Boy/Girl Bands and the Billion Songs CNCO is the de nitive exception that proves the rule. A group from Puerto Rico singing in Spanish that managed to generate a 900 million stream juggernaut. It also stands as hard proof that the Latin American market is becoming increasingly dominant in global streaming. The Little Mix Phenomenon: Closest, But Not Yet In Little Mix deserves a section of their own. Formed on The X Factor UK in 2011 the exact same show that birthed One Direction they are the highest streamed British girl group of all time on Spotify, pulling in over 10 billion streams across their entire discography. A truly staggering number. Yet, not a single one of their singles has cleared the billion mark. The reason, according to me, paradoxically, lies in their consistency: Little Mix never had that one "monster" breakout single that cannibalized the rest of their work. Shout Out to My Ex, Secret Love Song, and Black Magic are all clustered near the 850 million mark, but none have broken through the ceiling. With three tracks sitting so agonizingly close to the threshold, it is practically inevitable that at least one will breach the Billion Club in the coming months. When that happens, Little Mix will become the British girl group with the most billion tracks in history surpassing the Spice Girls, who remain locked at one. The Great Absentees 43 band, six decades I want to close this chapter with a nal list a decade by decade map of boy and girl bands from the past, as well as those still active, 96