Source: CBS News
(CBS) Nearly a decade since their initial success and after a three-year breather, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson are making music together again.
The Backstreet Boys kick off The Early Show's Summer Concert Series singing from their new CD, "Never Gone" as well as their new single, "Incomplete."
Also the title of one of the 12 songs in their album, "Never Gone" pays tribute to Richardson's father who recently passed away.
McLean notes, "That song has really been important to each one of us. In addition to the loss of Kevin's father, I lost both of my grandparents; Nick, his grandmother; and Howie, his sister. We've all experienced great losses, so this song really touches us personally."
The Backstreet Boys spent more than a year recording "Never Gone." The album aims to move the group beyond pop idol fame to reflect what is happening in their lives and in the world.
Much has changed in the lives of the group. Littrell became the first Backstreet father. He has a 2-1/2 year old son. Richardson took on Broadway and London's West End with a starring role in "Chicago." Carter released "Now Or Never," a solo project. Dorough continued his efforts with the Dorough Lupus Foundation after the death of his oldest sister Caroline in 1998. And McLean worked through personal demons with a well-publicized stint in rehab. He's been sober for two-and-a-half years.
As teen idols, the Backstreet Boys first burst onto the scene back in 1997 with the release of their self-titled debut album. Combined sales of that CD and their 1999 follow-up, "Millennium," brought them more than 26 million in record sales. Along the way, the group had 12 songs in the Top 40 hits with eight reaching the top 10.