Yes, I'm 23 and Still Love "Boybands."

When I was in high school my favorite bands were One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer. I was one of the lucky ones that got to see 5SOS open for One Direction

WITH Zayn still in the band!. It was one of the best nights of my life and my mom

and I still have hearing loss from the concert. (I wish I was joking.)

When One Direction broke up I was heartbroken. Once Zayn left the band I knew that it was only a matter of time until the entire band dispersed. Looking back it is so silly how upset I was but it was something so important to me at the time.

Growing up as a dancer, music is something that has always been important to me. There is nothing I love more than sitting in the car blasting music and just driving. To this day, I will play One Direction in my car like they are still in a band together. Maybe it's wishful thinking that they will get back together? Regardless, I still love their music and the memories that it reignites.

With that being said, 10 years later 5SOS is still going strong, touring and creating new music. It is so nice growing up with a band because as their audience matures, their music matures. The band jokes about their songs in the past and how they are glad they have “improved” their ability to write songs.

“Don’t Stop” is one of their most popular songs from 2014. As a band, they often joke about how some of their fans like that song. During one of their live streams during COVID, they ranked all of their released songs. They placed their songs in different tiers and used “Don’t Stop” as a tier. They were comparing their old songs to this one to decide if it was better or worse than “Don’t Stop.” I always find it refreshing when artists can joke about the work that they have grown away from. They talk about their songs not being “bad,” but they just don’t resonate with them anymore. Growing is inevitable and it is so nice to have a band that understands that.

While part of me wishes One Direction was still together, I am so happy that at least one of my teenage heartthrob bands is still together! Here I am, 10 years later, waiting for their new album to drop and trying to get tickets to their upcoming tour. Here’s to (hopefully) 10+ more years of 5SOS music!