From Backstreet Boys II Backstreet Men

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Nov 22, 2000 Source: Launch.com Submitted By: The Backstreet Boys have reached a comfortable point in their careers, where they no longer have to prove anything to anybody. Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, and A.J. McLean are living proof that what starts off as a "boy band" can actually grow into an accomplished vocal harmony group--and maintain its loyal fanbase all the while. In fact, the quintet is regarded by many as the biggest pop group in the world, having received gold and platinum awards in more than 45 countries. In addition, they've sold a whopping 55 million albums worldwide, in less than three years' time. The Boys have toiled hard for many years to earn the respect of the music industry, yet have managed to remain true to their many fans around the globe. "The general public, I think, sometimes has the opinion that a 'boy band' is just a fabricated-type thing," explains Littrell. "We have been doing this for almost eight years. We're all grown men now, and our goals and aspirations have changed and are a little different, but song-wise we always agree on what the best song is for us as a group. Consistently we have done that in the past--up until now." Over the past year, the Backstreet Boys have indeed grown, both personally and professionally. Littrell married his longtime girlfriend Leighanne Wallace in September in his home city of Atlanta, and he wasn't the first Backstreeter to tie the knot this year--his cousin and bandmate Kevin Richardson married Kristin Willits in June. Littrell admits that he was a little concerned at first about how fans would react to the potentially devastating news that two of the beloved Boys were now married. "At first, I was a little nervous of how they would perceive it, but at the same time, you've got to look at what's best for you," states Littrell. "There are a lot of people that look up to you, and look at your decision-making, and try to put themselves in your shoes, but you've got to do what's important for you....You have to be happy for yourself before you can go out and make good, positive music and change other people's lives." Much to the delight and relief of the newlywed band members and their respective spouses, Backstreet fans have proven that in the end, it's all about the music. "Everyone that has come across my path being a Backstreet Boys fan or someone that respects music has kind of just patted me on the back and said, 'Congratulations,' and has been very, very supportive of Kevin and my decision," raves Littrell. Professionally speaking, the Backstreet Boys made sure that "good, positive music" was at the core of their new release, Black & Blue. "Well, if anything, we did listen to songs before we recorded," asserts Littrell. "We wanted to make sure that we recorded the right material for where the group is going individually, as well as a group in the future. That's what we always keep our focus on is the material: recording the right music--the right sound--being pioneers, so to say, in changing the way music has become in the past couple of years with our sound." Littrell admits that selecting the songs that would ultimately appear on Black & Blue was no easy task: "One of the biggest obstacles was picking the right material and the right songs," he notes. "That was probably the biggest task--agreeing on what songs from which people." In order to be able to focus all of their attention on the creation of Black & Blue, the Boys knew that they had to retreat from the glare of the media spotlight, and even escape from their fans, if only for a little while. "We actually did what's called a writing trip," explains Littrell. "All five of us went down to the Bahamas and rented a studio out for about a week and a half, and just worked on writing songs. We each individually brought different ideas to the table about whether or not certain songs or certain ideas that we had been working on for quite some time would actually fit on the album, and [if they would] work lyrically and musically." For all intents and purposes, the Bahamas trip proved to be a huge success for the group. "When we went to the Bahamas, we actually came up with seven or eight songs as a group to record for the album," says Littrell. "It was fun to do that as a group, rather than from a record company standpoint or a writer-and-producer standpoint. It was fun to do that with just us five." "We started the whole first-week sales thing with breaking Garth Brooks's record, and then 'N Sync came along and they broke our record. But records are made to be broken..." The media has made quite an issue out of whether or not the Backstreet Boys can beat the single-week sales record set by Jive labelmates 'N Sync earlier this year. But Littrell insists that he and his bandmates aren't too concerned about a sales war--especially since the Backstreet Boys initiated the sudden focus on single-week sales: They set a new record by selling more than 1.1 million copies of their second album, Millennium, during its first week of release in May 1999, surpassing the mark set by Garth Brooks's Double Live album in 1998. "I think if you get caught up in numbers, then there would be a competition--especially if you just focus on numbers and how many somebody sold in the first week," says Littrell. "We actually put ourselves in the situation, because we started the whole thing with breaking Garth Brooks's record, and then 'N Sync came along and they broke our record. I mean, records are made to be broken." Littrell feels if Black & Blue breaks 'N Sync's single-week sales record then so be it, but that's not what's really important to the Backstreet Boys. "The fact is--and what we want to make known to the public and our fans--is that we want to focus on good music, and I think the numbers will follow," he proclaims. "I don't think we're really trying to go out and break the record. It's not really a goal of ours as a group, and we just want to let the music speak for itself and let the album speak for itself...of course, it would be nice! But we can't really ask for everything." The Backstreet Boys launched Black & Blue with a global tour dubbed "'Round The World In 100 Hours" that took them to Stockholm, Tokyo, Sydney, Rio De Janeiro, New York City, and Cape Town, South Africa. So how important is it to the Backstreet Boys to maintain their worldwide fanbase? "It's very, very important to us," stresses Littrell. "I remember five years ago, we went on a promotional tour over in the Far East when our very first record came out, just self-titled Backstreet Boys. We broke all kinds of records--like, the first week that it came out--for an international artist. Success-wise over there, and we have never toured over there or sold tickets to a show." In fact, Littrell believes that a visit to the millions of Backstreet Boys fans overseas is really long overdue. "I think it's very important for us as a group to get back over there to do some promotion and to be there visibly. Because when you show up there physically in front of their faces, it has a better impact, I think. You know, we've had a lot of fans for a long time over there that have been loyal to us without ever seeing a live show, and I think it's important to us to go over there and perform for them live." The Boys' growth has a lot to do with the company they keep. To create Black & Blue, the group worked for the first time with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, who produced the Backstreet-penned "Time," and Rodney Jerkins, who produced the R&B-flavored "Shining Star," adding to the album's overall diversity. "We have worked with some of the top-notch producers and songwriters in the history of our existence, and when you can learn and have that hands-on experience, it's a great knowledge to have and you can use that in the future," explains Littrell. "Now what we are doing is taking that and getting into more songwriting and producing." The task at hand for the Backstreet Boys is keeping up with an ever-changing music industry, in which pop music is "in" one day and "out" the next: "If you're not trying to better yourself or better your career, then you're stagnant, and you're not doing yourself any justice," advises Littrell. "You always have to try to better yourself. Not necessarily top yourself--I wouldn't say we think we're going to come out and top what we've done, because if you start to focus on that, then you lose sight of the important stuff. But I think it's always better for the future to work on your songwriting ability and work on your producing ability, and just better yourself." The Backstreet Boys have had quite an impact on the music industry as a whole--and they do notice the current teen-pop/boy-band trend, according to Littrell. "A lot of people have come along and do our sound now, which is kind of a compliment, but we're always looking to better ourselves and better the music industry," he says confidently. "That's what we're working for and planning for the future. We've accomplished so much in the past, and up until now we've had a wonderful career. Hopefully, we'll have many more albums to come, and more success, to kind of stay where we are. " --Interview conducted by Neal Weiss Comment on this item. 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