THEN AND NOW: Here's what all your favorite '90s singers are doing today
Gabbi Shaw
- The '90s were an amazing time for music — Oasis, *NSYNC, the Spice Girls, and TLC come to mind.
- But not all of these musicians stayed successful in the new millennium.
- Some, like Vanilla Ice, have pivoted to new careers altogether.
Several '90 stars have stayed in the spotlight. Singers like Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake seem to be on the cover of magazines day in and day out. But what about their fellow '90s chart-toppers?
While some of the 1990s greats have withdrawn from stardom and the music industry, others are still making waves as musicians. Some have even found other callings, like home improvement.
Here's what all your favorite singers from the '90s are up to now.
Amy Daire contributed to a previous version of this article.
The Backstreet Boys were one of the biggest boy bands of the '90s.
This group formed in the early '90s and was made up of AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell. The five guys earned international stardom with their record hits such as "Larger Than Life," "Everybody," and "I Want It That Way."
In 2006, Richardson left the band, and they released two albums as a quartet — "Unbreakable" in 2007 and "This Is Us" in 2009. He rejoined the group in 2012.
But they're still releasing new music, as well.
To this day, they're the best-selling boy band in the world and despite falling off the map for a while back in late 2000s, they're still together making music. They performed their final Vegas show in April 2019.
They released their most recent album in January 2019, "DNA." It hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making them the first boy band to top the charts in three decades.
Sir Mix-a-Lot is most famous for his ode to big butts, "Baby Got Back."
Sir Mix-a-Lot made waves with 1992's "Baby Got Back." He dropped three more albums following the success, none of which topped "Mack Daddy."
In 1995, he also hosted a reality show on UPN called "The Watcher," which followed the activities of people in Las Vegas via cameras hidden throughout the city. The rapper watched the antics in a suite inside the Riviera Hotel.
In the years since, he's spent time in a familiar setting: behind the mic at a radio station.
Until June 2019, Sir Mix-a-Lot hosted a radio show on Hot 103.7 FM in Seattle. His biggest hit was also brought back into the cultural consciousness when Nick Minaj sampled "Baby Got Back" in "Anaconda" in 2014. It peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100.
He also voiced himself in a season four episode of "BoJack Horseman."
The Spice Girls were Britain's hottest group.
The Spice Girls — made up of Scary Spice (Melanie Brown), Sporty Spice (Melanie Chisholm), Baby Spice (Emma Bunton), Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell), and Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham née Adams) — were all the rage in the late '90s.
They broke up in 2001.
All five Spice Girls will reunite for an animated movie in 2020, in which the girls play superheroes.
They briefly reunited in 2008 and once again in 2012 for the London Olympics. They tried to reunite again in 2016, but the only reunion fans got was a 20th anniversary website "Spice Girls — GEM" and a leaked single from a trio comprised of Brown, Bunton, and Halliwell. In 2019, four of the five (minus Victoria Beckham, of course) reunited for a brief tour.
Mel C. has stayed in the music business with a successful solo career and as most people surely know, Beckham has made a name for herself in the fashion industry. As for Mel B., she has a lengthy television resume with gigs on "The X Factor," "America's Got Talent," and "Lip Sync Battle UK." Halliwell became a children's book author in 2007. Emma Bunton has continued to release music while working as a radio DJ.
In June 2019, Paramount announced that an animated film starring all five Spice Girls was in production, making it the first time they've collaborated since 2012.
Sisqó was best known for the "Thong Song."
Sisqó, otherwise known as Mark Andrews, released his debut his album, "Unleash the Dragon," in 1999. On it was the ever-loved "Thong Song," a nostalgic favorite to this day.
Sisqó has turned to country music since his glory days.
After working in the music industry with various music groups and record labels, he released a solo album in 2015. He also united with country singer Marie Osmond for a surprising duet in 2016.
Aside from music, the singer has also dabbled in movies and television. He acted alongside Kirsten Dunst in "Get Over It" and with Cuba Gooding Jr. in "Snow Dogs." He and his girlfriend also appeared in an episode of "Celebrity Wife Swap" in 2013.
They also released a children's book about Christmas in 2018, "Sisqo's Perfect Christmas."
Most importantly, he still rocks his signature dragon pendant.
Vanilla Ice was a hit in the early '90s with "Ice Ice Baby."
Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, hit big with his 1990 hit "Ice Ice Baby." Following that big release, he solidified his spot on the scene by dating the biggest superstar of the era, Madonna. But he was branded a one-hit wonder and hasn't gotten much recognition or radio play for other music since.
These days, he's a home-improvement show host, and occasionally performs at festivals.
He's currently making a name for himself in home-improvement television. Ice currently has his own show on DIY Network that follows a single home renovation over the course of an entire season. "The Vanilla Ice Project" wrapped its ninth season last summer.
He also spent some time on another TV show when he was a contestant on season 23 of "Dancing with the Stars," though he was eliminated during the fourth round.
The rapper's most recent album was released in 2011, "WTF — Wisdom, Tenacity & Focus." A biopic about him is in the works, starring Dave Franco.
