Netflix’s Building The Band Is Your Next Music Obsession!
Love Is Blind meets One Direction in Netflix’s newest music competition show Building The Band.
Hosted by Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean, the series puts 50 musicians in solo booths where they can only hear — not see — each other perform. The goal is to create their own bands based off of musical chemistry alone. If the connection is strong, they move forward as one of six bands competing for $500,000. The Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger steps in as their mentor, while Destiny’s Child star Kelly Rowland and the late Liam Payne of One Direction join her as performance judges. This was the perfect quartet to come together for the show. Not only are they boy and girl band royalty in their own right, but Rowland and Scherzinger both have a keen eye for this kind of talent. In behind-the-scenes clips from The X Factor UK it was revealed they were the masterminds behind putting together Little Mix and One Direction, respectively.
Battling it out for the top spot are girl groups Siren Society, Sweet Seduction, and 3Quency; boy bands Midnight Til Morning and Soulidified; and the mixed group SZN4. Each band brings their own distinct flavor, with standouts including the smooth R&B stylings of Soulidified, the Pentatonix-coded harmonies of SZN4, and the showstopping 3Quency.
Surprisingly, there wasn’t much drama outside of a short-lived showmance between Midnight Til Morning’s Conor and Sweet Seduction’s Alison, which nearly led to Conor leaving the show. Alison also butted heads with her group members, but, for the most part, the focus stayed on the music and the growing chemistry between the bands.
SZN4 were early favorites with their emotionally charged renditions of “Too Sweet” and “Somebody That I Used To Know,” while Soulidifed showed off their charm and charisma with their version of Usher’s “U Remind Me.” 3Quency’s “Made For Me” impressed, but it was their polished version of Chloë’s “Have Mercy” that proved they had the vocals, choreography, and production savvy to have a strong future as a group.
Released in a three-week drop, it feels like Netflix wasn’t entirely sure how Building The Band would perform — but it absolutely deserves a longer run. Ideally, future seasons should air weekly, with a live component to deepen fan engagement. Get ready for Building The Band to be your new comfort watch. Wholesome and packed with talent, it’s inspiring to watch these groups go from strangers to stars in such a short time.
Building The Band is streaming on Netflix.
