Everyone and their mama knows who the Backstreet Boys are. They are after all one of THE best-selling boy bands of all time. It’s not just that they’ve sold over 100 million records worldwide, it’s their exceptional song-writing ability, their sick dance moves, their perfect harmonies, and their loyal fans that make them stand out from the rest of the pack. Then again, it’s also their rivalry with N’Sync, their substance abuse issues, their marital woes and personal feuds between one another. The Backstreet Boys have their own demons, as a boy band and as individuals. We’re taking a closer look at the Backstreet Boys, revealing some little known truths and expanding on ones you may have heard before.
Backstreet Boys Facts You Didn’t Know Before
Rivalry
The battle between the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC was all anyone could talk about. It was the biggest rivalry of the 90’s. Fans of either band would even purchase multiple copies of the same album because they wanted to beat sales records in favor of their favorite group! We never saw either duo lock horns nor did we see any warm moments. That was all it took to fuel the fire. However A.J. McLean recently revealed that there actually never was a rivalry, just an exaggerated one to boost each bands’ popularity.
Rivalry
The Carter Brothers
Nick and Aaron have always had a healthy brotherly rivalry, or so we thought. Nick is part of the hottest band of all time. Whereas Aaron has some smash hits to his name. Through their reality show House of Carters, fans got a closer look at their relationship. It seemed as though they were getting along, until recently. For years, Aaron has suffered from dependency issues and went to rehab. In response, Nick tweeted his support for Aaron however the younger Carter accused him of fake showing support so he could groom his own image. Aaron said his support wasn’t genuine.
The Carter Brothers
Influence
Paris Hilton was the biggest name of the 2000’s. Tabloids loved reporting on all her wild antics. And when Nick Carter and Hilton became an item, the media went into a frenzy. To many though their relationship lead Carter down a bad path as he enjoyed substances a great deal. In fact, he calls this a dark tie in his life and has even blamed Hilton for it. In Carter’s 2013 autobiography, he claims Hilton fed his worst impulses and even encouraged him to party harder.
Influence
Lou Pearlman
The Backstreet Boys’ relationship with their old manager Lou Pearlman is a tainted one. It came to light that Pearlman was behind one of the biggest Ponzi schemes around when he was arrested by the authorities. He siphoned off money he earned through his bands and left them with nothing. It is believed Pearlman caused more personal harm to the Backstreet Boys, however the boys don’t speak much about it.
Lou Pearlman
Brian Littrell’s Voice Problems
Loyal fans have probably noticed that Brian Littrell has a voice problem. Recently his voice cracks when hitting high notes, his angelic voice seems to have vanished. Therefore he has had to adapt to a new style. During the Backstreet Boys’ documentary film Show ‘Em What You’re Made of, Littrell’s struggles and the band’s difficulty with this issue are detailed. As Brian often takes on solos, this is a real concern. It was revealed that Littrell suffers from vocal tension dysphonia, which tightens the muscles around his neck. He has to regularly seek medical attention to improve this condition.
Brian Littrell’s Voice Problems
The Mama’s
Then and even now, the Backstreet Boys have enjoyed a mainly female demographic. And hey, it is a group of five men who can sing and dance, so come on. Over the years, the young girls who saw them back then also go to concerts now but they’re all pretty much mothers now. If you look a their fans, the women are all in their late 20’s and 30’s (guilty as charged). This fact was humorously mentioned during a rap battle between the Backstreet Boys and Charlie Puth – Puth claimed that only moms were their fans.
The Mamas
A.J. Mclean’s Struggles
Everyone knows that A.J. Mclean was perceived as the ‘bad boy’ of the group. And it honestly wasn’t hard to see why. With his hard look, tattoos, and wild streak, it was clear that A.J. was a trouble maker. During the late 90’s, his struggles with hard substances became more difficult to hide. As the success of the band grew, the more McLean suffered so he took an indefinite leave of absence and checked into rehab. This sparked the group’s hiatus until their heartwarming reunion on Oprah.
