For those of us in our twenties and thirties, the golden age of music was the '80s and '90s (and, okay the '00s as well). We lived for anthems derived during this time, proof of which extended from our iPod shuffles to our school talent shows; (raise your hand if you've done at least one choreographed dance routine or five to something off the Backstreet's Back album). Rock and punk pumped through our blood streams and our Discmans and showed us (and our poor parents) the true meaning of attitude. And just like that bus driver who still rocks her frosted mullet with pride and conviction, we remain dutifully attached to our '80s and '90s jams. This golden age of music was chock-full of one-hit-wonders but also talented musicians who pioneered modern music trends and made the burgeoning industry what it is today. Lucky for us, some of those bands and artists are still around, still touring, still producing killer music and still sporting that black eyeliner that nobody really understood... but you keep doing you, Billie Joe. Check out these six bands and artists who have achieved the ultimate pop culture success: staying relevant.
Gwen Stefani
Everything about Gwen Stefani during her No Doubt days, from her high, accidental-facelift pony tail to her plaid paperboy hat, screams ’90s. In 1992 the band released their self-titled album, No Doubt, and following in 1995 they released Tragic Kingdom, which included timeless singles like “Just a Girl,” and “Don’t Speak.” Though No Doubt hasn’t produced anything new since 2003, the platinum blond pop princess that is Gwen Stefani is still totally killing it. This past March, she released her highly anticipated solo album, This is What the Truth Feels like, and did a stint on SNL (plus has a new man in her life). (P.S. If you haven’t already seen her Space Pants skit with Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage, you can go ahead and open up a new tab and DO THAT RN PLEASE.)
