Every music fan dreads the day that their favorite band breaks up. It’s a pretty devastating event: just ask all of the distraught One Direction fans out there, or anyone who was an emo kid when My Chemical Romance parted ways. However, the beauty of the music industry is that a breakup (or a “hiatus” as it’s so frequently called) is rarely a permanent thing. Bands break up and make up all the time according to their members’ circumstances (and bank balances). Nostalgia sells, and even groups who’ve been disbanded for decades have been known to make successful comebacks.
With this in mind, we couldn’t help but think about the various bands we’d love to see get back together in 2018. A 1D reunion would certainly warm the hearts of millions of young girls around the world. If Destiny’s Child got back together – even just for a night – it’d be a total sensation. Since Justin Timberlake is playing the Super Bowl Halftime Show next year, why not get him to bring *NSYNC back together for the performance? They’re not the only ones. There are so many groups out there that need to make a comeback next year.
16. My Chemical Romance
Every emo kid of the 2000s was utterly devastated when My Chemical Romance announced their split back in 2013. Hits like “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “Teenagers” were the soundtrack to our younger years! How could they do this to us? Since then, there have been various reunion rumors over the years, most recently in 2016 when mysterious promotional material appeared on the band’s social media accounts. However, this turned out to be advertising a reissue of the hit album The Black Parade. Lead singer Gerard Way has suggested that we shouldn’t totally dismiss the idea of a reunion, though – it’s within the realms of possibility.
15. The Jonas Brothers
Oh man, thinking about The Jonas Brothers is a sure-fire way to trigger some major mid-2000s nostalgia. Their music was the ‘in thing’ back in 2008 and 2009 – remember “S.O.S.” and “Burnin’ Up”? Such good tunes! The brothers also made a name for themselves by dating pretty much every female teenage pop star in the business. I still don’t think Taylor Swift is over Joe Jonas dumping her in a 20-second phone call. ANYWAY, the pop reign of the brothers came to an abrupt end in 2013 when the trio canceled their tour and upcoming album due to “creative differences.” Nick Jonas has basically admitted it’s all his fault. They officially broke up shortly afterward. The three are now back on good terms, and we’re hoping that means they’ll musically collaborate again in future. We’d be so down for a Jonas Brothers reunion tour. Even a DNCE song featuring Nick would do.
14. Selena Gomez and the Scene
You’d totally forgotten that Selena Gomez didn’t start out as a solo act, hadn’t you? When Gomez first transitioned from the acting business to the music scene in 2008, she did so as part of a group called Selena Gomez and the Scene. A lot of songs that are considered hits solely for Gomez actually came from this group, including “Who Says,” “Naturally,” and “Love You Like a Love Song.” Gomez broke free from the band in 2012 to fully focus on her solo singing stardom, and the group consequently disbanded. However, it’d be great to hear Selena record with her past collaborators again, even if it’s just for one or two songs. The tracks from her “The Scene” days were just so darn good!
13. The Pussycat Dolls
Pretty much everyone who grew up in the Noughties has heard of The Pussycat Dolls. While they initially started out as a burlesque group, they transitioned into the music industry in 2003. Surprisingly, they only actually released two studio albums! However, these records spawned huge hits like “Don’t Cha,” “Buttons,” and “When I Grow Up.” The band split in 2009 following tension between its members — basically, the other girls didn’t like the amount of attention lead vocalist Nicole Scherzinger got compared to the rest of the group. However, it was rumored a couple of months ago that at least some of the band would be reuniting sometime soon. It makes sense – 2018 will be the tenth anniversary of their popular album Doll Domination. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that this reunion actually materializes.
12. The Cheetah Girls
The Cheetah Girls were kind of a smaller, knock-off version of The Pussycat Dolls. However, they did have their own merits as a group. They were slightly less sexualized than the Dolls due to their Disney Channel origins and appeared in numerous Disney Channel Original Movies. Their merchandise game was also strong: you could get Cheetah Girls clothes, perfume, dolls, room décor, books, and video games. They were the real deal! The band split in 2008 following the departure of Raven-Symoné, and all of the members moved on with their careers. However, we’d love to see them perform together one last time. Maybe they could take The Pussycat Dolls’ route and do a tenth-anniversary celebration?
11. The Spice Girls
I tell you what we want, what we really really want… A SPICE GIRLS REUNION! This iconic ’90s girl band did briefly reunite in 2012 to perform at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics. However, that wasn’t nearly enough Spice Girl action to fully Spice Up Our Lives. Three band members – Mel B, Emma Bunton, and Geri Halliwell – did briefly plan a mini-reunion last year; however, this was put on hiatus after Halliwell became pregnant. What we need is for all of these women to stop being so bloody busy and get back in the studio. Plus Posh Spice Victoria Beckham has pretty much squashed the idea of a reunion every time she’s been approached about it. It’s coming up to their 25th anniversary as a band. If that’s not the perfect time to reunite, I’m not sure when is.