A.J. Mclean’s Struggles
Leslie Carter
The Carter family suffered a terrible loss when their baby sister, Leslie, passed away at age 25. (She is pictured second from the left below). Leslie suffered from substance abuse, like much of the Carter family does or did. Unfortunately Nick Carter didn’t attend her funeral due to an ongoing feud with his parents. Apparently his parents blamed him for her addition, Carter has confessed that her passing was the most horrific event of his life.
Leslie Carter
Double Meaning
If you listen closely to BSB’s lyrics, you’ll see that they’re quite adult. The band’s early work was loaded with double entendres. Just think of the song ‘Get Down’, it’s catchy with a clean music video but it has a rather strange interpretations. ‘The Call’ is all about a man getting caught cheating on his girlfriend. ‘Larger than Life’ has the lyrics “your love is affecting our reality,” which most think is BSB admitting to stuggling with fame.
Double Meaning
Kevin Richardson Leaves
From 2006 to 2012, the Backstreet Boys carried on making music without its oldest member, Kevin Richardson. His departure was sudden to put it lightly. During his absence, the boys did release two albums, Unbreakable and This Is Us. Many think that the meaning behind the Unbreakable album was aimed at confirming they could survive with Kevin – that the core of the band couldn’t be broken. Initially they were pressured to audition for a fifth member but they immediately said no.
Kevin Richardson Leaves
Solo Try
When the band finished Black & Blue, they were working on their next album. However Nick Carter blindsided the other members by announcing he wanted to do solo work. Carter remained with the production company that BSB had just left, The Firm. This caused some friction, in fact, the group recorded material without Carter. Carter was meant to join them later on. He released his solo album and did remain on friendly terms with everyone else. However not long after and the band took an extended hiatus.
Solo Try
I Want It That Way
Let’s be real, everyone knows the hit song ‘I Want It That Way’. Released in 1999 from their Millennium album, this song launched the group to the peak of their success. However many people couldn’t get over the fact that the lyrics made absolutely no sense. “Well it’s funny, we actually were OK with the lyrics when we heard it first,” Nick Carter told HuffPost. “And then the president of JIVE records at that time ― I mean he’s a genius ― but he and some of the A&R people wanted to change the lyrics.” Kevin Richardson added that they changed the lyrics so they didn’t make any sense, they wanted to keep the rhyme and less of a literal version.
I Want It That Way
Tragedy for BSB
The Backstreet Boys’ success didn’t just come from its core members, but from everyone who have played a part in bringing their performances to life. The Boys are all very close with their entire crew. Former member Daniel John Lee meant the world to them, sadly he passed away during 9/11 – he was on one of the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers. This happened at the same that they were on hiatus due to A.J. Mclean’s personal struggles. It was a double blow for BSB.
Tragedy For BSB
Heartbreak
Brian Littrell has been through a few health problems. One of the earlier ones we all know about is his heart condition. From birth, Littrell had a hole in his heart and was often rushed to the hospital as a toddler. In 1998, he had corrective open heart surgery which was successful. Later he began a foundation which assists children with similar defects. Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of features Brian without his shirt on and you can see the scar from his surgery.
Heartbreak
Habit
A.J. Mclean overcame his substance abuse issues, however he was known to be a heavy smoker. Eventually he gave it up because it started to ruin his voice. Smokers often suffer from sore throats so McLean took extra precautions. He gave up the habit and still continues to ensure he doesn’t touch a single cigarette, no matter how tempting.
Habit
All Together Now
Nick Carter convinced the rest of the boys, plus *NSYNC, 98 Degrees, All-4-One and O-Town, to star in a zombie horror film together. That’s how Dead 7 came to life. This B-movie was written by Carter, he was also involved in production. Even though none of the singers had acted before, they did impeccably well!
All Together Now
Dorough Lupus Foundation
Everyone knows that Howie D. is the nicest, most quiet Backstreet Boy. Which is why we’re not surprised that he doesn’t flaunt around his kindness. Sadly this story involves his sister, Caroline Dorough-Cochran, who contracted lupus in 1998. This unfortunately led to her passing. To his sister, Howie started the Dorough Lupus Foundation to raise awareness to the disease and to also help those who can’t financially support themselves. The foundation donates money for research as well.
