Source: Chicago Sun Times
By Janet Susan R. Nepales
Inquirer News Service
They had erased the award-winning boy band from their "hot" list since Nick Carter went on a solo tour. To these teenyboppers, that signaled the group's end.
With three members now in their 30s (and one's a dad!), the boys have become men. But they are sticking to their name, serious about a comeback after a five-year hiatus.
The BSB is making its musical presence felt once more with the release of a new single, "Incomplete," from a new album, "Never Gone," due in US stores on June 14 (today, Manila time). The Philippine release was last Monday, June 13.
Listening session
We recently attended a listening session at the secluded Sunset Marquis Hotel that has a surprising feature-a recording studio at the ground floor. The likes of Madonna and the
"Ocean's 11" cast have recorded and dubbed at this studio of the low-key but ultra-hip hotel in West Hollywood.
When we arrived one evening at The Studio, some staffers of Jive Records welcomed us into a cozy room filled with throw pillows, candles, hors d'oeuvres, chips and dips, fruits, sodas and a bucket filled with beer bottles.
Bubbly no more
The listening session allowed us to hear the boys' new material. "Incomplete," the launching single, is definitely not bubbly pop but a serious, mature ballad-which was refreshing. All (except for Carter) of the original members of the group-Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean, Howie Dorough and Kevin Richardson-dropped by to mingle with the press.
At the interview session the following day, however, everybody was there. The group members, however, were split up. We were fortunate to interview the band's most popular member, Carter, and Littrell.
Nick, dressed in a blue jacket, printed t-shirt, denims and lots of silver jewelry (necklaces and rings) looked serious all the time. Brian, in a brown leather jacket and denims, was always smiling, talking slowly in a Southern accent.
Best friends
They are reportedly the best of friends-yin and yang as it were-and were sometimes called Frick and Frack.
Nick is the alleged practical joker and Brian the reserved one, but we could not discern that during the interview. Nick is the group's youngest at 25; Brian is the only Backstreet Boy Dad, and he's proud of this.
Asked what made them decide to return to the scene, Nick replied, "We needed a long break from everything we had been doing. We needed to rejuvenate. Then our fans started asking when our next record was due, and when we were coming back."
Brian added, "Look at Aerosmith, Madonna, The Eagles, U2-all of them took a break here and there. The public view was that the Backstreet Boys was not going to last. We beat the odds. We just celebrated 12 years together last month."
During the five-year break, Nick went on a solo tour and did a solo album. Brian's view was, Nick "got to experience life on his own," and everyone "got a chance to spread our wings."
It was "normal," Nick clarified. "Like in any family. I would sometimes say, 'Leave me alone. I am in a bad mood.' That's how we treated each other-as family."
The hard way
Nick said he learned the hard way that it was "difficult" to be on your own. "I decided things and had to deal with pressures all by myself. [But] I grew as a vocalist and as an entertainer." Everything he learned, he said, he was now contributing to the group. "Hopefully, I can be a stronger link in the chain."
For Brian, the best thing that happened in the last five years was, he became a father. His son is now two and a half years old.
"Fatherhood has been the biggest change in my life so far. When we were riding high on 'Millennium' and 'Black & Blue,' I realized I was being selfish. I was taking fame, success, the fans, and the other guys for granted. When I was away from them, I was able to focus on my life as a husband and father. I watched my little boy's life, changed his diapers, put him to sleep ... all the normal things that a father does. That was pure joy for me."
Asked to describe their new songs, Nick replied, "They're naturally growing. We even talk about world problems in our songs. 'Poster Girl,' for instance, is about troubled people, not just about a girl. Music affects people's lives."
Unexplainable
The group performed in a Kuala Lumpur fund-raising concert for the victims of the Asian tsunami tragedy. Brian explained, "We also change our schedules to make room for such shows. From day one, our message has been that the Backstreet Boys are real people, not just something that will come and go. We are fortunate to be able to help others through our music."
Nick remembered doing a concert for one of their crew members who died in the September 11 attacks. They set up a fund and donated the proceeds of one of their concerts to him, he said.
On a happier note, Brian added, "I will never forget our concerts in Amsterdam and Holland as well. We performed at the stadium that held about 110,000 people during the Millennium Tour. The glass walls gave us a feeling that we were performing outdoors when in fact we were indoors."
Asked what they thought was the secret of the band's enduring success, Nick said, "It's unexplainable. Maybe it's destiny."