Backstreet Boys are a Grammy-nominated American boy band. They were the first group launched by fallen boy band mogul Lou Pearlman. They officially became a band on April 20, 1993.[2] [3] They have had 13 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and have sold over 200 million records[4] including over 120 million albums outside the United States,[5] making them one of the best selling music artists of all time, and biggest selling boy band of all time. They were number 1 in concert and album sales from 1997-2005 (when they earned $533.1 million).[citation needed]
After returning to the music scene in 2005, their sound changed dramatically, incorporating only live instruments (some of which they play themselves) and a more guitar and piano driven pop rock sound. The four-member group consists of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and A. J. McLean. Original member Kevin Richardson left the group on June 23, 2006 to begin a family,[6] but the four-piece refused to rule out a possible return for the singer.
Lou Pearlman was inspired by New Kids on the Block in the 1980s to create his own clean-cut boy band. After a series of newspaper advertisements and auditions in 1992 and 1993, he recruited A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, and Nick Carter who met each other in several auditions and became friends.[8] Following the departure of two previous members, Sam Licata (later performing as Phoenix Stone) and Charles Edwards, Kevin Richardson came on board. He met the other guys through a co-worker,[9] and the four decided to form a group, naming themselves after an Orlando flea market.[10] The group took its final member on April 19, 1993, when Brian Littrell, Richardson's cousin, joined the group after a phone audition.[11] Pearlman had spent around $3 million of fraudulently obtained money (he has been convicted of operating a Ponzi scheme during this time frame) on his search to form the group, and then spent more to launch their career.[12]
Afterward Pearlman called on his friend Bob Curiano to be the first to write and produce for the Backstreet Boys. Their first two songs ever recorded were "Lover Boy", written and produced by Curiano, and "Get Ready", a cover tune. The hit, 'Lover Boy' was inspired by Ana Legen, Bob Curiano's, first teenage crush, later Ana came back into the picture when she became a short term girlfriend to Howie in 1995. Their first concert, on July 8, 1993, was performed for 3,000 teenagers at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. Pearlman later booked them at grade-school assemblies and shopping malls, and assigned management duties to Johnny Wright and Donna Wright,[13] who had worked with New Kids on the Block. Wright is often credited by industry insiders for being the man who actually made the Boys famous.
European popularity grew, and the Backstreet Boys kicked off 1996 being voted the No. 1 international group by TV viewers in Germany - "I'll Never Break Your Heart" went gold there and hit No. 1 in Austria. The group earned their first platinum record in Germany and toured Asia and Canada. They became one of the most successful debut artists in the world.
By 1997, pop music was returning to the forefront in United States with the likes of the Spice Girls and Hanson. Jive Records and Pearlman decided to bring the boys back to their home country.[14] They began recording their second album in January 1997, Backstreet's Back, releasing "Quit Playing Games With My Heart" in June. They also recorded the song, If You Stay, for the Booty Call soundtrack in January 1997. Coinciding with the release of their second international album, the band released a self-titled album in the US which collected songs from both international albums. They hit big on the U.S. charts and debuted at No .1 in Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Finland and Austria. The two albums sold more than 28 million copies worldwide (14 million copies in the U.S.)[15]
In December 1997, the band embarked on a 60-city, 20-country tour.
In 1997, Littrell (soon joined by McLean, Richardson and Dorough) brought a lawsuit against Lou Pearlman, as he was taking an unusually high percentage of the profits made by the band (75 percent), leaving the Boys barely enough to survive after credits to writers and performers were given separately. The lawsuit also claimed that Pearlman had hidden and misused money earned by the band and prompted similar lawsuits from other prominent boy bands such as 'N Sync. The case was settled in 1998.
The group has started to work on a new as of yet untitled album due for release in 2009 and are confirmed to be working with Max Martin,[29] OneRepublic singer Ryan Tedder, and Hip-Hop singer T-Pain. RedOne, Ne-Yo, Brian Kennedy, Andre Merritt, Pitbull, Claude Kelly, Akon, JC Chasez, Jim Jonsin Eddie Galan of Mach 1 Music, Nasri, and many others have confirmed collaborations on the new album.[30]
According To KBS Radio The Backstreet Boys have recorded 18 songs for their new album
