‘We have enough going against us...’

THEY’RE NOT A boy band anymore…well, not exactly. Today’s Backstreet Boys are a world apart from how we remember them, but at the same time, some things haven’t changed at all.

Nearly 17 years have passed since the world was first introduced to five guys who would change the face of pop music forever, but today, the group is struggling to remain relevant to a fan base that has dwindled and matured.

The new face of the Backstreet Boys is also one ‘boy’ short. Current members Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and AJ McLean are desperately trying to keep the magic alive after fifth member, Kevin Richardson, walked away from the group in 2006.

“Kevin is totally cool with us and we are totally cool with him,” Howie Dorough says, speaking with the band ahead of their first-ever Dubai gig.

“The door is always open for him…maybe down the line he may join back.”

At the height of their popularity in the late 1990’s, an absent BSB band member might have sent shock waves around the music world. Today, though, the news hardly creates a ripple.

“When he first left, it was a definite adjustment,” Howie continued, reflecting on the hurdles the band now faces with fans.

“We had to learn to show people that they weren’t really missing anything, besides the obvious.”

But if recent record sales account for anything, something is missing. The band – who in the past have sold over 100 million albums worldwide with 14 Top 40 hits – have struggled to break back into the scene they once dominated. Their latest album, This Is Us, incorporates a more R&B sound and includes collaborations from the likes of Ne-Yo and T-Pain.

“We’ve always looked at success not in the numbers of records sold but in beating the odds, staying together,” Brian says solemnly, in between his random outbursts of jokes and sharp wit.

Nick Carter, who has done everything from starring in a reality TV show to dating Paris Hilton, explains the reasons to keep moving forward.

“It’s not common for groups like us to last this long, so we’re working against the critics,” he explained.

“We have enough going against us as it is being considered a boy band. We’re not,” he says.

Carter was right; the Backstreet Boys are men now. Brian and Howie are both husbands and fathers while Kevin reportedly left the band to start his own family. AJ McLean, once the ‘bad boy’ of the group, has matured as well after battling addictions. But with a reported amassed fortune between the crew, many are wondering why the need for a comeback.

“The motivation to keep doing what we do is eternal drive,” Carter says. “All of us are extremely competitive.”

Brian, who found solo success as a Christian musician, believes that the drive to continue musically is more about the power fans give them.

“We always hear stories from our fans about how we helped them through a trying time,” he explained, “but little do they know how they lift our lives up each and everyday.”

“Sometimes we wake up on the wrong side of the bed and they brighten our lives just as we hopefully brighten theirs.”

The boys from Orlando are noticeably older looking and their vocals have matured. Their teen idol status has been replaced by the likes of the Jonas Brothers and they look far more relaxed now after surviving nearly two decades in a business where few artists survive months.

AJ McLean, who became the first Backstreet Boy after responding to a local advertisement, now takes more time to enjoy the cities he tours in. He was blown away after seeing Dubai for the first time.

“The crew and I walked around to see some of the city and we got some great pictures,” he said.

“The buildings, architecture and culture are absolutely stunning; it’s a little bit overwhelming actually.”

Brian immediately posted a picture of his Marina view hotel suite on his Twitter account, with the caption ‘Wow, this place is like Vegas on steroids.’

Howie, still amazed by the international fan base BSB enjoys around the world, made his way directly to the city’s famous indoor ski slopes.

Today’s Backstreet Boys are indeed a different breed of boy band; the surviving remnants of a pop phenomena era they once ruled as kings. They have battled the fame monster and come out alive. It’s true, they may no longer play the biggest venues or break record sales, but the guys don’t really care. With nothing left to prove. . . they’re now free to ‘want it that way.’

kadry@khaleejtimes.com