Why 1D is not a boyband?

Conmemorating the band's 12th anniversary, i couldn't help but wonder, are they a boyband? Considering the definition per se, a boyband is is a musical act made up of at least three young men who sing in unison and perform choreographed dances. The members typically do not perform with instruments, which distinguishes the act from a traditional band. Boy bands typically fall into the pop, hip hop, or R&B genres, and their fans are mostly young women. These bands are frequently chastised for being fabricated by producers, which the majority are, and for having essentially talentless members -not in this case- chosen solely for their appearance. However, the majority of the members are talented singers and dancers, many of whom can also play an instrument, and many of whom go on to pursue solo careers in music after the group disbands.

A boy band, by definition, has a short shelf life; boys can only be boys for so long, and as fans age past the demographic that these bands are meant to appeal to, they frequently lose interest. This, combined with the fact that most groups do not form on their own or write their own music, has contributed to the popular perception of them as unauthentic.

Whether or not one respects boy bands, their popularity, albeit fleeting, cannot be denied.

To appeal to a wider audience, members are frequently portrayed as different types, such as the "bad boy" or the "baby." These bands frequently have a much larger fan base than other types of bands, but they can rarely last more than five years except by NKOTB and Backstreet Boys.

So far the concept is accurate, but music wise not so much.Up All Night and Take me Home, their first two albums can be fitted onto the category of bubblegum pop. Bubblegum is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents, 1D's targeted audience. Even though Midnight Memories fits the pop-rock genre more, is by far their best album, the compositions, the sound, the album is impeccable, Four and Made in the AM are much more mature albums where their vocals can be more appreciated. For starters, Four is hard to dislike: it's cheery, uplifting, high spirited and luckily the scales are tipped heavily in favor of the kind of songs they do best, with the majority of them sounding like good-time hits that will go a long way, is the most consisting-sounding One Direction album yet. When it comes to MITAM it doesn't sound like a band disbanding, because all four are on a musical high, chasing the rock vibe of Midnight Memories and Four. "Hey Angel," a Brit-pop loop, sounds exactly like the Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony," and "What a Feeling" combines hooks from at least six different Fleetwood Mac songs.

Overrall, they redefined the common notion of what a boyband really is. They do not dance, there matching outfits are poorly constructed and styled, but they are versatile when it comes to genres and talent, throughtout it's run, they mannaged to understand their strenghts and turning into a huge success. They started out as a boyband but ended up developing a new defintion of this concept.