Backstreet Boys Go Round the World in 100 Hours

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Nov 15, 2000 Source: Excite News/Reuters Submitted By: Gina Updated 7:23 AM ET November 15, 2000 By Paul Majendie STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The Backstreet Boys are off round the world in 100 hours -- the U.S. superstars are making a whistle-stop tour of six continents to promote their new album. The band, billed as the world's biggest selling group after record sales topped 55 million, have chartered a jet to fly them from Stockholm to Tokyo, Sydney, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and New York. The Backstreet Boys are performing at the MTV Europe Awards in Stockholm on Thursday night and then leave for their 26,000 mile odyssey on Friday morning. They will spend 55 hours flying and 45 hours on the ground, giving them a fleeting glimpse of Tokyo's Bay area, Sydney's Bondi Beach, Cape Town's Table Mountain, Rio's Copacabana Beach and New York's Manhattan skyline. The group said that they will still have time at each location to meet fans, hold news conferences and perform their new hit single "Shape of My Heart" without instrumental accompaniment. The single is taken from their fourth album, "Black and Blue," which is the reason for their frenetic globe-trotting. The group -- Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean and Kevin Richardson -- have in just four years landed gold and platinum disc awards in 45 countries. They have garnered four Billboard Music awards and five Grammy nominations. It all began in Orlando, Florida, when high school students McLean, Dorough and Carter kept bumping into each other at acting auditions. They formed a singing group, expanded it to five and then tried to break into the big time. That took a while. Their first successes were gained in Britain and across Continental Europe. Next came Asia and Australia and finally in 1997 their homeland, the United States. Kevin Richardson recalled: "Because we were big in Europe and we had toured France a few times, we started doing well in the French-speaking parts of Canada. Then our music spread to cities like Buffalo, Washington and Chicago." They proudly list Madonna, Elton John and Janet Jackson as fans of their music. But the phenomenon will not go on forever. "I think some of us will start solo careers," Richardson said. "We all want to stay in the entertainment industry in one way or another. "It will be a part of our lives for the rest of our lives whether it's solo careers or writing and producing for other artists. There is the possibility of acting too. A few of us have movie offers on the table already." Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: Lemat Submitted by: Louise Submitted by: Edd Submitted by: James Submitted by: Eugene Comment on this item. Next Item: MTV Lines Up Stars for Millennium Awards Show Prev Item: A 100 Hour Tour