Teen idol
East Asian idol culture, which first began in Japan in the 1960s, would spread to neighboring countries in later decades: in South Korea and Taiwan, for example, it took root in the 1990s, and in China the 2010s.
In Japan, there are pop stars Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro as well as Kana Nishino and music groups such as Momoiro Clover Z, Morning Musume, AKB48, and Perfume and Johnny & Associates boy bands Arashi, NEWS, KAT-TUN, and Hey!
[10] Besides, former Menudo member Ricky Martin, their chief rivals Los Chicos and former member Chayanne, Venezuelan actor and singer Guillermo Davila and more, to Argentina, where telenovela, Chiquititas, ushered in a new era of teen-idols for that country, including actors Benjamin Rojas, Felipe Colombo, Luisana Lopilato, and Camila Bordonaba, who went on to form teen band Erreway, precursors to Mexican band RBD.
[13][14] Rudy Vallée, who became a major success in 1929 with hits like "Honey" and "Deep Night", may have been the first American popular singer to have been idolised by hundreds of teen-aged girls at sold-out concerts.
Actors Edd Byrnes and Troy Donahue and other artists deliberately cultivated a (safer) idol image, like Canadian musician Paul Anka.
Anka initially modelled himself on a particular generic type, the teen idol [who] carried on the process ... of changing the image of male youth ... from wild to mild, by providing a cleaner, more wholesome image of masculinity than that of the previous era's rebellious rockabilly heroes [and (working-class) so-called juvenile delinquents, like those in West Side Story]....Post-war teens were able to buy relatively inexpensive phonographs — including portable models that could be carried to friends' houses — and the new 45-rpm singles.
Rick’s popularity continued to grow as Elvis and the Everly Brothers were in the military, Chuck Berry was imprisoned, and Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens died.
[20] But after making their debut in the U.S. on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, the Beatles soon became the most successful and influential band in modern musical history,[21] staying at the top of Billboard charts for a grand total of 58 weeks between 1964 and 1970.
[20] Some young TV stars were being hustled into studios to make recordings; for example, ex-Mousketeer Annette Funicello became one of the first big female idols as well as the Lennon Sisters whom had cut out dolls and were always on the covers of the gossip magazines; another, Johnny Crawford of The Rifleman, had five Top-40 hits.
In the 1960s as situation comedies and dramas on television using child actors became more popular, actors Paul Petersen, Patty Petersen, and Shelley Fabares from The Donna Reed Show, Dwayne Hickman from The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Sally Field of Gidget, Jon Provost of Lassie, Jay North from Dennis the Menace, and Keith and Kevin Schultz known as the "Schultz Twins" on The Monroes all became younger preteen idols and grew into being teen idols.
They were Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy.
Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Mandy Moore, Jessica Simpson, and Britney Spears, along with female bands such as the Spice Girls,[15] TLC, and Destiny's Child, also became very popular at the end of the decade.
[15] Opting against joining a girl band, Britney Spears released the music video "...Baby One More Time" in 1998 on MTV, which pushed her into the public consciousness.
The intense attention he received during this time period caused him to turn down high-profile roles, including a reported $100 million offer to play Superman, before temporarily leaving Hollywood.
While still teenagers, Duff became famous for her starring titular character in the Disney Channel teen sitcom Lizzie McGuire and her multi-Platinum second studio album Metamorphosis (2003), with which she became one of the youngest artists to reach the top of the Billboard 200, and Lohan became famous for her starring roles in many successful teen movies, including Freaky Friday (2003), Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), Mean Girls (2004) and Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), and her platinum debut studio album Speak (2004).
The success of this marketing led to further development of the genre, including new teen idols such as Raven-Symoné, Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Zac Efron, Aly & AJ, Jesse McCartney, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Brenda Song, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers.
[52] ViacomCBS-owned Nickelodeon, a competitor to Disney Channel, has also developed its own slate of stars for its television shows, including Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, Josh Peck, Emma Roberts, Miranda Cosgrove, Jennette McCurdy, Nathan Kress, Jamie Lynn Spears (sister of Britney Spears), Ariana Grande,[53] Victoria Justice, Elizabeth Gillies, and groups the Naked Brothers Band and Big Time Rush, many of whom have not only starred in TV shows, but recorded songs as well.
American musician Taylor Swift entered the scene at age 16 by co-writing the song "Tim McGraw" with Liz Rose in 2005, after which she became a well-known and successful artist[55][56] as well as a teen idol.
[68][69][70] Although the future members of the boy band One Direction got elimated as solo acts on the third season of The X Factor, guest judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested that they form a group together.
Firstly, her appearances on her family's hit TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians gave her a platform to showcase her unique personality and relatable experiences.
Moreover, her active presence on social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat allowed her to connect with her fan base on a more personal level, giving them a glimpse into her glamorous lifestyle.
Similarly, in 2016 the Cuban-born American singer Camila Cabello left the girl group Fifth Harmony, which went on indefinite hiatus in 2018, in order to pursue a solo career.
[71] At age 18, American musician Billie Eilish won four Grammy Awards in 2020, and was commissioned to perform the theme song for the James Bond movie No Time to Die (2021).
[77] In January 2021, she released her debut single, "Drivers License", which went on to become one of the most streamed songs on Spotify at the time and spent eight weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
[78][79] She sings with profanities in an emotionally charged manner of the struggles of an adolescent and commands a large following on social media networks, including TikTok, where she has many teen-aged supporters.
[90] In the United Kingdom, for instance, a combination of the Lady Chatterley trial (1959) and the first long-play of the Beatles, Please Please Me (1963) triggered a change public perception of human mating, a cause subsequently taken up by young people seeking sexual liberation.
[91] In the twenty-first century, (former) teen idols can continue to be highly successful years after they made their debut as can be seen from the number of streams, digital downloads, CDs, cassettes, and vinyl records shipped.
[110] Data from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) shows that BTS became the best-selling artists of 2020 worldwide, ahead of Taylor Swift, Drake, the Weeknd, and Billie Eilish.
[111] A 2023 report by the Federal Reserve estimated that Taylor Swift's Eras Tour was responsible for $4.6 billion of consumer spending in the United States alone; local economies were significantly boosted by her presence.
[117] Taylor Swift is also seen as a positive role model for young people on prosocial behavior and on dealing with body-image issues and unrealistic cultural expectations.
