Let’s be real: we are living in the golden age of the solo superstar. Between Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Sabrina Carpenter, and Harry Styles, the main character energy in the music industry is currently dominated by individual icons rather than squads. But have you noticed that the charts are missing something? The days of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones—bands that completely defined a generation and took over the entire culture—feel like a distant memory. Dominique Perrault recently posed the question that’s been floating around in the back of our minds: are we ever going to see an all-conquering group hit that level of global dominance again? It’s giving nostalgia for a time we didn’t even live through. The industry has lowkey shifted focus, and right now, the solo artist model is winning. Whether this is just a temporary vibe shift or a permanent change in how we consume music remains to be seen, but the struggle to find the next Abba is real. ## Why it matters: Understanding these shifts in pop culture helps us see how the music industry evolves. If the era of the legendary band is truly behind us, it changes how we experience music fandom and what we can expect from future chart-toppers.