Backstreet Boys

About Backstreet Boys

The Backstreet Boys became the biggest boy band in the world by doing something slightly counterintuitive: they broke in Europe first while America was still figuring out if it wanted to care about pop groups again.

Lou Pearlmass assembled the group in Orlando in 1993, pulling together AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell. The formula was standard boy band architecture—different looks, different vocal ranges, choreographed harmonies—but they had actual singers, which helped. Their self-titled debut came out in 1996 and went nowhere in the US while selling millions across Europe and Canada. "We've Got It Goin' On" charted overseas before most Americans had heard of them.

Then "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" happened in 1997, and the US finally caught up. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, largely because the video featured the guys dancing in the rain without shirts, which was calculated but effective. "Backstreet's Back" followed, and suddenly they were unavoidable. The album "Backstreet Boys" (their US debut, confusingly their second album internationally) sold 14 million copies in America alone.

"Millennium" in 1999 was the commercial peak. It sold 1.13 million copies in its first week, still one of the highest first-week sales ever recorded. "I Want It That Way" is their signature song, though if you think about the lyrics for more than ten seconds they don't actually make sense. Nobody cared. The song worked because the melody was undeniable and the harmonies were airtight. "Larger Than Life" and "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" kept them on the radio for months.

"Black & Blue" in 2000 sold even better in its first week—1.6 million copies—but the momentum was already shifting. *NSYNC was nipping at their heels, and pop was about to fracture into a dozen different directions. The group went on hiatus in 2002, which is boy band code for "we're not breaking up but we need a break before we kill each other."

They've been in this strange second act since 2005, making albums that their fanbase buys but that don't make much cultural noise outside that bubble. Kevin left in 2006, came back in 2012. They've released six albums since reuniting, which is more than most legacy acts bother with. "In a World Like This" and "DNA" both hit number one on the Billboard 200, which sounds impressive until you remember that album sales aren't what they used to be.

They still tour constantly, playing arenas and doing a Vegas residency because that's what major pop acts from the 90s do now. The fans show up, sing every word to "As Long As You Love Me," and everyone goes home satisfied.

See Backstreet Boys Live