The Evolution of Girl Bands
Spice Girls, TLC, En Vogue, 3LW, Play, Wild Orchid, Dream, and More 💝
Why were the members of TLC called “T-Boz”, “Left Eye” and “Chili”?? Wait, Sinbad discovered a girl band?? Why do we all know someone who did a tap dance to “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”?? No one can really be sure. Berry Gordy is related to WHO?? Technically, not to Beyoncé. You know who IS related? Sister duos Tegan & Sara, The Veronicas, Aly & AJ, Nina Sky, and Cherish are. (Bounce with it, drop with it, lean with it, rock with it!!)
Also *NSYNC comes up kind of a lot in this episode. Giving JC Chasez more press than his actual publicist did in the early 2000s. I explain a crazy Mandela Effect sensation I experience around him and what it has to do with one of my favorite Disney Channel Original Movies.
So in this episode, you’ll learn little-known facts about these groups, my predictions for a girlband (or boyband) revival, what needs to change in the music industry before that happens, and how web3 and emerging technology can facilitate that shift.
Watch/listen: YouTube • Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Website
🛼 Haven’t You Heard?!
My fav things from the internet rn:
Bratz’s recent collabs with Cult Gaia (whose founder’s dad is the founder/CEO of the company that manufactures Bratz 👀) and GCDS (one of my favorite brands 🇮🇹) have truly solidified them as fashion icons. I love seeing Bratz play with cult classic moments on social media, from Scream to Mean Girls to Jennifer’s Body. But fr when are they going to let me mint my Nicstalgia doll as an NFT? #DreamCollab #ItsGonnaHappen 😇
Be kind, REWIND. Basically, a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) called Blockbuster DAO wanted to buy Blockbuster from Dish Network, and Dish was like, yeah no. Blockbuster still underestimates the power of emerging technology to shift social and consumer behavior, but as you may remember, they’ve made this mistake before.
RECUR has partnered with Paramount studios to release digital collectibles from Rugrats and Hey Arnold! They are being brought on-chain, aka. the blockchain, as non-fungible tokens aka. NFTs, which does not – contrary to popular belief – stand for Nicole F’ing Tremaglio. Do I NEED to own a collectible of Rhonda Wellington Lloyd? Yes, yes I do. I also got to check out the Nickelodeon Splat Factory during NFT NYC this past week. I’m looking forward to seeing how archival intellectual property (IP) comes back in a new way.
If you listened to the recent Nicstalgia episode about Modern Social Media Marketing and Media Literacy with Perri and Sofia, it’s ~very~ fitting that I got a targeted ad for ScarJo’s skincare line while browsing through a ranking of the best Britney Spears perfumes. Fantasy was my adolescent favorite. (I FINALLY remember it’s the pink bottle and Curious is the blue. A miracle!)
⏮ Let’s Go Back….Back to the Beginning
A time capsule of this week:
On June 29th, Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls, and also as importantly Eden’s Crush, fame celebrates her 44th birthday. Get over yourself, goodbye ✋🏼 Do yourself a favor and watch this music video. The butterfly tops. The choreography. Obviously this was my life inspiration at age 11!!
In 2002, “Dilemma” by Nelly and Kelly Rowland came out and produced what’s probably my favorite meme of all time.
In 2012, “Summertime Sadness” by Lana Del Rey was released and became our soundtrack for a perfect Indie Sleaze summer.
💿 Hey Mr. DJ, put a [playlist] on
Playlist of the week:
There couldn’t be a more fitting playlist for after you listen to this week’s episode of Nicstalgia. It’s Girl Power! You definitely heard some of these songs playing in Limited Too. Includes 90s bubblegum pop, 00s Disney girlies...something for everyone.
From the hits like Hoku’s “Perfect Day” to and Mandy Moore’s “Candy” to deep cuts like “Emotional” by Mikaila, which inspired the Nicstalgia theme song. I straight up STAN that song.
🏆 Nicstalgia Trivia
Keeping with this week’s theme of girl bands, which four-piece band played during the prom scene in the 1999 dark comedy Jawbreaker?
Answer will be in next week’s edition.
Last Week’s Answer
On Hey Arnold!, Phoebe’s hopes and dreams were shattered once she discovered her pop star idol was a lip-syncing fraud. What was his name?
Ronnie Matthews, of “I Saw Your Face And Wow” infamy.
🧨 Spice Up Your Life
Connect with Nic on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter
Watch and subscribe to the Nicstalgia podcast on YouTube
Watch, listen, follow, and rate the Nicstalgia podcast on Spotify
Listen, follow, review, and rate the Nicstalgia podcast on Apple Podcasts
Join the Buddy List: Become a paid member of this newsletter to receive bonus podcast episodes and more!