Ana from This Must Be Pop is featured on this week's episode of Nicstalgia. We discuss how the music of boy bands have been overlooked in music history, how This Must Be Pop was developed through a feminist lens, reframing the whole idea of what being a “fangirl” or “fanboy” means, and legitimizing the fandom space by not diminishing the viewpoint of primarily young girls and the LGBTQ+ community.

When it comes to boy bands, there are soooo many dichotomies to unpack!! We dive deep on the reconciliation of being rich (well, depending on who your management is) and famous vs. exploitation and rejecting a a superficial, manufactured, crafted image with stifled individuality.

Ana and I talk about BSB and *NSYNC musically, commercially, and how you can’t really compare them the way we did in the 90s-00s. We ponder important questions: Why can fandoms be resistant to change? What if Howie was in Menudo? What would have happened to JC Chasez’s solo career had he had the label support Justin did? Do we really need all of these reunions? What does the future of fandom look like?

About our Guest Ana is a music journalist as well as the creator and host of "This Must Be Pop", a podcast that tries to shake us from the social stigma surrounding boybands by legitimizing the fan experience and showcasing the legitimately great music and talent of boybands.

Connect with Our Guest

Instagram

Connect with Nic

TikTok 〰 Instagram 〰 Twitter 〰 Substack

Special Thanks 💖

Doll Artwork by @hmdraws_

Theme Music by @egmusicnyc

Intro Video by @valentinareyes9

YouTube CC available in English and Español

Episode Transcript