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When one thinks about famous pop groups, what names come to mind? Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, N’SYNC, Destiny’s Child, One Direction, and BTS, are just a few of them. What do all of these pop groups have in common besides their global success? They are all the same gender, meaning that some pop groups have all female members and all-male members. What about groups that have both? The number of co-ed pop groups compared to same-sex groups is limited — why is that, and who are they? Do people feel uncomfortable seeing men and women in a group because of romance potential between members?
Co-Ed Pop Groups Defined
Co-ed pop groups, mixed-sex groups, or mixed-gender groups have male and female members instead of the typical same-sex boy groups and girl groups. There are not a lot of them, but they exist, and they have been around far longer than you may think. There are even different pop groups that have debuted in different places worldwide, like Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
One group in particular called Now United is a 15 member, a multi-ethnic group formed by Simon Fuller from XIX Entertainment. He also had a hand in the creation of the Spice Girls and S Club 7, another co-ed pop group. Currently, Now United has eight girl members and four boy members. Former member Diarra Sylla left in September of 2020. A-Teens is another co-ed group from Stockholm, Sweden, and debuted in the early 2000s. The group was originally meant to be a tribute band for another popular co-ed group named ABBA. Their covers of ABBA songs called “Dancing Queen” and “Mamma Mia” not only charted high in their native country but several other countries around the world.
A-Teens have four albums in their discography, including: “The ABBA Generation,” “Teen Spirit,” “Pop ’til You Drop!,” and “New Arrival.” They promoted their first album “The ABBA Generation” on tour with Britney Spears and “Teen Spirit” with Aaron Carter. In 2006, the group decided to part ways.
The Success Of Co-Ed Pop Groups
A co-ed supergroup, known worldwide, has been around since the early 1970s, is the Swedish disco-pop quartet ABBA. ABBA consists of the married couple Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The name “ABBA” stems from the first letters of their first names. They have sold over 150 million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful acts of all time.
They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Their most famous song, “Dancing Queen,” was inducted into the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall Of Fame. They disbanded in 1983, but they got back together and made new music in 2018. Another co-ed music group that gained global popularity is the Black Eyed Peas. Current members of the group consisting of will.i.Am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, and J. Rey Soul. They were at the peak of their success when singer Fergie was still a member of the group.
They have sold an estimated 80 million records worldwide and won six Grammy Awards. Fergie left the group this year, explaining that she wants to focus on raising her child. Although she left, it seems like it was an amicable decision. When it comes to members leaving a group, other co-ed music groups have not been so lucky.
The Cons Of Co-Ed Pop Groups
It has been said that co-ed groups compared to boy groups and girl groups are more difficult to market to pre-teen and adolescent girls. Presumably, many of them don’t like the idea of their favorite male artist expressing interest in other girls. There tends to be speculation about whether the members are dating each other, and scenarios like this have indeed happened.
In the K-pop world, Triple H was a group that debuted in 2017 and consisted of members Hyuna, Pentagon member Hui, and former Pentagon member E’Dawn. In 2018, Hyuna revealed that she was dating E’Dawn and that they had been dating for a few years. The announcement prompted their label, Cube Entertainment, to terminate their contracts. Hyuna and E’Dawn ultimately decided to part from the group and company. In general, dating is a catastrophe in the K-pop world because fans quickly drop monetary support if the idols do not appear single.
S Club 7, a co-ed group from the United Kingdom, also had their fair share of relationship drama between members. A former member of the group Paul Cattermole revealed in an interview that he was forced to be in a relationship with Hannah Spearritt for the sake of their show “Hollywood 7.” Their contractual relationship, however, turned into a real one.
The relationship didn’t end up helping the group become more successful. The reason for this may be because seeing two members of a group date shatters the romantic fantasies that fans project onto them. The group had been together for five years, and, within those years, they achieved four number-one hits in the UK, one number-one album, and a top 10 hit on the US Hot 100.
Societal Expectations Of Male And Female Artists
In a heteronormative society, men are typically expected to be physically desirable to women, and women must be attractive to men. Thus, external appearance plays a huge role in the success of pop groups. Male and female pop stars can show interest in the opposite sex, but it is preferred if they show interest in fans rather than other celebrities or group members.
Many people want to feel like they are special to their favorite artists, even to the point of thinking as if they are in a relationship with them. Artists show their love for fans through music, via social media, in interviews, or even during concerts. With co-ed groups, a lot of people may find it difficult to connect with them and feel special to them because they’re curious about whether members are dating each other or not.
Why We Need More Co-Ed Pop Groups
Although some groups have had their fair share of relationship drama in the public arena, most co-ed groups have avoided it. Co-ed groups may be more difficult to market to young fans than boy groups and girl groups, but they can become popular. We’ve seen this with ABBA, Black Eyed Peas, A-Teens, even K-pop group, K.A.R.D. They are very successful with fans worldwide, and they’re not currently experiencing scandals between members.
If record companies create more co-ed musical groups who are friendly and professional with one another, it may be easier to market them to the public. Encouraging relationships or even discouraging relationships has shown to be unprofitable. People should accept that members of co-ed groups might be friends, or they might not be, and that’s okay.