Back in the ‘90s, our generation was treated to the raw strength and glamour of Spice Girls — a group of energetic singers who presented themselves as being different from each other. They were strong characters blessed with hooky pop songs. In fact, while I’m not a big fan of vocal groups, one of my mental cure songs in this pandemic era is the majestic “Viva Forever.”
Spice Girls cannot be surpassed nor could they be duplicable, unless we think those acts whose members appear like they’re one and the same, are overly thin, and dance robotically synchronized are way better.
Last week I joined this virtual press conference of Boys World organized by Amplified Entertainment. I immediately linked them to the girl group of my youth. Observers need not even put the colors of their skin or the features of their faces to differentiate them from one another.
Described as a street-savvy Filipina-American, Queenie Mae stood out not because she was born in the Philippines. But I say she has a clear sense of what she’s saying. Discussing about their new songs, she said, “‘Relapse’ was our first demo, and it’s kind of like our baby. It’s very relatable especially if you’ve gone through some toxic relationship.”
The other track, the best I’ve heard from their five-song EP debut, “While You Were Out,” is, in her words, “about knowing your worth.” Its chorus takes the cake with its driving melody and singable words like, “You might lose the light of your life/ Cause you don’t know you’ve been touched by an angel.”
Queenie simply added as the rest nodded: “The whole EP is an emotional cycle.”
Boys World just did a special virtual concert and performed the songs on their EP, with the acoustic arrangements magnifying the seamlessness of the members’ vocal harmonies. It was hosted by TikTok sensations Emmy Hartman and Ian Smith, and filmed at Gotta Have It Vintage in Venice Beach, California.
The e-show also further illuminated the intrinsic beauty of “Touched By An Angel.” It’s the final song and they certainly saved the best for last.
Since the group debuted last October, their first singles “Girlfriends” and “Wingman” have neared four million streams together.
The rest of Boys World are as charismatic as Queenie is. It’s easy to like the rose-haired Olivia Ruby, the very-feminine New York-native Elana Caceres, the introverted pop-punk Idahoan Lillian Kay, and spotlight-stealer, 17-year-old Makhyli.
The EP is said to be “the musical embodiment of the band’s overall spirit – a mix of sounds and personalities for everyone.”
“We dig each other and that’s part of the connection,” one of the other girls said. “We love what we do and we’ve been safe doing things together.”
Boys World is managed by KYN Entertainment and Live Nation headed by Sonny Takhar who's responsible for the success of artists like Fifth Harmony and One Direction.
With strong songs and clear-cut individuals on board, Boys World has a legitimate shot to be the next Spice Girls.”‹