30 years of the Backstreet Boys

Since the 1990s, a party isn’t a party without this song: “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” is a pop music classic, and most people between the ages of 20 and 60 sing along.

Released in June 1997, the song reached multi-platinum status in several countries at the time and sold over 3.6 million copies. It’s one of the Backstreet Boys’ most successful songs – and yet it was never a number one hit.

songs for the heart

If the 1990s marked the golden decade of boy bands, the concept of forming a vocal group of young male singers was not new. In the 1960s, a fictional four-boy band created a TV series called “The Monkees” and went on to become one of the most successful groups of the decade. In the 1970s, the boy band Bay City Rollers broke the hearts of girls across the world, and in the 1980s, it was New Kids On The Block.

In the 90s, competition came from techno music, dramatic grunge rock with its apocalyptic mood – but young music fans in particular still wanted upbeat music.

British band Take That filled that void and were hugely successful. The voices of the five boy band members, including Robbie Williams, came together beautifully and they were great dancers. Their albums sold like hot cakes; their fan base was huge, young and female.

Producers quickly realized that the market for boy bands was huge: East 17, Caught In The Act, *NSYNC followed, along with the Backstreet Boys, founded on April 20, 1993.

Two years of bootcamp

Earlier that year, Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough and Kevin Richardson were chosen at a mega boy band audition – 500 young people attended – in Orlando, Florida.

Music manager Lou Pearlman’s new lineup included different roles, aiming to appeal to the different tastes of girls – the “nice boy next door”, the “rebel”, the “dreamy type”, the “more mature boy”. or the “cute”. young.”

For two years, the boys practiced a lot, with singing, dancing and choreography lessons. The band was conceived as a group of middle-class white kids singing black music like soul, R’n’B and hip hop – all tailored for the American market.

In October 1995, they released their first single, “We’ve Got It Going On”. The Backstreet Boys were successful in the US and made a big impact in Europe as well.

They won their first gold record in Germany and nothing was the same after that. The Backstreet Boys became superstars overnight, teenagers screaming themselves hoarse and swooning wherever they appeared. Her screams drowned out the music. What stopped the Beatles from performing in public 30 years earlier simply motivated the Backstreet Boys.

destructive success

The debut album, “Backstreet Boys” (1996), went platinum several times, followed by sold-out shows. The second album, “Backstreet’s Back” (1997), boasted astronomical sales figures. The band received a shower of music awards and again toured to sold-out Europe. Also in the United States, his music reached the top positions on the charts.

Success took its toll on young musicians. Constant availability to fans and the press, pressure to play their assigned roles, and to break the hearts of teenage females as well-behaved straight white men—it didn’t work for long.

The band members began to break free of the mold. Nick Carter and AJ McLean were heavy drinkers and drug users. “I could have ended up in tragedy”, wrote Nick in his memoir “Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It”. “During the height of my problems, I was using ecstasy, cocaine and drinking a big bottle of vodka a night.”

Fans are forgiving…

Tabloid media closely followed Nick Carter’s toxic relationship and eventual breakup with Paris Hilton. But it seems that the band’s fans are very forgiving, not even turning their backs when Brian Littrell revealed himself years later as an ardent Trump supporter.

Breakup rumors, hiatuses and upheavals have not detracted from the Backstreet Boys’ continued success. When Kevin Richardson left for six years in 2006, the band continued as a four-piece.

Their manager Lou Pearlman, who also launched *NSYNC, was arrested in 2008 for fraud and money laundering. He died in prison of a heart attack in 2016.

But no matter what – every new Backstreet Boys album sells well, even to this day.

Nick Carter, now married and a father, is facing sexual assault lawsuits. He denies the accusations. The vast majority of fans believe their idol is innocent, so the band continues to play to audiences that have remained loyal to them since the 1990s.

The DNA World Tour is underway and will soon take the band to Iceland, Arab countries, the Middle East, India and South Africa. The set list includes songs from their latest album, “DNA” (2019), a cross-section of 30 years of band history, and of course, the band’s megahits including “Quit Playin’ Games”, “I Want It That Way ” and “Everybody”.

Their fans have aged with them. Even at 40, women can still scream — albeit not as shrilly — as well as throw underwear and teddy bears. These days, however, Nick Carter (43), Kevin Richardson (53) and the other boys fight back: They run backstage, arm themselves with hand-signed panties and throw them into the audience.

This article was originally written in German.