KYN Entertainment

Release Date: June 23rd 2023

Reviewed by: Joshua Andre

Boys World– me, my girls and I (EP) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)

Track Listing:

1. So What
2. Mantrum
3. Me, my girls & I
4. Funeral
5. Wrong Side

While we have previously mourned the disbandment of Little Mix, apprehensively supported Leigh-Anne’s foray into solo music, and also dove deep into RLY and their debut single, as the band I’ve crowned as one to ‘replace’ Little Mix; I’ve since discovered another new girl group. While new and up and coming boy bands don’t really interest me that much (leave it to more seasoned veterans such as Westlife, Backstreet Boys and Boyzone to pique my interest and inspire me with their music!), I’ve found that 5-piece Boys World, comprising of Elana Caceres, Lillian Kay, Queenie Mae Villaluz, Makhyli Simpson and Olivia Ruby, are just what we need. Sure, they’re not who I’d normally listen to, but this group nonetheless inspires us all with their tenacity, determination and skill in their songs and their raps about real life and the ups and downs and everything else in between. I first heard about this group through the music video of the ballad “Something In the Water” which was present on my YouTube home page one day; and since that time, I’ve been blessed to heart the continued maturity and relatability and relevance in their music. Me, My Girls & I released this past June, and though I’m not the target audience of this release (in fact, I don’t think any guy is!); there’s still a sense of hopefulness and fun and freedom and camaraderie on this release- it’s probably the most ‘fun’ pop release of a band I’ve heard this year. Maybe since Little Mix’s Between Us.

We went into this EP telling [our team] the tracklist we wanted, how we wanted the videos and the cover to look, the feeling that we wanted to give people. It’s perfect because 2022 was us honing in on being there for each other, we were all generally just going through so much. Our other cover arts have been very fun, curated and posed, and this one felt very girls’ girls. It felt personal and this EP is very personal.

With us, if someone’s sad, we’re all sad, and if your personal life isn’t doing so well, it’s hard to want to be in work meetings and it just all falls onto each other, like a domino effect.

I think it’s a compliment to be called the next Spice Girls because they did such amazing things. [But] you want to make your own mark in the world so I can understand that part where we want [people] to be like, ‘They’re Boys World and they’re cool.’

Something that we do is just be ourselves. I feel like so many girls are painted this picture of [having to] sit pretty and be a lady. No, we will shake our ass and dance and make a mess and be chaotic. I fart, I burp, who gives a sh*t! We’ve been loving the title of ‘lovable mess.’ We really resonate with that. We’re so different and chaotic in our personalities, and what we do and [how] we have so much fun together.

We have meetings every week about the ideas and the vision we see for ourselves. The first few years, we didn’t have that much control but right now, there’s way more room and freedom. It’s like how people are mad about The Little Mermaid because she’s black, and I feel like because we’re a diverse group, then people are just going to be mad. If people back in the day just stopped saying equal rights, if they were like, ‘Oh, people are angry, so let’s just shush,’ then you wouldn’t have progress. The only way for us to progress at all is to just keep doing what we’re doing.

Apart from the interview above that I just stumbled across, there’s not much online about Boys World. No.. scratch that, there’s plenty online on social media. They’ve got their facebook, Instagram and tiktok. But as I’m not a gen z-er, and am older than I feel (yes, I’m in my mid-thirties!), I’m not that savvy with social media, and hence there’s not much online that I can find useful. But these girls, who were scouted to be part of a girl group that they had no idea who the members were; are very active on social media. They share their lives with us on the daily, and they’re good at what they do. But as we wait for an official press release about their upcoming full length album, whenever that may be; let us listen to me, my girls & I, an empowering EP about knowing who you are and not being ashamed of it. From the above interview and numerous music videos, we can tell that these young women are passionate about life and want to be the best that they can be; and this EP is proof that hard work pays off and that sometimes people are presented with an opportunity to inspire the world, and when you receive that opportunity, you need to use your gifts for good. Sorry, does that sound too… Star Wars-ish?

With 3 of the 5 members going through breakups last year, the theme of rising above the ashes and saying goodbye to your exes and your vices; forms the backbone of the EP thematically. “So What” features all five girls rapping and having a ball of fun, as we hear ach of them say goodbye to toxic people in their lives, and outlining that they say ‘so what?’ to the cries of their exes who want them back even after they’ve mistreated them and cheated on them with other people. Yes, this song sounds callous and harsh, but these girls are just dishing out what they’ve received. Maybe, the lyrics could have been toned down a bit… but hey, the track creates discussion about the entire theme of how to treat women, so… this song is a positive, am I right?

“Mantrum” then double downs into the theme of female empowerment and calling out men who chuck tantrums and act like teenagers (or younger) because they don’t get their way for whatever reason; while the title track champions friendships and people who are in your corner who can and will support you in your deepest and darkest time of need. Or, they’re just there to be with you and cry with you, and then later on party and have a good time. “Funeral” is next, a powerful ballad about saying goodbye to your ex and having a ‘funeral’ for the relationship and closing a chapter behind you; and “Wrong Side” ends the EP, and is a piano melody about unrequited love and the heartache that goes along with having your feelings not reciprocated.

Boys World, with similarities to Spice Girls, Fifth Harmony and Little Mix, are bound to take the world by storm. Yes, they’re probably more applicable to people of a generation younger than me. But Elana, Lillian, Queenie, Makhyli and Olivia are certain to inspire and empower in their full length album whenever it releases. And regardless if you connect with these girls or not in terms of their music; let’s celebrate the formation of a new girl group. Even if you don’t resonate with them, or half-resonate, then surely your mother or sister or daughter or female friend may appreciate them much, much more. And if their success is similar to Little Mix or Spice Girls; then we’ll hear these girls on the regular in the many years to come. Well done Boys World, for a well-thought-out new EP, and I can’t wait to hear what’s next from you!

Score: 4/5

3 songs to listen to: So What, Me My Girls & I, Wrong Side

RIYL: Fifth Harmony, Ava Max, Dua Lipa. Olivia Rodrigo, Riley Clemmons, Britt Nicole, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Little Mix