Growth Curve: Backstreet Boys, Destiny's Child appealing to more mature audiences
Las Vegas Sun
By Spencer Patterson
LAS VEGAS SUN
Las Vegas radio station Mix recently ran a contest awarding winners with $100 in casino chips and an opportunity to play blackjack with the Backstreet Boys.
Blackjack with the Backstreet Boys?
We are talking about the same five cuddly teen icons that owned the pop charts from 1996 to 2000, largely on the strength of a young, female audience, right?
Playing table games? With adults?
Strange as it might seem, the Backstreet Boys are indeed grown up, and so are the bulk of their fans, says Justin Chase, interim program director for Mix 94.1-FM (KMXB).
"Those girls have grown up, and now they're our core audience," said Chase, whose station plays current Backstreet Boys' single "Incomplete" four or five times daily. "They're 25- to 30-year-old women and that's our core demographic."
Likewise, female R&B trio Destiny's Child which began performing when founding member Beyonce Knowles was just 9 years old has matured considerably, and attracted a similarly advanced fanbase.
"Destiny's Child has kind of been able to morph into a hip-hop sound as hip-hop has exploded," said Cat Thomas, program director for KLUC 98.5-FM, which has played all three singles off the group's latest album, "Destiny Fulfilled." "They've stayed relevant with younger listeners, but still have music that's amenable to their older fans."
Both one-time teen groups perform at the Mandalay Bay Events Center this weekend: Destiny's Child at 7:30 tonight and the Backstreet Boys at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Kim Flowers, executive director of the Las Vegas branch of the John Robert Powers talent school, said it can be difficult getting record executives to focus on young, prospective stars' long-term career goals.
"The artist wants to have longevity and parlay it into a fanbase that's going to continue with them," Flowers said. "But when the record labels give you an initial deal, they don't want to confuse the issue. They're going straight after the teens, and they want the groups looking hot, sexy and beautiful."
Pop music history is littered with teen icons unable to bridge the gap to adult popularity, from David Cassidy and Leif Garrett to New Kids on the Block.
Hoping to avoid that trend, this year the Backstreet Boys Nick Carter, 25; Howie Dorough, 32; Brian Littrell, 30; A.J. McLean, 27; and Kevin Richardson, 33 reunited to release their first album in five years, June's "Never Gone."
Chase said his station carefully considered whether to add leadoff track "Incomplete" to its rotation.
"This is a rhythmic-slash-rock market. Pop has been struggling here for a long time. So there was a little resistance because it's a pop record," Chase said.
"And the fact that it was Backstreet Boys was also a consideration. Are we gonna look like we're selling out playing the Backstreet Boys? And how is that gonna flow right next to a Papa Roach song or a Nickelback song or a Green Day song? Is it gonna sound like a train wreck?"
Mix 94.1 added the song on Aug. 5, and response has been mostly positive, Chase said.
"We're getting requests from all spectrums of the demo. We're getting teenage requests and we're getting requests from women that are a little older," Chase said. "I even get men who say, 'I don't want to admit it ... but I really like this song.' So it's appealing to a wide audience."
Thomas didn't have to ponder over whether to play the latest Destiny's Child single on KLUC. The group Knowles, 23; Kelly Rowland, 23; and Michelle Williams, 24 has remained popular in the Southern Nevada market since achieving stardom during the late 1990s.
"I think their appeal is pretty broad," Thomas said. "When you've got people like Beyonce, who are idolized and not only doing videos and music, but also doing movies and red carpets ... I think that has a lot to do with it."
The three women reunited to record and tour behind November's "Destiny Fulfilled." The trio have announced that the project, their first new studio effort since 2001, will be their last group effort, with all three moving on to pursue the solo careers they launched during the Destiny's Child hiatus.
Thomas said Destiny's Child's skillful transition from pre-pubescent performers to adult superstars separates them from most teen pop idols.
"When you look at history -- whether it's been the Osmonds, the New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys or 'NSync -- their biggest challenges were that they became so large with such a small portion of the audience who really drives record sales and drives the passion, and as they grew older they kind of outgrew them," Thomas said.
"Whereas, Destiny's Child and artists like that have an opportunity to morph. Whitney Houston and Madonna were huge teen artists when they first came out, but they were able to change their sound as their listeners dictated and stay relevant with the younger audience but still keep their fans who've grown up with them."
But ultimately, for many young musicians, maturing might just mean coming to terms with the next phase of life, one that might not include long-term stardom.
"The record labels aren't looking to sign your Luther Vandrosses, the older artists. They're looking for the younger artist, 17 to about 22 years old, and a three- or four-album longevity," Flowers said.
"And by the time you've gone through that third or fourth album, you could be looking at seven years in the business. So if you've got seven years out, you've done wonderfully."