Boy and girl bands disappeared in the USA like disco did in the 70's. No more Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, or Spice girls on the radio. These bands could never get air time here.
But they're alive in a big way in Asia. K-Pop, short for Korean popular music, has been the phenom for awhile throughout the continent. These are all boy or girl bands that sing and dance just as the boy/girl bands did here in the 90's.
When I'm in Bangkok I usually stay on the river, away from the party areas of the city. It's more relaxing and calmer there. I like to stay at the Royal Orchid Sheraton hotel because with my loyalty status I'm nearly always upgraded to a riverfront suite with high floor gorgeous views of the river.
Across from the hotel I watched the newest high end mall called the Icon Siam being built over the years. Now that it is fully open I entered the mall and was amazed at the beauty of it. So many high end stores like Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Rolex and the like. But I'm a shopper in the basement where locals sell their goods at prices I can afford.
On one occasion I took the boat across the river and entered the mall to be surprised to see a stage set up where I saw local Thai K-Pop talent performing. I really have no idea if they were actually talented or not but the young boys indicated they were.
This band received a decent ovation, but nothing like the next band that performed. I really started filming too late to capture the real hysteria but you can get an idea in these short clips:
I remember the girls going crazy for the boy bands a couple decades ago here, but I don't recall boy's hysteria over girl bands of the era. Or maybe I just missed it? I dunno. But I was certainly amused by this display.
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