages Boyz II Men.
Best song: “Mister. Telephone Man,” before the voices change and innocence is lost.
Memorable moment: After Brown was kicked out of the band in 1985, NE said “Thank you, next” and found a better, more emotional singer: Johnny Gill.
6. New Kids On The Block | Year launched: 1988
Like New Edition, NKOTB was another Boston boy group that was prepped for their Maurice Starr buyout. And although they’ve had their individual activities – including an acting career for Donnie Wahlberg (the “Blue Bloods” TV series) – they’re still tough together.
Best song: “Step by Step”, their 1990 No. 1 hit that touched all the girls.
Memorable moment: Donnie’s brother, Mark Wahlberg, appeared in the “Step by Step” video when he was still Marky Mark, shirtless frontman of the Funky Bunch.
7. A direction | Launch year: 2012
Unlike other British and Irish boy groups before them, such as Take That, Boyzone and Westlife, 1D has managed to take over the United States as well as the United Kingdom. Trained by Simon Cowell on “The X Factor”, the group then launched promising solo careers, notably for Harry Styles.
Best song: “What Makes You Beautiful”, pretty boy pop-rock that packs a punch.
Memorable moment: When Zayn Malik left 1D in 2015, it was the beginning of the end for them: they took a hiatus the following year.
8. Menudo | Year launched: 1981
Formed in Puerto Rico, the Latin boy group had a rotating lineup and strict age restrictions when they first started: you had passed the hill at 16 and needed to be replaced.
Best song: “Subete a Mi Motoâ€, which in Spanish means “Get on my motorcycleâ€.
Memorable moment: The most famous of Menudo alumni, Ricky Martin, joined their ranks in 1983, when he was only 12, and said “adios†in 1989.
9. BTS | Launch year: 2017
The South Korean septet, whose name means Beyond the Scene, is currently the biggest boy group in the world as international sensations have put K-pop on the map in the United States.
Best song: “Fake Love”, their first US Top 10 single last year.
Memorable moment: After BTS became the first K-pop group to perform at the American Music Awards in 2017, last year they became the first South Korean artists to headline a show at an American stadium in the United States. Citi Field.
ten. The Osmonds | Year launched: 1971
This place is pretty much a game of chance between the Osmonds and two other groups of brothers: Hanson and the Jonas Brothers. But we’re giving it to Donny and his brothers because they’re the OGs.
Best song: “One Bad Apple,†their 1971 No. 1 hit, which was also the theme song for their ABC cartoon show.
Memorable moment: Having previously released music under the Osmond Brothers name, Donny joined the band in 1970 and took them to another level.
