Backstreet Boys: The Next Level

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Feb 27, 2000 Source: MTV Submitted By: FRIcKy132@aol.com What else can you say? It's the Backstreet Boys, for cryin' out loud, and the scintillating fivesome from down Florida way -- that's Kevin, Howie, Brian, A.J., and young Nick (as if you didn't know) -- is currently in the midst of a U.S. tour that's seeing the group performing in the round and getting closer to fans than ever. While the guys love performing live, that's not the only thing on their minds right now. In addition to a heap of Grammy nominations on their shiny, platinum-covered plates, they also have some tremendous plans for the future, which they shared with MTV News' very own John Norris when he caught up with the group before a show in Buffalo, New York. In addition to spilling the Earth-shaking news that both Kevin and Brian are engaged to be married (see "Two Backstreet Boys Ready Wedding Bells"), the guys also waxed candidly about their plans for their next album -- the first for its glossy new multimillion dollar contract with Jive Records -- as well as their thoughts about their newly minted labelmates 'NSYNC (see "Backstreet Boys Address 'NSYNC's Shadow"), the pop-ification of the Grammy Awards, and how, when the tour is over, they're all going to hole themselves up in some remote location and develop their plans for taking BSB to the next level. The Boys also gave Norris the rare privilege of sitting down with each of them to go one-on-one for five very provocative Q&A sessions, the results of which you can find in RealVideo within these pages. Step lively, now... they're waiting for you. John Norris: All right. I have a date I'm going to lay out on you: March 21. Does that mean anything to any of you... other than being my birthday. Which it is, I'm not kidding. Kevin Richardson: Didn't we sign our record deal on a March 21? MTV: Actually, what I was getting at is, Jive Records is gonna drop an album called "No Strings Attached" on March 21. I was wondering, is this an album that you guys are gonna even pay much attention to, as far as how it does the first couple of weeks out there? Are you curious to see whether or 'NSYNC waited too long, or did you not even give it a thought? Howie Dorough: I think, of course, it's human nature. We're gonna obviously want to know how it's doing. Brian Littrell: Some of us want to know. Some of us don't. A.J. McLean: I think ['NSYNC is] going through the same stuff we've finally broken the chains out of now, so I wish them the best of luck. [RealVideo] KR: God bless them. AJM: We've been through [contract problems] and I tell you what: It sucks. But now it's finally the way we want it to be, so I wish them the best of luck with everything. HD: Now it's all out in the open. Everybody knows everything. It's like, we're two successful groups now. It's about making good music. Whoever comes with the good music is there at the finish line. MTV: You don't really get any bigger in terms of music business than you guys are at right now, if you want to start measuring it in tens of millions of records sold. But after a certain point, I would think that what you're going for and what is important to you shifts and changes. As you look toward the next record and tour cycle, are the priorities different, would you say? BL: It would have to change, or everything gets old... you keep doing the same thing. It all coincides. We go right back in the studio after this tour [to] create another record that we are proud of, that nobody else would have an opportunity to listen to. We'll live with it for a couple of months, [then] issue it to the record label, see how they feel about it. Start picking singles, start the plan, start the whole thing, and then we'll reinvent ourselves tour-wise. We don't want to give everything away as of yet, but we've got a lot of new ideas in introducing the new album [on a] group basis as well as individual. The tour -- we've got a lot of exciting things that we've yet to do that we wanna show people that we can do. [RealVideo] MTV: Do you expect that there is going to be more contribution on the part of everyone in terms of songwriting in the next record? BL: Definitely, definitely. Nick Carter: That's the next step. MTV: I think that it was A.J. who told me that you are hoping to involve [Ricky Martin collaborator] Desmond Child, possibly, in the album? AJM: We were. That would be a cool thing, 'cause I know that Nick had been talking about it, and Nick had played a couple of tracks for us, and I never even knew who Desmond Child was. Nick had to explain the whole roster. That would be cool, to bring kind of a rock edge, or kinda something a little bit different. I mean, we're always looking for new ideas, but we don't ever want to just 360 and totally change our whole thing, because we have a great formula that is the Backstreet Boys sound. We're definitely gonna use the Max Martin and the Cheiron family again, but we definitely want to dabble into different producers on this. I know Kevin was talking about, and hopes to work with, like [Janet Jackson producers] Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and people like that. I mean, nothing's confirmed yet, but... BL: Lionel Richie. Who knows? AJM: Lionel Richie. It would be great. NC: I think all of these ideas... KR: Are just ideas right now. NC: They're ideas. Of course, just to let everyone out there know that we're gonna stick [to] the way we are. We're not really gonna go off