Photo courtesy of Acrush

This Boy Band is Also a Girl Group—Sort of

Major Heartthrob Alert

Date March 31, 2017

First off, let’s set things straight. Chinese pop sensation Acrush is neither boy band nor girl group—it’s a talented unit of gender-free “handsome youths” who are “advocating freedom, not bounded by frames.”

Confused? You shouldn’t be. The music world is increasingly open to androgynous acts that blur gender boundaries and challenge masculine and feminine stereotypes.

Take Li Yuchun for example. The unisex singer, actor and fashion muse rose to international stardom back in 2005, after winning the Chinese singing contest Super Girl. Li, also known as Chris Lee, is now an international name, working with brands like Coca-Cola, Chanel, L’Oréal Paris and Balenciaga.

Ten years after Li shot to fame, Chinese talent agent Zhou Xiaobai began touring across the country in search of female musicians to form China’s first unisex band. Zhou found his superstars: Lu Keran, An Junxi, Peng Xichen, Min Junqian and Lin Fan.

Since emerging as Acrush, the group has carved a niche as teenage heartthrobs. Female fans swoon over the band, which flaunts its boyish good looks, stellar street style and smooth dance moves on stage. Nearly 900,000 fans are following ACrush on Weibo, some of whom call band members their “husbands.”

Girls, boys or otherwise, the Acrush members are definitely dreamboats. For confirmation, check out the gallery below.