After 5 years of performing, Zayn Malik made the decision to leave the popular boy band One Direction. He performed with the band since 2010, when they were formed by Simon Cowell on UK’s The X Factor. After they finished in third place that year, they were signed to Syco Records and released four studio albums since then. So far, One Direction has sold over 17 million worldwide in album sales, become the first band to ever have their first four albums debut at #1 on the US Billboard 200, made over $75 million last year from touring, album sales, and endorsement deals, and was named Billboard’s Top Artist of the Year in 2014. Now that Zayn’s gone, what is going to happen to One Direction, which now consists of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson? It’s not the first time a boy band was shaken up by one member. In fact, history has proven that results have varied whenever this happened.
Since the beginning of the music industry, young singers have stepped foot into the competition, showing that they’re not too young to become superstars. They have certainly made their case and have conquered the market with the help of teenage listeners everywhere. Teen pop has become a very powerful genre for over 60 years and counting. So, what’s going to happen right now is that I will be taking 64 of the biggest teen pop sensations and putting them head to head against one another to see who’s the best. This contest is a tournament-style theme with the full bracket right here. These acts are separated into 4 divisions: 1950/1960s Acts, 1970s/1980s Acts, 1990s/Early 2000s Acts, and Late 2000s-Present Acts. Each division contains sixteen acts. The first round will have 32 matches, and it runs through the entire week. After that, 32 acts will go into the second round, then we will have a sweet sixteen, an elite eight, a final 4, and a final round. Look below for all the matchups, polls, and information about the artists.
1950s/1960s Division
The Beatles (1) vs. Johnnie Ray (16)
THE BEATLES
The term “Beatlemania” simply refers to the mass hysteria that teenage girls brought about every time the Fab Four walked the earth.
JOHNNIE RAY
As tragic as his luck was, Johnnie was still a happy presence to music fans everywhere, as his tunes made all the teenagers swoon.
Pat Boone (8) vs. The Beach Boys (9)
PAT BOONE
THE BEACH BOYS
In the early years of this career that spans over half a century, they crafted tunes that could make up a soundtrack for a teen beach musical at that time.
Frankie Avalon (5) vs. Herman’s Hermits (12)
FRANKIE AVALON
Often the go-to guy for beach party films with Annette Funicello, Frankie was an unstoppable force in the 1950s.
HERMAN’S HERMITS
Ricky Nelson (4) vs. The Lennon Sisters (13)
RICKY NELSON
As the star of the long-running sitcom, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Ricky sang and acted his way into the hearts of millions.
THE LENNON SISTERS
Paul Anka (6) vs. Bobby Rydell (11)
PAUL ANKA
BOBBY RYDELL
Elvis Presley (3) vs. The Cowsills (14)
ELVIS PRESLEY
The moment that he moved his pelvis on national television, the entire population of women in America fainted simultaneously.
THE COWSILLS
With their ages ranging from 8 to 19, this real-life sibling act became so popular, they even inspired the concept of “The Partridge Family”.
Fabian (7) vs. Neil Sedaka (10)
FABIAN
NEIL SEDAKA
The Monkees (2) vs. Johnny Crawford (15)
THE MONKEES
JOHNNY CRAWFORD
1970s/1980s Division
The Jackson 5ive (1) vs. Menudo (16)
THE JACKSON 5IVE
Hailing from working-class Indiana, these five brothers were Motown’s top act since the moment they made their debut. Arguably, the biggest draw was a then 12-year-old Michael Jackson, who went on to become a star on his own.
MENUDO
This Latino boy band set a rule that no member can continue in the band past their 16th birthday. They thrived on this tried-and-true method for 20 years. At one point, they even recruited Ricky Martin.
New Edition (8) vs. Shaun Cassidy (9)
NEW EDITION
These young African-Americans from Boston brought the bubblegum flavor to R&B in the early 1980s with “Cool It Now”, “Candy Girl” and “Mr. Telephone Man”. They would later go on to grow in age and in numbers.
SHAUN CASSIDY
With his brother on the downward slopes, Shaun emerged from the shadows as his own teen sensation, performing rockability covers that carried over from one generation of teenagers to the next.
Tiffany (5) vs. The Brady Bunch (12)
TIFFANY
This teen queen conquered the malls in the late 1980s with her catchy tunes. Unfortunately, she suddenly couldn’t afford any money to go back there afterwards.
THE BRADY BUNCH
When The Brady Bunch comes to mind, you think of television more than music. But they did have that as well. The six children experimented with becoming teen pop sensations while filming the show at the same time. It may not have lasted, but they can be glad that Cousin Oliver never got in on the act.
