Boy bands might be a thing of the past, but they remain very much in our hearts.
Justin Timberlake revealed to The Hollywood Reporter why he really left 'N Sync, admitting he felt overwhelmed. "We were on a stadium tour, and I just felt like the whole thing was too big. It started as a fun snowball fight that was becoming an avalanche," the "Can't Stop the Feeling!" singer recalled. "And, also, I was growing out of it."
"I felt like I cared more about the music than some of the other people in the group," he added. "I felt like I had other music I wanted to make and that I needed to follow my heart."
It isn't anything fans haven't heard before—boy bands splitting up because they want to pursue solo careers—but there are other reasons that lead to a band's demise, too.
Let's look back and some of pop culture's most popular boy bands and why they split:
One Direction: It all began when Zayn Malik departed the group unexpectedly to go solo, leaving behind four members who stuck together for one more album. They've since gone their separate ways, each pursuing his own adventure. Harry Styles filmed Christopher Nolan's latest epic, Dunkirk. Louis Tomlinson became a dad and released his first solo single. Niall Horan also released a solo track, and Liam Payne started dating Cheryl Cole and now they're expecting their first child together. Zayn, obviously, went on to release an album and date Gigi Hadid. Despite their separate projects, they've maintained they'll get back together again.
"Ok so lots of rumours going round. We are not splitting up, but we will be taking a well earned break at some point next year," Niall shared after the group announced its hiatus. "Don't worry though, we still have lots we want to achieve!"
The Wanted: Band member Tom Parker blamed the split on 1D's success, but the rift between Parker, Nathan Sykes, Max George, Jay McGuiness, Siva Kaneswaran started well before that. "For The Wanted to try and compete against one of the biggest bands in the world—One Direction—it's almost impossible," Parker told Digital Spy. "I don't think any band out there can compete with them at the moment."
Parker also said each member's passion for "developing new interests" helped pave the way for a breakup.
O-Town: The stars of Making the Band unexpectedly disbanded in 2003. Erik-Michael Estrada, Ashley Parker Angel, Trevor Penick, Jacob Underwood and Dan Miller penned a letter to their fans saying their split was a result of the changing climate of the music industry and financial problems. They implied that founder Lou Pearlman and his company, Trans Continental Records, were to blame.
98 Degrees: Drew Lachey and Jeff Timmons opened up to SoJo 104.9 and said after five years on the road they just needed a "break." Like O-Town, however, they also said the music industry was changing. "The genre started going out of style," Drew said. Of course, they've reunited several times since they began their "extended hiatus" in 2003.
Which boy bands do you miss the most? Sound off in the comments!