- 3 days ago
Sometimes, the music we love comes with a bittersweet ending. Dive into the stories of iconic groups whose sudden splits left fans heartbroken and music scenes forever changed. From intense pressures and creative differences to personal struggles and unexpected departures, these tales reveal the real cost behind some of the greatest band breakups. Get ready for an emotional journey through pop history’s most heartbreaking farewells.
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00:00I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really, really, really wanna zig-a-zig.
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:06And today, we're counting down our picks for the most devastating band breakups that left us all devastated.
00:12And nothing to get hung about.
00:17Strawberry peels forever.
00:21Number 10. Aqua.
00:23Hiya, Bobby.
00:24Hi, Kim.
00:25You wanna go for a ride?
00:26Sure, Kim.
00:27Jump in.
00:28Let's go back.
00:29Back to the ultimate Y2K bubblegum era.
00:32While they are forever immortalized for Barbie Girl,
00:35Aqua had more than a few bops and was a genuine pop powerhouse in the late 90s.
00:40After Aquarium became a huge success, this quirky Scandinavian group seemed totally unstoppable.
00:54But trouble was brewing beneath the bubbly facade, and the immense pressure of sudden global fame took a serious toll
01:00on the band.
01:01By 2001, things like internal tensions, romantic entanglements, burnout, and a stressful lawsuit with Mattel led to the group's abrupt
01:10disbandment.
01:11Sure, we've seen them reunite for nostalgia tours, and the Barbie movie gave them a well-deserved resurgence.
01:16But the Aqua of the 90s is long gone.
01:19And really, it's a dang shame.
01:29Number 9. Savage Garden.
01:37If you listened to any mainstream radio station between 1997 and 2000, you were definitely swooning to Savage Garden.
01:45The Australian duo gave us timeless anthems like Truly, Madly, Deeply, and I Knew I Loved You.
01:50They seemed totally invincible, right?
01:53Well, like Aqua, things were incredibly messy behind the scenes.
01:56I knew I loved you before I met you.
02:02Instrumentalist Daniel Jones hated pretty much everything about his new success.
02:06The fame, the press, the constant touring, and the intense spotlight of being a global pop star.
02:12Darren Hayes wanted to keep going, but Jones was adamant that he was done.
02:16So the group officially called it quits in 2001, right at the peak of their chart-topping success.
02:22Unfortunately, the two had a severe falling out over the decision, and no longer speak to each other.
02:27You and Daniel, are you chatting? Where are you at?
02:31No.
02:32No, it's, you know, it's not a great relationship. It never was.
02:36Number 8. Destiny's Child.
02:38Say my name, say my name. No one is around you. Say baby, I love you. You ain't one in
02:45game.
02:45Before we were bowing down to Queen Bee, we were obsessed with the ultimate 2000s R&B girl group.
02:51Destiny's Child had a famously bumpy start with some dramatic lineup changes.
02:56But once Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams locked in as the core trio,
03:01they became the modern blueprint for pop perfection.
03:10They actually lasted a remarkably long time in the fast-paced music industry,
03:14and they even dropped back-to-back albums that defined a generation.
03:18Unfortunately, they all decided to go their own ways and pursue solo careers,
03:22and they officially called it quits in 2005.
03:25At least they went out on top, and we can't help but beg for a reunion tour every single year.
03:31Oh well, we guess it just wasn't their destiny.
03:41Number 7. Fifth Harmony.
03:51Formed in front of our very eyes on the X Factor, Fifth Harmony had to fight hard to prove themselves.
03:56But wow did they ever, eventually becoming the defining girl group of the 2010s with a series of mega hits.
04:03And what makes this breakup so particularly sad was the messy unraveling of a group that had so much momentum.
04:14Camila Cabello suddenly and dramatically left the band in 2016 to pursue a solo career.
04:19And it caused a complete collapse.
04:21The remaining four ladies tried their absolute darndest to keep the magic alive,
04:26even releasing a self-titled album without Cabello.
04:28But with poor sales, the writing was on the wall.
04:32And Fifth Harmony announced an indefinite hiatus in 2018.
04:35Don't hold your breath for a reunion.
04:37Is there any truth to just unison?
04:40No.
04:41I mean, clearly not.
04:43We're on here premiering our new single.
