Following last week's walk down memory lane when I filled my iPod back up with music, this week's Music Monday stems from a look back on music from my youth. Back in 2001, a Swedish girl group called Play hit the teen pop market here in the U.S. and at one point opened for Destiny's Child on tour. They were probably the truest form of bubblegum pop I've ever voluntarily listened to and enjoyed. In 2003, they decided to adopt a slightly mature look and sound (despite being only about 15 years old) and they managed to land one song on MTV's "Total Request Live" ("I Must Not Chase The Boys").

After the release of the group's second album, lead singer Faye Hamlin dropped out and was replaced. With the new member, Play went on to release one last album before disbanding. In 2009, the group was momentarily revived in Sweden with original members Faye Hamlin and Anaïs Lameche (younger sister of singer Amanda, who herself was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. back in 2001) and a new addition, but ultimately broke up for good after one line-up change.

The oldest former members of Play are 27 this year, and those who have chosen to continue to pursue music have been surprisingly successful ... doing music that is definitely not bubblegum pop. My two favorites back then were Faye Hamlin and Rosanna "Rosie" Munter, and both are still in the biz. Rosie, who was never given much to do in the girl group other than to be blonde and look pretty, is no longer blonde and is one half of the "sonic pop" duo K.I.D.S., who played SXSW in 2013.

Like Rosie, Faye has moved away from the bubblegum pop which brought her fame as a teenager, and has done so quite seamlessly. Having quit Play twice due to exhaustion and creative differences, she has achieved some amount of success as a solo dance-electropop artist. And like Rosie, played shows at SXSW in 2013. Earlier this year, she was signed to Capitol Records, and part of me wonders what took her so long. It was clear at 13 that she was going to make it in the music industry, but I guess she wanted it to be on her own terms.