any different way because, as everyone knows, that could sometimes be the downfall of groups and stuff like that, by trying to experiment too much. Then all of a sudden you come out with something that... nobody really knows who the heck you are. BL: But out of five different people, we have a common love for the music that you've heard from day one. That'll continue, obviously. MTV: Talk about folks like the Cheiron family and Max Martin. I mean, do you feel that their talents are spread somewhat thin these days between you guys, Britney, 'NSYNC, and others? KR: Ace of Base is where [late Cheiron producer] Denniz [Pop] really started off and got a worldwide [hit]. I mean, that album, the first Ace of Base album, was incredible. Then we started working with him and it's like, in the business, when somebody's hot, everybody wants to run over there and jump on that. It's kinda frustrating, because it was like, something we discovered and we created and we helped. Max [Martin] is a great writer and a great artist and a great producer, and we love him to death, and we love our relationship with him, and I think we're gonna continue to work with him a little bit. But at the same time, we have the luxury of having adequate time to put together a great album, work with some people we've been wanting to work with for a long time, and we're just gonna take it slowly and put together a great album that we're proud of. AJM: This would be a great opportunity for us to kind of, in a way, reestablish our individuality as the Backstreet Boys -- just kind of be on our own again and be just the Backstreet Boys again and not, you know, fall into, "Okay, well, that sounds like the Backstreet Boys record." [We'll] just reestablish ourselves again, and I think that'll really come into play, especially if we become more involved as writers and as producers, because nobody can copy something that's only you. NC: What you mean, probably, is just coming out and just recreating every time, kinda like Madonna did. I guess that's how you stay on top. You gotta just keep recreating while the people are growing with you, that it's something new and something that's catchy to their ears, and it's something that they're going to enjoy listening to. Our jobs as entertainers and as recording artists is to make music for everyone out there, that they will enjoy. BL: For the first time, we are, as a group, we're planning on taking a trip. Just us five, and nobody else. The destination is unknown yet, but what we're gonna do basically is just lock ourselves in a house with a studio where we can relax and where we can really feed off of one another and start from scratch. I mean, this is starting with nothing, with an engineer who can run one board, and another engineer can run another board. We could have two simultaneous studios going on, but relaxing and enjoying each other, because we've spent some of the best years of our lives together. So now all those experiences can come out through the next album, and who knows what will come out? KR: Just go, "Pow!" That's what comes out. NC: Basically. MTV: The Grammys this year -- the nominations really seem to recognize pop music in a way that they haven't before. Not only you guys, but also Ricky Martin is well represented; Britney and Christina have Best New Artist nominations. Do you feel like there's been a change in the way that the Grammys view pop music? HD: I think so. We were nominated for one award last year. This year we're up for four; to five now, including the song from Max and them. Ricky Martin actually performed last year, and I think it almost broke the boundaries down of what the music styles can be. I think pop is really coming back, especially this year, really strong. To see them actually nominating a lot of these pop acts, it's now being the trend for this year: pop music. I think people are finally starting to recognize that pop -- especially young people -- it doesn't have to be bubble gum popcorn-y sounds. BL: I hope they don't categorize us and put us up there just because that was like the flavor of the year or something like that. I hope it's because of the music rather than, "That's the trend and let's go with it." I hope it's not that way. I'm hoping that it's respectfully done. It's the Grammys, so we'll keep our fingers crossed. We hope it's good. [RealVideo] MTV: With some of you guys, when I talked to you individually, we talked about some of the business things of the last year and a half. A lot of it has been about control and taking control of your own situation and being with people you can trust. Would you say that, for the most part, it's been about financial business and control? KR: Both, I think. Mostly for us, it was about morally what was right in a contract, and it was about things that were revealed to us that were one way when we were told it was another way, and it was about honesty and truth. It just so happened to be that honesty and truth was about a lot of money, but it also had to do with control as well, and in that making a balance. I mean, [we can] control that we can say, "You know what? We need to take a break so Brian could have heart surgery," or "We need to take a break so we can be mentally and physically healthy." Things like that. [RealVideo] MTV: Thanks so much for doing this. It's always good to see you, and best of luck. Hopefully I'll catch up with you some time throughout the year. KR: Oh, we're done? Comment on this item. 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