04:45But I mean, you never know.
04:46People could have plans.
04:47I mean, we have individual aspirations, but we're really excited about our album,
04:50and we've worked really hard on this together,
04:53and we respect one another enough.
04:55So, you know, that's what the important thing is.
04:57That's exactly what Louis Tomlinson told me when he was here with 1D.
05:00It's the same thing.
05:01Number six, Jonas Brothers.
05:10Okay, yes, we know they famously reunited in 2019,
05:13and have been absolutely thriving ever since.
05:16But if we're talking about the saddest breakups of all time,
05:19we cannot ignore the absolute devastation of their original 2013 split.
05:24After growing up together on the Disney Channel and ruling our late 2000s playlists,
05:28the Jonas Brothers abruptly canceled their highly anticipated comeback tour
05:32a mere two days before it was supposed to begin.
05:35And we spent a lot of time talking about it.
05:38We can say it.
05:38I mean, we'll say it on the radio now.
05:40We'll say that, you know, Kevin's priority has been his family.
05:42And one of the reasons at the end that the group had called it quits
05:46was various reasons, but was the fact that our priorities were in different places.
05:50They cited a, quote, deep rift within the band,
05:52which was supposedly caused by Nick Jonas feeling creatively bankrupt.
05:56For an entire generation of fans who basically grew up with them,
06:00watching three brothers seemingly lose their close familial relationship
06:03over a few creative differences was genuinely heartbreaking.
06:07We're just happy they finally managed to heal and find their way back together.
06:11Why did you stop Jonas Brothers?
06:14Why did you call that meeting, go in and say, Jonas Brothers is no more?
06:19It was a few things.
06:20I think it was a frustration with lack of evolution within the group.
06:24I think creatively, we were sort of stalled,
06:27probably because our emotional relationship was stalled.
06:37When it comes to pure longevity and sisterhood,
06:40Little Mix is the gold standard for modern girl groups.
06:43Formed on the UK X Factor in 2011,
06:46they defied the usual short shelf life of pop acts
06:49by staying together for a phenomenal 10 years.
06:51They consistently churned out the hits while also displaying a genuinely beautiful friendship.
07:04And that's exactly why Jesse Nelson's abrupt exit in 2020 hit the fanbase so incredibly hard.
07:10Like many on this list,
07:11Nelson was struggling with the various aspects of fame
07:14and claimed that it was taking an immense toll on her mental health.
07:17The remaining trio delivered one final greatest hits album
07:20before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2022.
07:23It marked the bittersweet end of a truly historic era in British pop music,
07:27and it left fans everywhere weeping over their emotional farewell concert.
07:33You do seem a very different person,
07:35because there was getting up and being in front of the camera,
07:40being up front, really bothered you.
07:43It wasn't something you enjoyed.
07:45Yeah, no, it wasn't.
07:46Number four, Spice Girls.
07:48If you want to be my lover,
07:50you got to get with my friends.
07:52Make it last forever.
07:55Friendship never ends.
07:57Well, we knew it had to come someday.
07:59We just didn't think it would be so fast.
08:02The Spice Girls were an unprecedented global phenomenon
08:04that burned right,
08:05and then burned out.
08:07The true heartbreak began in 1998
08:09when Ginger Spice suddenly walked out on the group
08:11right in the middle of a massive world tour.
08:14I need some love like I never needed love before.
08:18Wanna make love to ya, baby.
08:21With that, the beautiful illusion of their unbreakable friendship
08:24and sisterly love was shattered.
08:26Though the remaining four members
08:27bravely soldiered on to release one more album,
08:30the original spark was undeniably gone.
08:33They quietly disbanded in 2000,
08:35leaving a permanent hole
08:36in the hearts of 90s kids everywhere.
08:39Friendship never ends,
08:40but sadly, girl groups do.
08:42Oh, just don't be so uptight, Clifford.
08:44Uptight? Uptight?
08:46You've got a live gig here tomorrow.
08:47It's my job to see that you turn up.
08:50My bum is on the line here.
08:52Number three, NSYNC.
08:56Somebody, guess what?
08:58It's gonna be me.
09:00This particular breakup is infamous for one frustrating reason.
09:04It was never actually supposed to be a breakup.
