I'll admit two things: I was one of the millennium teenage generation for whom oxygen came in the form and sounds of bubblegum pop cohorts. And secondly, I was frankly awestruck when I met two members of one of the most successful and enduring groups Brian Littrell and Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys (BSB) yesterday.Yes, I was there when BSB's tunes like 'I'll Never Break Your Heart' and 'I Want It That Way' were my sentimental anthems. I was also there when the group went through its trials and tribulations. How Nick and A.J. McLean battled their alcoholism and drug abuse; when Nick tried to set off a solo career and dated Paris Hilton; when eldest member Kevin Richardson quit the group; and whenever closest rival boyband N'Sync scored a one-up over BSB
Looking back, I hope I didn't sound too much like a gushing groupie in front of them.
The band put up a 100-minute concert at the Suntec Convention Centre last night as part of their This Is Us world tour. Two of the boys, Brian and Nick, met reporters right after flying in from the Philippines, their previous destination.
As expected, questions thrown at one of the world's most successful pop acts of the 1990s and 2000s, who just released their seventh studio album This Is Us last September, revolved around their evolution. Most evidently, the use of the 'boyband' title on a bunch of men whose youngest member, Nick, is now 30.
Brian explained, "The term 'boyband' really depends on the fans, if that's what they want to see us as. We're never a boyband, we're a singing-harmony group."
Nick shot, "I never liked bubblegum! We're singers first. And we're special because such harmony groups don't exist."
"At a time when everything needed a label, 'boyband' was assigned to us. There were a gazillion such groups out there. But we proved we can sing," Brian added. The devout Christian, whose latest tweet was a call for a prayer for earthquake-hit Chile, also joked that it's probably more appropriate to call them a "grownup-man band" now.
The 35-year-old is happily married, so is bandmate Howie Dorough, while A.J. is recently engaged. Is girls' favourite Nick feeling the itch, then?
"Me and my girlfriend are happy now but no," when asked if we can expect wedding bells anytime soon. "I'm not a marriage kind of guy."
Backstreet Boys started out 17 years ago in Florida and helped pave the way for a generation of boybands and girl groups, known for their young age, good looks, spiffy dance moves, and sex appeal, like N'Sync, Spice Girls and Westlife. Boasting global sales in excess of 100 million, many critics and watchers have been waiting for the day the bunch of Orlando natives split like their peers have, but the worst we've seen so far were a three-year hiatus and the consensual departure of Kevin, Brian's cousin, which reduced BSB to a four-piece.
The bestselling group still refuses to rule out a return for ex-member Kevin, "You never know. The doors are always open for him. He knows where to find us."
Brian, now assuming more responsibility in leading the group, reassured fans, "If we wake up one day and find it no longer fun, we won't do it anymore. But we're enjoying it and we also do it for our fans, who have a sense of loyalty to us. You can safely say we'll still be together."
Nick had a different take on things. "Someone in the group won't allow us to split," he sniggered. "Only death will stop him," revealing Brian to be the man holding the team together.
Is there any particular artiste that the band, which has experimented with R&B, pop rock and Eurodance over the years and worked with RedOne, Max Martin, Ryan Tedder and T-Pain in This Is Us, hopes to collaborate with?
Noting the recent trend of collaborating with a new, rising star, Brian and Nick expressed a desire to "go back to the classics." They picked soul legend Lionel Richie and Grammy monster Stevie Wonder.
Including last night's showcase, BSB has visited Singapore four times, and the island still holds surprises for them.
"A floating soccer field, seriously?", exclaimed Brian. Their hotel suite here overlooks Marina Bay and the world's largest floating platform, currently displaying a lush, green football field.
BSB will leave today for Perth, Australia, before heading to China. After that, they will return home to tour the US, before immediately starting work on a confirmed eighth studio album.
Source: Yahoo! Singapore News
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