David Cassidy (4) vs. Andy Gibb (13)
DAVID CASSIDY
This heartthrob became an overnight recording success, touring the nation with his own songs, as well as the tunes he did on The Partridge Family.
ANDY GIBB
Too young to perform with his brothers in the Bee Gees on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, Andy led his own path to musical stardom, which rose fast and tragically fell faster.
The Osmonds (6) vs. Rick Springfield (11)
THE OSMONDS
This all-white band of Mormon brothers from Utah were a near-complete reflection of the Jackson 5ive. They got everything down, right to the youngest member (Donny Osmond).
RICK SPRINGFIELD
Even 30-year olds can be teen heartthrobs, and Rick Springfield demonstrated that perfectly while juggling his position on General Hospital and a #1 hit titled “Jessie’s Girl”.
New Kids on the Block (3) vs. Bobby Sherman (14)
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
As the architects of the boy band template, NKOTB were bigger than Michael Jackson and Madonna combined. In fact, the only thing bigger than the New Kids were their merchandise brand.
Bobby Sherman
Debbie Gibson (7) vs. Duran Duran (10)
DEBBIE GIBSON
DURAN DURAN
Leif Garrett (2) vs. Bay City Rollers (15)
LEIF GARRETT
Leif Garrett has walked the boulevard of broken dreams, but he has lived to tell the story of the guy who made teenage women melt like spring was coming.
BAY CITY ROLLERS
1990s/Early 2000s Division
Britney Spears (1) vs. Take That (16)
BRITNEY SPEARS
Once upon a time, a sixteen-year old sweetheart from Kentwood, Louisiana made a music video wearing a schoolgirl’s outfit. The rest of the story just tells itself.
TAKE THAT
These five lads from England crossed over to the US with the hit song “Back for Good”. We may only know them for that alone, but they’re still alive and kicking from their side of the Atlantic.
High School Musical Cast (8) vs. 98 Degrees (9)
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL CAST
Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Tisdale were among the stars of this Disney Channel original film that broke viewer records in 2006. The franchise went on to become so big that the third film had to be released in theaters.
98 DEGREES
As the only boy band not from Orlando or formed by Lou Pearlman, 98 Degrees benefited from being the understudy in the boy band rivalry. They even took advantage of it and become top-selling musicians in their own right.
Hanson (5) vs. Aaron Carter (12)
HANSON
AARON CARTER
Backstreet Boys (4) vs. Brandy (13)
BACKSTREET BOYS
BRANDY
Christina Aguilera (6) vs. Kelly Clarkson (11)
CHRISTINA AGUILERA
KELLY CLARKSON
*NSYNC (3) vs. Usher (14)
*NSYNC
In the late 1990s, this boy band broke records and sold records faster than a speeding bullet. Even with Justin Timberlake’s solo career, *NSYNC’s reunion at the 2013 Video Music Awards proved that they could still command a crowd together.
USHER
Destiny’s Child (7) vs. Jesse McCartney (10)
DESTINY’S CHILD
JESSE MCCARTNEY
Spice Girls (2) vs. Mandy Moore (15)
SPICE GIRLS
MANDY MOORE
Late 2000s/Present Division
Justin Bieber (1) vs. Emblem3 (16)
JUSTIN BIEBER
EMBLEM3
It’s been a year since Emblem3 finished fourth on The X Factor, and they already have their first album out, titled Nothing to Lose, which debuted in the top 10.
Ariana Grande (8) vs. Big Time Rush (9)
ARIANA GRANDE
The 20-year-old Nickelodeon star broke away from Victorious in 2013 and scored a top 40 hit with “The Way”. She dropped her debut album, Yours Truly, a few months ago and is currently the co-star of Sam & Cat.
BIG TIME RUSH
Selena Gomez (5) vs. Glee Cast (12)
SELENA GOMEZ
GLEE CAST
Taylor Swift (4) vs. Cimorelli (13)
TAYLOR SWIFT
At 16 years old, she brought country music to the teen pop world, and she’s been a record-selling, hit-making, worldwide-touring phenomenon ever since.
CIMORELLI
Demi Lovato (6) vs. Miranda Cosgrove (11)
DEMI LOVATO
MIRANDA COSGROVE
Miley Cyrus (3) vs. Fifth Harmony (14)
MILEY CYRUS
FIFTH HARMONY
Jonas Brothers (7) vs. Austin Mahone (10)
JONAS BROTHERS
In honor of our recently fallen soldiers, these trio of brothers took the nation by storm with their own show on the Disney Channel.
AUSTIN MAHONE
Having taken the same route as Justin Bieber, this rising heartthrob has already won the VMA for Artist to Watch.
Warren Mitchell 