10. No Doubt
No Doubt is the musical equivalent of an on-again, off-again relationship. Since their first split back in 2004, they’ve had numerous reunions and sporadically released new music. Their last album came out in 2012, and they’ve been on yet another hiatus ever since. We think it’s about time for them to pop out of the woodwork once again. Lead singer Gwen Stefani has expressed some ~doubts~ in the past about whether another reunion will happen, but given the group’s history, it’s bound to happen at some point. Blake Shelton can look after the kids, Gwen can put her solo career on the back burner, and No Doubt can give us a few more hits. Ideal, right?
9. The White Stripes
Okay, maybe hoping for a reunion from a band whose members are literally divorced is a bit of a stretch. But still! Their blues-rock vibe was so cool, and they had so many cracking hits. It was a bit weird that Jack and Meg tried to pass themselves off as siblings despite being married, but we can move past that. Jack is still a super active musician – surely he can get Meg back on board for a couple of new tunes? Her drumming was insane, and her voice truly beautiful. Unfortunately, however, Meg does seem to have retired from the industry, so a reunion may not be on the cards anytime. Still, we can hope and pray that changes.
8. The Civil Wars
Before they split back in 2014, The Civil Wars were a pretty popular and critically acclaimed indie/folk duo. They won four Grammy Awards, released two hit albums, and even collaborated with Taylor Swift to write an original song for The Hunger Games. However, their success together ended in 2014 when an indefinite hiatus turned into a permanent split. It seems that band members Joy Williams and John Paul White didn’t exactly part on the best of terms. Williams has stated that the last time she spoke to White was after their final gig in November 2012. However, we still hold out hope that they can mend their rift and go back to making sweet folk tunes together.
7. Oasis
Yeah… Maybe hoping for an Oasis reunion is a bit of a pipe dream. Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher aren’t exactly on the best terms – in fact, they publicly express their hatred for each other pretty regularly. However, they’ve made up after fights like this in the past; who’s to say they won’t do it again? In fact, rumors have emerged as recently as this week that they’ve finally called a truce in their most recent spat. Does this mean we’ll get new Oasis music or even just a performance of their old classics? We seriously hope so. Nothing is impossible with these two.
6. ABBA
Now is the perfect time for classic Swedish pop band to reform. A sequel to Mamma Mia, the movie musical based on their hit songs, is currently in the works. Why not capitalize on all of that free publicity and organize a comeback tour? Despite containing two divorced couples, the band has managed to remain on remarkably good times. They’ve consistently shut down any rumors that they’re planning to reform, but hey – things change. We need a comeback tour, if not new music. They could even bring Meryl Streep and other Mamma Mia cast members along! Now THAT would be epic.
5. The Smiths
Let’s get real: everyone has had one of those wallowing-in-misery experiences where they’ve closed the curtains and listened to The Smiths all day. Their songs are perfect for that stage of being upset where you’re totally cool with feeling like crap and want to make the most of it artistically. The band broke up back in 1987 and has repeatedly refused to reunite since then. However, there’s still time! Never say never, right? Lead singer Morrissey is such an unusual bloke that we can imagine him randomly deciding to reform the band one day. At least it’d stop him from writing any more terrible erotic literature.
4. Ace of Base
Back in the ’90s heyday of Europop, Swedish band Ace of Base was all the rage. Their song “All That She Wants” was an international success, making it to No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band was active for over 20 years until their split in 2012, triggered by the departure of female vocalists Clara Hagman and Julia Williamson. Fans were devastated, as were the numerous artists who had cited the group as their inspiration — Lady Gaga and Katy Perry are two notable Ace fans. The band’s former members have given conflicting reports regarding the likelihood of a reunion, but we’re still hoping it’ll happen at some point.
3. One Direction
Look, we know it’s unlikely that our beloved One Direction will get back together anytime in the near future. Niall and Harry are too busy totally smashing their solo careers — Zayn, too, if you still count him as a part of 1D. Liam’s a bit preoccupied both with his music career and a tiny baby to look after. Same goes for Louis. But still… Couldn’t they squeeze in a little bit of time to make us one more 1D single? Or a world tour? It’s not much to ask, guys… We need the closure! We’ve waited long enough! Maybe some kind of Christmas miracle will convince the boys that their reunion needs to be immediate. We can only dream.
2. *NSYNC
We got a mini-reunion of *NSYNC back in 2013 at the MTV Video Awards. Remember when they briefly joined Justin Timberlake onstage during a medley of his greatest hits? It was an iconic moment only overshadowed by Miley Cyrus’s infamous twerking. ANYWAY. Wouldn’t it be cool if 2018 brought us a full-scale reunion of this classic ’90s band? There’s been some talk that it could happen when JT performs the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February, and band member Lance Bass has said he’d be down for it. Looks like this reunion might actually be on the cards! If the band could also just casually drop a reunion album too, that would be great.
1. Destiny’s Child
Okay, this has to be one of the most sought-after reunions in musical history. Every single year, we pray that Beyoncé, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland get back together and make some sassy, spectacular new music for us. Every year, we end up disappointed. Well, except in 2013, when they briefly reunited for Bey’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. But that just wasn’t enough! We need more of these three Independent Women! Sure, Beyoncé is probably busy raising Blue Ivy and the twins (and being a general goddess). Kelly has recently denied that a reunion is on the cards. But surely they can find some time in their busy schedules to get together? It’s for the good of music fans everywhere.