The 2010s Era Is Back — And Fans Are Here for It

The 80s, the 90s, even the 70s – there are a handful of decades that have been said to have ‘made a comeback’. Why not the decade where phones saw a switch to the un-flip-able? When music was for the dancers and the hipsters. When TikTok was just a chart-topper by Ke$ha, not the number one drain of screentime that we know it to be today. Why does Y2K get all the credit? Ladies and gentleman, welcome back the 2010s!

The landscape of our world today has encouraged, almost enforced, a tendency to look back and iconic names, owing their success as they do to the greatest launching pads known to the entertainment industry, have obliged and then some.

It happened slowly, with the revival of iCarly and Victorious soundtracks going viral on TikTok, and with the surprising comeback of Big Time Rush, it was clear that the neon-soaked world of Nick was very much back.

The Big Time Rush: In Real Life Worldwide tour, currently ongoing as we speak, takes the group around the US, UK and Europe. The initial tour announcement of the tour came at the beginning of this year, along with a Big Time Promise to include every song from every episode of the Nickelodeon show that first brought the band to the spotlight.

There launched a flurry of online conversation from fans, digging up old songs from the show and generally reminiscing on the hits from this standout paragon of boyband-ness. In fact, when a press junket saw radio interviews begin, we may have seen – for a split second – a hint of regret in the eyes of members, Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson, and Carlos PenaVega.

However, first videos of their opening VT, emerging on social media, quickly put all that to rest with distinct throwback costume jabs, taking some pages out of the music video and series lookbook, down to such classics as Bandana Man, tree hats and that iconic emotional-support-helmet. As more and more clips emerged, we found ourselves well and truly swept up in a much-needed wave of nostalgia that is not entirely unprecedented.

Max Schneider too, now an established touring artist, has not forgotten the Nickelodeon roots that saw his vocal dig deep into our brains as Charlie in Rags, taking the modern adaptation of the classic Cinderella story so favoured by Disney and applying its structure brilliantly to the music industry and life of a dreamer, with a soundtrack that no doubt fits into that niche pocket of ‘if written for kids why hit so hard’.

As news of BTR’s big comeback was starting to settle as butterflies in the stomachs of 20-to-30-something year olds around the world, back in February, Schneider was performing the Rags classic, Someday, on his own tour to a crowd of enthusiastic fans.

Following a time that saw Nickelodeon shows of old under less of a warm creative spotlight and more of an interrogation room desk-lamp, pointed accusingly with the release of five-part documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV and threatening to cast shadows, it is refreshing to witness a wholesome and persevering love for creative output of the channel.

On the Disney side, the Jonas Brothers currently lead the charge – another round of applause for the boy bands please! – as of when, amongst other epic guests on their latest tour, they invited Demi Lovato onstage to perform some Camp Rock classics, in a moment Lovato says healed her as much as it did us.

Miley Cyrus has promised a repeat of such nostalgia, to officially solidify this comeback, as she hints at working on something "really special" to mark next year’s 20th anniversary – or “Hannah-versary” – of the character and series that launched her career.

The announcement generated significant social media buzz among fans, still eagerly awaiting more details. While a documentary, musical tribute, reunion special, or even tour have all been suggested, the true plan is still hidden under the glamourous veil of the iconic blonde wig.