09:07At the absolute height of their powers,
09:09following the massive success of
09:11No Strings Attached and Celebrity,
09:13NSYNC officially announced a, quote,
09:15temporary hiatus.
09:16Okay, whatever, they just need a little break is all.
09:24But shortly after that,
09:26Justin Timberlake released Justified,
09:28his solo career exploded,
09:30and the beloved boy band simply
09:32never got back together.
09:34Aside from a few brief award show cameos
09:36and their fun little reunion for the Trolls franchise,
09:39fans have spent over two decades
09:41desperately waiting for a tour that never came.
09:44It remains the ultimate,
09:45heartbreaking story of unfulfilled pop potential.
09:48Justin and J.C. started writing music together,
09:50but they wanted to do kind of their own things.
09:51Everybody was just kind of just worn out a little bit.
09:53And we were like, yeah, let's take a break.
09:54So Justin was like, I want to write new music.
09:56And I think that's where that went to deter
09:57because the record company was like,
09:59okay, well, we see Justin as a young solo artist now.
10:02This could be kind of like a Michael Jackson thing
10:03or whatever the case may be.
10:05Number two, The Beatles.
10:10Yes, it has been almost 60 years.
10:13What's your point?
10:14You simply cannot talk about musical heartbreaks
10:17without The Beatles.
10:18The group completely revolutionized pop music
10:21in just eight years,
10:22their first single coming out in 1962.
10:24But changing an entire industry
10:26comes with its share of stresses.
10:28Anyway, she didn't split The Beatles
10:30because how could one girl split The Beatles
10:33or one woman, you know?
10:34The Beatles were drifting apart on their own, you know?
10:37By the late 60s,
10:38the band was constantly at each other's throats
10:40over things like musical direction,
10:42business disputes,
10:43personal dramas,
10:44and drug use.
10:46One day,
10:46John Lennon sat the band down
10:48and told them he was leaving.
10:49And that was that.
10:50When Paul McCartney publicly announced
10:52the breakup in 1970,
10:54it didn't just break up a band.
10:55It effectively ended an entire cultural era.
10:59Fans desperately hoped for a comeback,
11:01but those hopes were permanently squashed
11:03in December 1980
11:04when Lennon was tragically murdered in New York.
11:07Good morning, everyone.
11:08I'm Tom Brokaw.
11:09This is today, December 9th.
11:10I'm here with Jane Pauley,
11:12and this entire half hour
11:13will be devoted to the murder of John Lennon,
11:16ex-Beatle,
11:17one of the best-known musicians
11:19and most influential people of his time.
11:22Number one, One Direction.
11:24You don't know,
11:26you don't know you're beautiful.
11:29For our Millennial and Gen Z demo,
11:31no band breakup comes close
11:33to the emotional damage
11:34caused by One Direction.
11:35The band ruled the 2010s
11:37and revived the boy band craze
11:39around the globe,
11:40but the cracks emerged
11:41when Zayn Malik suddenly left
11:42in March 2015.
11:44We should talk about the fact
11:45that there are now four of you here
11:46on this sofa,
11:48where there has always been five
11:49because Zayn...
11:51That's right, yeah.
11:52because Zayn Malik has left the band.
11:54The remaining boys
11:55bravely pushed forward
11:56and released Made in the AM
11:58without him,
11:58but it was also around this time
12:00they announced an 18-month hiatus.
12:02Well, we all know what that means.
12:04Of course, that hiatus became permanent,
12:07and grief quickly escalated
12:08as we realized
12:09that nothing would ever come.
12:11Unfortunately,
12:11this disappointment
12:12turned into an outright tragedy
12:14with the heartbreaking passing
12:15of Liam Payne in 2024.
12:17The realization
12:18that those five boys on the stairs
12:19will never sing together again
12:21makes this undoubtedly
12:22the saddest breakup ever.
12:24I'm going to bring our audience
12:25some breaking news,
12:26which is just coming in to us
12:28here at Newsnight.
12:29We're hearing reports
12:30that a former member
12:32of One Direction,
12:33Liam Payne,
12:34has died
12:35after falling from the third floor
12:37of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
12:39Which of these hurt you the most?
12:41Let us know in the comments below.
12:43We'll see you then.
12:45We'll see you then.
12:46We'll see you then.
12:47Let us know.
12:47You
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