Entertainment

One Direction's Zayn Malik Engaged: How Have Other Pop Stars' Careers Faired After Putting a Ring on It?

It's remarkable that One Direction's Zayn Malik got engaged to girlfriend Perri Edwards, if only because it's a shock that the band's manager would let him get away with such a thing. At 20-years-old, the kid's in his prime money-making years and sooner than you can say Chris Kirkpatrick Braces, he'll age out of drawing in the money-spending tween audience. To take himself off the market now is like a veritable gunshot to the hearts of all his loyal fans, and one to his foot, as well. Don't think his engagement is a big deal? Let's see how well putting a ring on it has worked out for other pop icons who popped the question early in their careers.

by Lindsay Mannering

Getting Married Screws With Your Band

It's remarkable that One Direction's Zayn Malik got engaged to girlfriend Perri Edwards, if only because it's a shock that the band's manager would let him get away with such a thing. At 20-years-old, the kid's in his prime money-making years and sooner than you can say Chris Kirkpatrick Braces, he'll age out of drawing in the money-spending tween audience. To take himself off the market now is like a veritable gunshot to the hearts of all his loyal fans, and one to his foot, as well. Don't think his engagement is a big deal? Let's see how well putting a ring on it has worked out for other pop icons who popped the question early in their careers.

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Nick Lachey, 98 Degrees

In the late '90s and early oughts, 98 Degrees was solidly on the radar. Sure, bigger bands like 'NSync and Backstreet Boys made up a larger slice of the boy band pie, but the trio enjoyed great success — they sold over 10 million albums and had eight top 40 singles. Then ... lead singer and heartthrob Nick Lachey proposed to Jessica Simpson. During the band's planned hiatus in 2002, Nick and Jess got married, and nothing would ever be the same. 98 Degrees never returned to the spotlight, and Nick's solo ventures SoulO and What's Left of Me had dismal sales. Granted, Nick and Jess did manage to dominate the reality TV world, but musically speaking, Nick never recovered, nor did his band.

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Taylor Hanson, Hanson

If you think "Mmmbop" is all Hanson was good for, think again. The Oklahoma brothers are actually very talented musicians — even Bono himself called them geniuses ... unironically. Thing is, everyone sort of stopped paying attention to Hanson after frontman Taylor met his wife in 2000, which was just when their music started to get good. Like, for real good. But by then, fans had unfortunately lost interest. Middle of Nowhere, released in 1997, sold over 10 million copies, but the critically-acclaimed This Time Around, released in 2000, sold only 500,000 copies.

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John Lennon, The Beatles

When the whole world blames your wife for breaking up one of the greatest bands of all time, it's not a good thing.

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Christina Aguilera

It's not just the guys who get less love post-marriage. After Christina Aguilera got married in 2005, her album sales have been down. Her 1999 release sold nearly 17 million copies worldwide; her 2002 release sold over 12 million; and in 2006, a year after her wedding, her Back to Basics record sold about a third of her previous release: 4.5 million.

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Victoria Beckham, Spice Girls

In 1996, the Spice Girls' album Spice sold over 28 million copies around the world. In '97, Spice World sold 17 million copies. In 2000, Posh Spice married Prince Beckham, and the girls' next album, Forever, only sold 4 million worldwide.

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