Girl groups used to be the “in” thing. Remember? The time when everyone sang along to 3LW songs…
…or fought with friends about who got to be which Spice Girl?
During the early and mid parts of last decade, estrogen fueled female singing groups were mainstays on pop charts. There were the “Independent Women” of Destiny’s Child of whom we became completely obsessed…
…and there were the girls of Dream – a quickly forgotten group whose 15 minutes was fun while it lasted!
And despite waning popularity, the Pussycat Dolls keep showing up on radio stations and in party club mixes with hits like “Don’t Cha” and “Buttons.”
And I must admit, after Nicole Scherzinger (allegedly) left the Dolls, I thought we were finished with girl groups for at least 10 years. Baby boomers probably felt similarly after the Supremes had their run.
Note: My mom still does the same dance seen at 17 seconds at weddings and at social functions.
But lately, there has been a resurgence of girl groups on the music scene giving me suspicions that the female pop group is attempting to sneak back into our lives.
Beach Girl5
Before seeing them on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, I had never heard of Beach Girl5 (also known as BG5), so kudos to their PR team for scoring the girls face time on one of E!’s most watched shows.
In this particular episode, Kris was facing the highly dramatized decision of whether or not she should manage the new group especially considering the demanding amount of time required by her current “talent” roster. But in true reality tv fashion, Kris was moved to tears after seeing the group perform their single, “Scratch,” at a talent showcase and decided (at least for the sake of the episode) to add the girls to her client list.
Richgirl
It was up-tempo. It was sassy. And it became one of my favorite iPod, push it to the limit, workout songs last year. It was “He Ain’t Wit Me Now” by Richgirl.
How shocked are you that there is a little-known group out there complete with JLo and Kelly Rowland look-a-likes!?! These Richgirls recently released another single, “Swagga Right,” featuring Fabolous and Rick Ross. While they pretty much “swagga jack” Ciara’s “Promise” video concept, it’s still a sexy little pre-game song you jam to while getting dressed for girls’ night!
Electrik Red
Though they’re signed to Def Jam, have super producer, The-Dream, on their team, and have collaborated with hit makers like Lil’ Wayne, you still might not know the hotties that make up Electrik Red. Another group seeking platinum status stardom, Electrik Red’s debut album, “How to Be a Lady: Volume 1,” had dismal sales, but the track, “So Good,” featuring Weezy is an iTunes must have!
Seemingly, the formula is simple: group a handful of beautiful girls together, hire top-notch stylists, the best choreographers and song writers, and just like that, you’ve got yourself a potentially successful, finished product! But one common thread that I recognize as girl groups attempt to make a comeback is this – most of the girls seem to be professional dancers who just happen to carry a tune.
Groups like En Vogue…
and SWV…
commanded attention and enjoyed longevity…because of their fabulous voices and because they were committed to their careers for the long haul –and not for the trendiness of having a record deal.
By now, you should know I don’t discriminate and that I appreciate a hot track whether it’s belted by Beyonce or manufactured by a studio sound machine. So many of today’s girl groups are doing too much of the latter, and then they have more sex appeal than they have singing skills.
So I am convinced that this, too, is just a trend, and the recent spike in the number of girl groups will soon fade away.
What do you think? Comment below at positivelycelebrity.com, and be sure to check back for more of my music blogs.
Read Also
Tweet
I’m proud of my old school dance moves. And the Supremes are the best girl group ever.
I REALLY enjoyed this article. Thanks, for continuing to bring the HEAT.
@Edith, you surely do that Supremes “shuffle” with a big ol’ smile. Gotta love it, though!