Dorough Lupus Foundation
Terrible Loss
If you’re a Backstreet Boy fan than you know that Kevin Richardson is the dad or big brother of the group. Moreover he is a true family man. Some say that this is because of his close relationship to his father and when his father passed from cancer, Kevin really struggled. Kevin has been incredibly vocal about his struggles with depression. He dedicated the song ‘Incomplete’ to his father’s memory.
Terrible Loss
The Battle
In 2002, the Backstreet Boys terminated their contract with Zomba Recording, parent of Jive Records, for $75 million. The many charges that were laid against the corporation were intentional interference, breach of contract, trademark infringement and unfair competition. Moreover BSB accused Zomba of withholding advances in the millions. The boys held up their end of the bargain, ensuring albums sold quickly. However Zomba didn’t comply and ignored the Black & Blue album. Instead they pushed Nick Carter to produce solo material.
The Battle
Backstreet Boys and Popularity
During their heyday, the Backstreet Boys were viewed as the Kings of the music industry. And that’s not hard to believe. Even though they never won a Grammy, they were nominated many times. However their popularity has fallen dramatically. Bands like 98 Degrees, New Kids on the Block, and the Backstreet Boys are viewed as nostalgia acts. The boys have gone on to confess their frustrations with their falling popularity. In an interview, Brian Littrell revealed that the confusion surrounding the group was when their peak fell after the year 2002. He asked, “What do you do when you’re a grown man in a boy band?”
Backstreet Boys And Popularity
The Truth
When they first started out, the boys were exposed to some serious objectification. When ‘Quit Playing Games With My Heart’ came out, the boys were in their late teens or early 20’s. It was no secret that they were all nice to look at. In order to capitalize on their looks, the song featured a music video with the boys dancing in the rain with their chests exposed. All of the members have said this was really uncomfortable to film. But it worked, their popularity shot up even more.
The Truth
Album Sales
Whenever someone mentions boy band, the Backstreet Boys are always first on the list. During the peak of their success, the boys were selling albums like hot cakes and scoring no. 1 slots on all the radio stations. Recently though, their album sales have declined. When they released ‘In A World Like This’ in 2014, it landed at no. 5 at the Billboard 200 and sold 800,000 copies. The last no. 1 album BSB had is still 2000’s Black & Blue.
Album Sales
Nick Carter’s Issues
In January 2016, Nick Cater was arrested in Florida when he was not allowed entry to a bar. Unfortunately when he arrived to the bar, Carter was already under the influence. He was arrested for battery after punching the bouncer.
Nick Carter’s Issues
Scandal
Sticking with Nick Carter, he was recently accused by his former girlfriend Melissa Schuman of being inappropriate. This accusation came in the aftermath of the Weinstein scandal. Carter claims he is innocent and that their relations were completely consensual. However no one really knows who to believe.
Scandal
The Lead
Originally Howie D. was the lead singer of the Backstreet Boys. He was one of the band’s founding member. In fact, he and A.J. McLean were the original duo. When Howie brough the band together, he was the lead until of course the dynamic shifted. In their 2015 documentary, Howie admitted, “At the time, I was a little bit jealous of the situation — that I didn’t have the opportunity to be the singer that I was before I started [in] the group. I had to really take a step back and say, ‘This is about being in a group. It’s no longer the I, it’s the we.”
The Lead
Banned
In 2011, the China’s Ministry of Culture released a list of 100 songs that were banned in their country and needed to be removed from the internet. “I Want It That Way” was included on the list. Why? The ministry claimed that it was released without a mandatory screening process. Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga were also on the list.
Banned
Las Vegas
In 2017, it was confirmed that the Backstreet Boys had a Las Vegas residency. The show was titled “Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life”. Oh, the residency has been extended into 2018! Talk about a comeback, but it gets better.
Las Vegas
New Single
**screaming for joy!!** May 17 is when the Backstreet Boys released their new single “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. Guys, this is the first time they’ve come out with new music since 2013. Yeah, let that sink in. their social media post even embraced that they are all no longer really boys. “Excuse the dad joke but… we’re back!”
New Single