Only a year ago, the Backstreet Boys were leading a double life: Throughout Europe, Asia, and Canada, they were superstars. Paparazzi tracked their every move, and huge arenas were filled to capacity with their screaming fans. But back in the United States, almost no one had even heard of AJ, Brian, Kevin, Howie D, and Nick and their soulful, five-part harmonies.All that changed last summer, when their killer single “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” raced up the charts. Now the B. Boys are conquering the States with a North American tour and a second rockin’ tune, “As Long As You Love Me.”
taking it from the top
Where did these babes come from? The way Nick, the group’s youngest member,
explains it, it was fate: “Howie, AJ, and I met at auditions at Universal and MGM studios
in Orlando, FL,” he says. “We started harmonizing and wanted to find two more guys to
sing five-part harmony with us.” One afternoon in 1993, at yet another audition, the trio
met Kevin. He joined the group immediately, saying he knew someone who’d be perfect
as the fifth singer: “I grew up singing in church with my family,” Kevin says. “My cousin
Brian and I used to harmonize all the time, so I asked him to fly to Orlando to sing with
us.”
all together now
The Boys named themselves after a fave Orlando teen hangout, the open-air
Backstreet Market, them hooked up with Lou Pearlman, who signed them to his
Florida-based record label. He also hooked them up with mangers Johnny and Donna
Wright. Johnny scored them gigs at local schools, where they performed songs by Color
Me Badd and Boyz II Men. Soon the guys were opening local shows for Brandy, Jon
Secada, and En Vogue. Crowds loved ‘em--and they even went on a small national tour.
Then one night, during a concert in Cleveland, Donna decided to call as exce at
Jive Records so he could hear the crowd’s reaction to the band. His answering machine
picked up, so she just held out her cell phone and let the machine record the screaming
audience. Intrigued by the noise of the crowd, the exec jumped on a plane to meet the
guys at their next tour stop. The Boys inked a deal with Jive and cut a single, “We’ve Got
It Goin’ On.” It didn’t take off in the States, so Jive sent the band off to Europe on a
promotional tour. Within weeks, the same song that had gotton so little play at home was
topping the charts in Germany, Spain, and Canada. The Boys became instant stars: They
even scored MTV Europe’s 1996 Select Award (it’s just like MTV’s Viewer’s Choice
Awards here in the U.S.). But as much they appreciated their European fans, the
Backstreet Boys longed to make it big on their own turf.
coming to America
And now, the buzz at home is only getting louder as the Boys’s U.S. tour picks up
steam. Their killer schedule means the guys spend tons of time together. “We’re like a
family,” says Kevin. But as close as they are, nothing get the guys stoked like playing for
their real relatives. “We’re psyched to have families and friends see us perform,” says
Howie. “It means a lot to us to be accpeted in our country.”