B*Witched were an Irish girl group, known best for their hit "C'est La Vie."
This Irish girl group became a big name in music with songs like "C'est La Vie" and "Rollercoaster." The women — Edele Lynch, Keavy Lynch, Lindsay Armaou, and Sinéad O'Carroll — toured with *NSYNC and Britney Spears before splitting in 2002 because O'Carroll left the group and Sony dropped them.
B*Witched is still in the music industry and working on new music together.
When 2012 rolled around, the group reunited for a series called "The Big Reunion" and have been performing together since. They wrapped up their tour through Australia in March 2017 and released an album in 2014 called "Champagne or Guinness."
TLC was one of the biggest bands in '90s history, thanks to the chemistry between T-Boz, Left Eye, and Chilli.
There isn't a '90s child today that can't tell you all the words to the chorus of "Waterfalls" or "No Scrubs." Thanks to TLC's Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, those instant classics helped the '90s become one of the best musical eras of the millennium.
Their group lost a member in 2001 when Lopes decided to try her hand at a solo career. While working on her second album, she died tragically in a car accident in Honduras.
The band lost a cherished member, but the now-duo last released an album, "TLC," in 2017.
Watkins and Thomas kept the TLC legacy alive throughout the 2000s and are set to release their final album this year, which was funded by Kickstarter. They also went on tour in 2015 with Nelly and New Kids on the Block, and again in 2019 with Flo Rida and Nelly to promote their final album.
Most recently, the singers have taken their talents to the screen. Watkins worked on "Days of Our Lives" and had an appearance on "Real Housewives of Atlanta" as a friend of Kandi Burruss. Thomas had her own reality TV dating show, "What Chilli Wants," and co-starred in the January 2017 biopic "Marshall."
Jewel had a knockout hit, "You Were Meant For Me."
Jewel Kilcher kicked off her singing career with 1996's "You Were Meant For Me." After that, she went on to sell millions of records, received four Grammy nominations, and dated A-lister Sean Penn.
In 1998, she also published a book of poetry, "A Night Without Armor." The next year, she made her acting debut in the Ang Lee film "Ride with the Devil."
Jewel has gone on to release 11 other albums since then.
The now-45-year-old guitarist and singer-songwriter has released 12 albums in total, her most recent being "Picking Up the Pieces" in 2015.
That same year she dropped her memoir ,"Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story," which detailed her struggle to success and exposed people who wronged her along the way. One of those people was her father, Atz Kilcher who is featured on Discovery's "Alaska: The Last Frontier."
When she isn't telling-all and singing her greatest hits on stage, Kilcher racks up television and movie credits. Most recently, she's been in three Hallmark TV movies, "Framed for Murder: A Fixer Upper Mystery," "Concrete Evidence: A Fixer Upper Mystery," and "Deadly Deed: A Fixer Upper Mystery."
Lauryn Hill made a name for herself as a member of The Fugees, but also had an extremely successful solo career.
Lauryn Hill stepped onto the scene with The Fugees and had several successful moments with the band before realizing that she wanted a solo career. She debuted with her home run album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" featuring hits such as "Doo Wop (That Thing)" and "Ex-Factor" in 1998. Her song "To Zion" is even one of the songs we think everyone needs to listen to in their lifetime.
She has had a tumultuous few years lately, but is back to performing.
After a surge of overwhelming success in the late '90s, Hill left fame behind and dropped out of the public eye.
In 2013, she made headlines for tax evasion, which led to a short jail sentence. These days she can be seen on various small stages across the world, but has kept things pretty low-key. Famously, she was over two hours late for a performance in Atlanta in 2016 because she was "aligning her energy with the time."
Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love To You" turned them into a sensation that lasted well past the '90s.
Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, and Shawn Stockman — and prior members Marc Nelson and Michael McCary — made up one of the most famous boy bands in the world thanks to their contributions to R&B. The guys hit fame with "I'll Make Love To You" in 1994.
Up until summer 2019, they held the record, alongside Mariah Carey, for the longest-running No. 1 of all time, with "One Sweet Day."
Boyz II Men are still touring to this day.
The group released 13 studio albums, the most recent in 2017. Unlike many of the other groups, they have stuck things out and are still touring together to this day. They even have a Vegas residency.
They collaborated with Charlie Puth on his 2018 album, "Voicenotes."
They've also appeared in various shows including "How I Met Your Mother," "Grease: Live," "Schooled," and "Dancing with the Stars," where Morris competed in season 22.
Hanson's "MMMBop" put these singers on the map.
In 1996, right after "MMMBop" dropped, brothers Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson were every teen girl's obsession. Since that hit, they've dropped several albums together and have gone on multiple tours, including one with Hellogoodbye.
None of their new work has had the same success, but they still tour to screaming fans.
The brothers are good about keeping up appearances and released a Christmas album in 2017 entitled, "Finally, It's Christmas." The band also released a symphonic album in 2018 called "String Theory."
