A manufactured boyband has two objectives. In the short term, it is to sell as much “product” – from albums to dolls – as possible. The longer-term aim is to achieve the kind of fame where the wider public can put names to the members’ faces, thus smoothing the way for post-band careers.
The Wanted, a British-Irish quintet who had helped revive the stagnant boyband sector in the early 2010s, did not quite reach that point. Despite having two UK No 1 singles with All Time Low and Glad You Came, and their own dolls, they were overshadowed by the juggernaut of One Direction and in 2014 announced a hiatus.
