Source: not-like-you.com
This is a Chinese interview with the Boys made via email while they were
rehearsing in the US. It was translated to English, so some things had to be
changed. I fixed a few things for it to make more sense, but somethings are
still not 100% correct or how it was said by them. Thanks to Bonnie for the
translation.
Why did you choose China as the first place to kick off the world tour after
the long break? How are you guys preparing for the upcoming concerts in
China?
BSB: We've been in the showbiz for 9 years, a really long time, we have
already experienced the ups and downs of it. We really needed a rest to
adjust ourselves. We have never been to China, where we know there are lots
of dedicated fans, so China is the first stop in this world tour. For the
concert, we got together in June, doing some work-out, rehearsals and
negotiating about the production. We are well-prepared for the show. Not
long ago, AJ got his knee sprained, and we were really worried about him and
afraid it would affect the tour. We got many emails from fans asking if AJ's
alright. Here, we wanna say to the fans in China that we are fine except we
are very busy in preparation for the show. We're in the state of countdown
and really really hope to get on the plane to overlook the ancient China. We
can't wait to see our fans in China. To the fans there and the wonderful
concert venue, we won't let you down!
What did you do during these years?
BSB: We were away for 2 years. Howie has recorded his solo album, Kevin
played a role in the musical "Chicago", Nick's album was out and he did a
lot of performances around the country, AJ's obsessed with golf, and Brian
was doing his solo album.
What's the difference between boys and men?
Howie: We've learned a lot from music and we know how to express our music
and ourselves like mature men performing on the stage, ha...ha...
Brian: Yeah, that's right! We are real men now. We have lots of experience,
and the most important thing is our attitude towards life has changed. You
will feel it in our new songs.
What's the secret to keep you guys so huge and successful in this music
industry?
Nick: The secret is to make many good songs in each album.
The common scene in the music industry is that the lifespan for a boygroup
is short. Being a boygroup, what do you plan for your future?
Nick: Our plan is to put music that makes us proud in our albums. We're
looking forward to the upcoming album and the world tour.
Brian: We came together because of music. After all these years, we all felt
that we needed our private space and our personal goals, so we split up. We
still need our love and family, and our hobbies. But our goal is still
music. Gradually, we felt that we can't be away from each other, so we
reunited again.
When will you release the new album? Any changes in musical direction?
AJ: If everything's under the control, hopefully the new album will be
released next February. One thing for sure is that you can hear our voices
become more mature in the new album, like men, adults! But including Hip Hop
this kind of energetic element, we believe that it will suit kids and
adults. Changes in the musical direction... we don't wanna make any comments
here, we want to hear what you think, it will be more meaningful for us.
Generally, we're proud of the new album, and can't wait to let you know what
it sounds like.
Backstreet Boys is supposed to be the most successful commercial and pop
boyband in this century. What do you guys think?
BSB: Many people have said that. But we made the effort for what we did, so
that's why we're here, being successful. We didn't do well in our hometown
in the very beginning. After we went to Europe, we gained what we wanted and
assurance there. It needs persistance, of course our music is the key point
to push us into success.
Are you familiar with Chinese culture? Where would you like to visit the
most?
BSB: China is a place we've always wanted visit and it's a mysterious place
for us. AJ's even got some tattoos, the idea came from Chinese culture. This
time is really like a dream coming true. We hope we can learn more about
Chinese culture and music during this tour. The place we want to visit the
most is The Great Wall and also the palaces. Chinese palaces are mysterious,
amazing, it's a pity that we haven't seen them so far. The time is short, so
we don't know if we will have the chance to visit these places.
Language is a barrier for communication. And it's also the reason why
western music is hard to break in the Chinese market. How do you avoid this
kind of thing happening?
BSB: Language can be a barrier for us. But we are trying to overcome and
lower it into minimum level. We will try our best to make interaction with
the fans. But we believe that music is an international langauge. We will
make the live show a big party. We will act like the DJs to adjust the
music, making people feel the rhythm of the music, lowering the language
barrier. Apart from that, we will also use our facial expressions, body
language and lots of other ways to communicate with the fans. You'll
probably feel surprised, friendly and intelligible in our show. A music
event without language barrier is our goal for this concert.
You have never revealed the set list, so what special things did you plan?
Howie: It's the first time we're coming to China, so we are very careful to
pick the songs for the concert. Hoping the Chinese fans would like it! But
basically we will choose some old songs for our main set list. Of course,
including some brand-new songs which will be the debut performance in the
world. Totally 13 old songs and 4 new songs.
Kevin: We want the fans to listen to our old songs, that will bring us to
Backstreet Boys 4 or 5 years ago. We can recall the time how we grew up and
changed, experienced what we gained and lost. It's a good memory.
Many people are wondering who will be the special guest in the concert. It's
said to be Nick's younger brother, Aaron Carter or Nick's girlfriend, so
who's it?
Brian: For the time being, it's still a secret, or we should have said that
it hasn't been decided yet. We also wanna know who will be our special
guest, it's interesting! But it may be out of your expectations.
Any plan for meeting Chinese fans? Like a mini party or something in the
airport?
Brian: Yeah, we wanna do it. We keep asking our record company and we will
come to China earlier and stay with the fans for a while. We have never been
big-headed artists, so I think we can adapt ourselves in China for the fans.
We are worried about our langauge which might cause misunderstandings. So
recently we became students again, learning Chinese seriously, like saying
"Hello, everybody", "Thank you" and "Thank you you all" in Chinese. We
really thought of holding a party or something like that for the fans. But
the function should be arranged by you. We just take part in as guests. I
hope nothing bad happens in the airport if the fans wanna welcome us there.
If the weather is bad, don't come to the airport. You should take care of
yourselves, see you in Beijing!