Hanson announced a winter 2019 tour called Wintry Mix. However, in October 2019, the youngest Hanson, Zac, was involved in a motorcycle accident that led to five broken bones. He was replaced as drummer, but still sings.
Each of the brothers is also happily married with kids; they have 13 combined.
98 Degrees was another boy band of the '90s that had a successful career — though not as big as Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC.
Made up of Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons, 98 Degrees was yet another boy band that hit it big in the 1990s. While they didn't earn quite the same international stardom as the Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC, they did have several memorable hits like "Because of You."
The band broke up in 2003.
They reunited for a 2016 nostalgia tour with other popular acts from the era, and released a Christmas album in 2017.
While Jeffre has kept out of the spotlight, Nick ended up launching into reality TV fame with Jessica Simpson in "Newlyweds" and later hosted NBC's "The Sing-Off." He can most recently be seen as the host of Netflix's reality hit "Love Is Blind." His brother, Drew, went on to do a stint on Broadway in "Rent." He also danced on "Dancing with the Stars" in season two and the all-star season in 2012.
Timmons, who formed the band, probably has the most interesting post-boy band story. He ended up in Vegas as a Chippendale in 2011 before joining two other boy bands and touring throughout Asia in 2012.
The band reunited in 2016 for a brief tour with other sensations from the '90s and 2000s.
MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" is still untouchable.
His international hit, "U Can't Touch This," cemented MC Hammer into the music history books forever. His quick rise to fame was met with an equally as quick downfall when he filed for bankruptcy in 1996.
Today, he's better known for his work as a spokesman.
He dropped over 10 albums throughout his music career, but these days he's better known as a spokesperson than a rapper MC. He's been in ads for Starburst and Command Strips.
*NSYNC are up there as one of the greatest boy bands of all time.
The biggest rivalry among '90s kids stems from the age old question, "*NSYNC or the Backstreet Boys?" The band, while not quite as successful as the Backstreet Boys, produced several hit songs such as "Bye Bye Bye," "Tearin' Up My Heart," and "It's Gonna Be Me."
They broke up in 2002 and have pretty much stayed in their own lanes ever since.
Chances of a full *NSYNC reunion are pretty slim.
Justin Timberlake has become a superstar with his solo singing career as well as an acting career, Lance Bass has been on several television shows including "Dancing with the Stars" an officiated a wedding on "Vanderpump Rules," and Joey Fatone hit the big screen with a role in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2," and appeared on "Dancing with the Stars" and "The Masked Singer."
JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick have not reached the same levels of success as their old band-mates, but they're both still in the industry. Chasez was cast to tour North America in 2014's star-studded "Jesus Christ Superstar" before it was abruptly canceled and Kirkpatrick became a voice actor with a role in "Fairly OddParents."
They reunited briefly on stage during the VMAs in 2013 to celebrate Timberlake's Video Vanguard Award, and then again in 2018 for their Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony — but that's probably all we'll ever get.
Destiny's Child was one of the most popular girl groups of the late '90s.
What started as a quartet in the early '90s eventually became a trio and Destiny's Child's best known lineup: Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams.
Some of their hits, including "Bills Bills Bills" and "Say My Name," are among the most recognized songs from the '90s. They gave their final performance as a group in 2006.
One member of Destiny's Child became (arguably) the most famous celebrity in the world, but the other two have had careers worth mentioning, too.
Beyoncé went on to achieve record-breaking success, while Rowland and Williams seemed to get left in the dark. While their names might not be quite as big as Beyoncé's, they've both done quite a bit since the group's end.
Rowland landed a recurring role in "Empire," was featured on Michelle Obama's charity single "This Is For My Girls," and released her first book, "Whoa, Baby!: A Guide for New Moms Who Feel Overwhelmed and Freaked Out (and Wonder What the #*$& Just Happened)." She's also been a judge on "The Voice Australia" since 2016.
Williams has kept just as busy with her role as Roxie Hart in "Chicago" for six weeks back in 2010 and a 2014 gospel album, "Journey to Freedom." Williams was also unmasked on season two of "The Masked Singer."
Destiny's Child has reunited twice since their initial breakup. First, at the 2013 Super Bowl when Beyoncé was performing at the halftime show, and again during Beyoncé's iconic Coachella set in 2018.
Oasis' '90s hits "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova" will likely never die.
Liam Gallagher and his brother, Noel, made Oasis the household name it is today. With hits like "Champagne Supernova" and "Wonderwall" these brothers, along with the various bandmates they've had over the years, are some of Britain's most recognizable musicians.
After the peak of their fame in the summer of 1996, the guys kept up with performances and music-making until 2009 when Noel opted out after a fight with Liam.
The Gallagher brothers are still embroiled in a serious feud.
Since their big blowout, they've kept pretty much to themselves. Noel moved on to a new band, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, which released its first album in 2011. The band's third album was released in 2017.
Liam's released two solo albums, "As You Were" in 2017 and "Why Me? Why Not" in September 2019.
The documentary "Oasis: Supersonic," which detailed the band's rise to fame, came out in 2016.
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