The first - like many young girls of my generation - was the Spice Girls. They had fun, infectious songs that were easy to sing along to - never mind the very marketable "Girl Power" angle they were pushing - and I fully bought into the brand at the height of their popularity and influence. I bought their CD, had their posters on my wall, and even got a pack of their official bubble gum so I could have a Baby Spice approved temporary tattoo. I saw Spice World in theaters and loved it unironically and dreamed of attending a concert. In my mind, the Spice Girls were going to be around forever, how could they not? They were at the height of their popularity, there was nowhere to go but up!

Suffice it to say, when Geri Halliwell announced her departure from the group, I was shocked and genuinely saddened. It didn't matter that four of the five members were going to continue, it felt like the end of an era for me.

Your first band break-up is never going to be fun.

 

Favourite member: Baby Spice

 

 

 

 

My second pop group love was (and still is) Arashi - a Japanese boy band under one of the more powerful talent agencies (who are clearly behind the times, what the heck no YouTube channel for PVs!) I followed Matsumoto Jun from his TV dramas (Gokusen and Kimi wa Petto being my gateways) into his boy band activities and pretty much never looked back. They're a talented group of entertainers with catchy songs and fun videos, sure, but it was their dumb variety show antics that hooked me in. The popular boy bands in North America all tried to maintain a "cool" image, but I enjoyed that the members of Arashi eventually abandoned that aesthetic in favour of leaning into the dorky atmosphere of their charismatic personalities and their natural chemistry. They were unafraid of playing the fool and were absolutely unapologetic in their silliness more often than not. Sure, that seems like a fairly common vibe now in Asian groups (I say with absolutely no expertise or confidence; there's a reason I only like three pop groups and that reason is that I don't engage with them much at all) but it was eye-opening for me. Being older and having more of a disposable income at my fingertips, I bought what little merchandise I could get my hands on (not always an easy task when you don't live in Japan), and dreamed of attending one of their insane concerts. I watched whatever variety shows I could get my hands on with subtitles and have lost track of the many dramas and movies I engaged in just because they were featured. Even now when some of them are nearing their (eep!) forties and I've mostly fallen off the bandwagon, I still hold a great deal of affection for Arashi. They have never failed to make me laugh!

Of course, they have announced a hiatus (and very likely a disbandment) at the end of December 2020. And who can blame them? Some of them have been in this group since their mid-teens and it's about time they got a well-deserved break! And let's not forget that the Japanese fans and media have a decidedly different relationship with their so-called "idols" - there's almost a sense of ownership over these people and their lives. Sad as I am that I likely will never get to attend a concert, the group has brought me and many others more than enough joy over the years. I hope they finally get to experience some freedom of their own.