Difference between revisions of "Boy Band Members Who Are Out As Gay, Bisexual or Queer"

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The mainstream popularity of boy bands in western music almost ensures that one or two members of each group identifies as gay, bisexual or queer. Having those individuals publicly identify as such can be challenging - the target audience tends to be teen-age girls. As well, most boy bands are created through the efforts of a professional producer or manager, and this individual often counsels members of the boy band on how to behave and present themselves publicly to maximize popularity and profitability. Most out gay boy band members talk about their early career days of having dual personas - the public heterosexual teen male, and the private gay individual - creating an authenticity paradox.
 
The mainstream popularity of boy bands in western music almost ensures that one or two members of each group identifies as gay, bisexual or queer. Having those individuals publicly identify as such can be challenging - the target audience tends to be teen-age girls. As well, most boy bands are created through the efforts of a professional producer or manager, and this individual often counsels members of the boy band on how to behave and present themselves publicly to maximize popularity and profitability. Most out gay boy band members talk about their early career days of having dual personas - the public heterosexual teen male, and the private gay individual - creating an authenticity paradox.
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Today, boy bands appear in mixed musical genres, including the lead singer of hip hop collective Brockhampton, [[Kevin Abstract]].
  
 
There have been sporadic attempts to create successful all-gay boy bands to cater to the LGBTQ dance club crowd. None of these efforts resulted in any success.
 
There have been sporadic attempts to create successful all-gay boy bands to cater to the LGBTQ dance club crowd. None of these efforts resulted in any success.
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Nevertheless, there is a group of notable boy band members who publicly identify as gay, bisexual or queer. These individuals hail from Great Britain, New Zealand, Ireland, the Netherlands, Australia, the United States, Scotland, and Puerto Rico.  To read their fascinating biographies, simply click on their names:
 
Nevertheless, there is a group of notable boy band members who publicly identify as gay, bisexual or queer. These individuals hail from Great Britain, New Zealand, Ireland, the Netherlands, Australia, the United States, Scotland, and Puerto Rico.  To read their fascinating biographies, simply click on their names:
  
* [[Robert Arnold]], New Zealand – BoyBand
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'''Australia'''
* [[Lance Bass]], United States – ‘N Sync
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* [[Lachie Chapman]], Australia - The Overtones
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* [[Lachie Chapman]] - The Overtones
* [[Eloy de Jong]], Netherlands - Caught In The Act
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* [[Mark Feehily]], Ireland Westlife
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'''Great Britain'''
* [[Mark Franks]], Great Britain - The Overtones
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* [[Angelo Garcia]], United States - Menudo
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* [[Mark Franks]] - The Overtones
* [[Stephen Gately]], Ireland – Boyzone
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* [[Jaymi  Hensley]] – Union J
* [[Jaymi  Hensley]], Great Britain Union J
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* [[Duncan James]] - Blue
* [[Duncan James]], Great Britain - Blue
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* [[Andrew Kinlochan]] - Phixx
* [[Andrew Kinlochan]], Great Britain - Phixx
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* [[Jamie Lambert]] - Collabro
* [[Jonathan Knight]], United States New Kids on the Block
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* [[Kevin McDaid]] – V
* [[Jamie Lambert]], Great Britain - Collabro
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* [[George Michael]] – Wham!
* [[Ricky Martin]], Puerto Rico - Menudo
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* [[Lee Ryan]] - Blue
* [[Timmy Matley]], Ireland - The Overtones
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* [[George Shelley]] – Union J
* [[Kevin McDaid]], Great Britain V
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* [[Kevin McHale]], United States - NLT (Not Like That)
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'''Ireland'''
* [[Les McKeown]], Scotland – Bay City Rollers
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* [[George Michael]], Great Britain – Wham!
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* [[Mark Feehily]] – Westlife
* [[Ricky Rebel]], United States - No Authority
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* [[Stephen Gately]] – Boyzone
* [[Lee Ryan]], Great Britain - Blue
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* [[Timmy Matley]] - The Overtones
* [[George Shelley]], Great Britain Union J
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'''New Zealand'''
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* [[Robert Arnold]] – BoyBand
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'''Puerto Rico'''
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* [[Ricky Martin]] - Menudo
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'''Scotland'''
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* [[Les McKeown]] – Bay City Rollers
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'''Taiwan'''
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* [[Aaron Yan]] - Farenheit
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'''The Netherlands'''
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* [[Eloy de Jong]] - Caught In The Act
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'''United States'''
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* [[Kevin Abstract]] - Brockhampton
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* [[Lance Bass]] – ‘N Sync
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* [[Angelo Garcia]] - Menudo
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* [[Jonathan Knight]] – New Kids on the Block
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* [[Kevin McHale]] - NLT (Not Like That)
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* [[Ricky Rebel]] - No Authority
  
 
==See Also==
 
==See Also==
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* [[Electronic and Synthetic Music Performers Who Identify as LGBTQ]]
 
* [[Electronic and Synthetic Music Performers Who Identify as LGBTQ]]
 
* [[Celebrated LGBTQ Pianists]]
 
* [[Celebrated LGBTQ Pianists]]
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* [[Rhythm & Blues and the LGBTQ Community]]
  
 
==Further Reading/Research==
 
==Further Reading/Research==

Revision as of 14:33, 17 May 2021

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Boy Bands, a group of young male teenage vocal singers, have been a popular phenomenon in the music industry for a long time. They are known for their catchy pop-style of music which often includes matching choreography, stylized costumes, and extravagant stage settings in their live performances and videos. Today's boy band phenomenon emerged from the earlier a cappella barbershop quartets of the late twentieth century.

Boy Bands success has fluctuated throughout the years. They were extremely popular from the 1980s to the early 2000s, but then waned with the rising popularity of punk, pop, hip hop, and other genres. Lately, however, the popularity of boy bands has seen a resurgance. One thing that has changed is the theatrical component to their performance. Whereas the earlier popular era of boy bands focussed on highly artificial stage or video dance moves that aroused a female audience, today’s boy band choreography is much more relaxed. This can be attributed, in part, to social media which allows listeners to be critics en masse.

The mainstream popularity of boy bands in western music almost ensures that one or two members of each group identifies as gay, bisexual or queer. Having those individuals publicly identify as such can be challenging - the target audience tends to be teen-age girls. As well, most boy bands are created through the efforts of a professional producer or manager, and this individual often counsels members of the boy band on how to behave and present themselves publicly to maximize popularity and profitability. Most out gay boy band members talk about their early career days of having dual personas - the public heterosexual teen male, and the private gay individual - creating an authenticity paradox.

Today, boy bands appear in mixed musical genres, including the lead singer of hip hop collective Brockhampton, Kevin Abstract.

There have been sporadic attempts to create successful all-gay boy bands to cater to the LGBTQ dance club crowd. None of these efforts resulted in any success.

Nevertheless, there is a group of notable boy band members who publicly identify as gay, bisexual or queer. These individuals hail from Great Britain, New Zealand, Ireland, the Netherlands, Australia, the United States, Scotland, and Puerto Rico. To read their fascinating biographies, simply click on their names:

Australia

Great Britain

Ireland

New Zealand

Puerto Rico

Scotland

Taiwan

The Netherlands

United States

See Also

Further Reading/Research


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