The Future of Girl Groups

As a music lover and young millennial, I feel that I landed in such a sweet cultural spot. I'm being an oldhead but stick with me here. I can remember life before the internet and what it was like growing up with it. Joining AOL, Myspace, Limewire, etc. Musically, I saw some of the greats in their prime AND witnessed the rise of Beyonce and Western girl group domination. Ah, I love having all this cultural richness.

With the resurgence of girl groups and 2000s trends over the last few years, I thought it would be interesting to check in with this new era of girl groups and see what that may mean for the future. But before we start, let's take a journey down memory lane.

I'll start by saying that girl groups have been around for decades. In the 1960s, there was The Supremes- in the 1980s, there was the Go-Gos- and in the 1990s, there was the Spice Girls. In my teens, groups like Destiny's Child and The Pussycat Dolls were dominating pop culture. Their success, along with the Spice Girls, helped usher in acts like Danity Kane, Little Mix, and Fifth Harmony into the late 2010s. And now we have groups like Blackpink influencing today's culture.

What's fascinating about this new generation of girl groups is that it is no longer Western-focused. K-pop and J-pop have been dominating this space, and there are no signs of it slowing down. According to artist manager and Youtuber Jasmine Zade, this could be due to several reasons.

One possibility is that consumers have grown tired of the same old formula established in the 90s/00s. At the height of Western girl group domination, groups like the Spice Girls were inorganically picked by labels who could mold their artists into the aesthetic they wanted. This typically looked like five random young girls grouped together in the name of girl power or #feminism. Most of them lacked depth but still put on a convincing persona and delivered hits.

Though J-pop and K-pop are replicas of this formula, they stick out because they have not only been able to successfully replicate this formula but also developed their own genre -something that Western girl groups have not been able to do in the last decade. And now that Little Mix and Fifth Harmony put their mics down, where does that leave Western girl groups?

If Jasmines' analysis is to be believed, it's not looking too good for the Western girlies. In the depths of Tiktok, there are several Western girl groups currently active, like Boys World and Citizen Queen, but none have reached the same level of popularity as Blackpink or even Fifth Harmony. This is most likely because these groups have not escaped many of the same pitfalls that K-pop and J-pop groups have been able to.

Take Boys World (and this is absolutely no shade, I want them to win). From afar, each member has their own style, and they are all talented, but upon further inspection, we've seen this before. Boys World's look and feel are very reminiscent of Fifth Harmony. What about them is setting them apart when compared to other Western girl groups? Jasmine seems to think that the only way for Western girl groups to make a comeback is for them to make their own lane, and I have to agree.

Prediction time!

If I had to make a prediction, I think Flo will lead the revolution of the modern-day Western girl group. Similar to Destiny’s Child, two of the members knew each other prior, so naturally their chemistry as a group is more organic. Best part is they don’t have a lead singer so everyone equally shines. I'll never forget the first time I heard Cardboard Box. Their angelic harmonies over a smooth nostalgic 2000s beat and undeniable talent help separate them from the generic pop sound that other Western girl groups have, and I look forward to watching them grow. I am also keeping my eye on Citizen Queen and Bebi Monsuta. I love that both groups have unique aesthetics and have talented plus-size Black women in their groups. Now that's something you don't see in girl groups regardless of region. 

But tell me what do you think? What do you want to see from this new era of Western girl groups? Drop a comment below and listen to our curated Western girl group playlist.