By Jamie Roberts
Backstreet鈥檚 back, it鈥檚 official! Yes, the Boys 鈥 Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson and Howie Dorough 鈥 have returned 30 years after they first took the pop world by storm in 1995 with the single, We鈥檝e Got It Goin鈥 On. Before long, Backstreet Boys won scores of devoted teenage fans around the world. Now, the five-piece are all set for a huge Las Vegas takeover this summer, and Brian 鈥 who was just 20 when the group skyrocketed to fame 鈥 says audiences are in for a real treat.
The band are also releasing a reissue of their best-selling 1999 album Millennium, called Millennium 2.0, and will be kicking off a history-making residency that Brian promises will be 鈥渓ike no other鈥. Here, we catch up with the now 50-year-old to talk about the wild ride the band鈥檚 been on and why his son Baylee, 22, his only child with wife Leighanne, 55, is his biggest inspiration.
Hi, Brian! It鈥檚 been 30 years since the Backstreet Boys first found fame. How has your time in the band been?
Wow, I mean, how do I put it into words? It鈥檚 been a wonderful journey with a lot of ups and downs yet, at the same time, a whole lot of joy. We鈥檙e blessed each and every day to work 鈥 if you call it work, and entertain. To still be doing this and for people to still want to hear our music and see our shows, it鈥檚 amazing.
What can people expect from your Las Vegas takeover at The Sphere?
A lot of fun! Just because of the building alone, this show is so different. It鈥檚 so immersive. The seats vibrate. It鈥檚 like watching a giant movie, so it鈥檚 going to be exciting and it鈥檚 going to be something new for our fans as well as for us. But the experience is something like no other. We鈥檝e got some tricks up our sleeve. We鈥檙e going to be doing some things that nobody has ever done in The Sphere. But I have to be tight-lipped, so I can鈥檛 share just yet. Come 11 July, when social media hits, you鈥檒l be like, 鈥淥h, my God!鈥
Go on, give us a clue鈥 It鈥檚 hard to explain, but there鈥檚 a show that鈥檚 on the screen itself, like a movie. It鈥檚 a journey. We鈥檙e taking people through time and space. It鈥檚 Millennium themed. You can get the gist of what it鈥檚 going to be about if you know the Millennium record. We call it like two shows at once. We will literally be larger than life on screen, you know a good 40 or 50 feet tall. We鈥檙e the first pop group to do it in The Sphere and we鈥檙e going to be doing a lot of things that nobody has ever done before. We鈥檙e still dancing and singing, so we鈥檝e still got it going on.
So, why now and why Millennium?
It鈥檚 been 25 years. Well, it鈥檚 actually 26 because it came out in 1999. But this is a monumental moment. It was one of the biggest pop records in history around the world. And it鈥檚 kind of the stamp of approval for us in the music business. It set the benchmark, I think, for every pop group to come after us to be like, 鈥淲ow, we鈥檝e got to do something like that.鈥 So, it鈥檚 monumental for us to re-release the album and to have new versions and they鈥檙e going to be even more fantastic. So, why not share in that journey again, and build a show around it and be the first of our kind to do The Sphere?
You must have one song from your catalogue that you never tire of singing?
Man, that鈥檚 hard. You know, we鈥檝e got a lot of hits. I wrote Larger Than Life and The One. I put The Perfect Fan on that album and dedicated it to my mom. There鈥檚 a song I love called Siberia 鈥 it鈥檚 probably one of my favourites of all time.
What鈥檚 the secret ingredient to boyband success? Communication. You鈥檝e got to have the love and passion for it. But, yeah, keeping an open line of communication will keep you together.
Your son Baylee is also making a name for himself in the music industry, isn鈥檛 he?
Oh, man. Yeah, he鈥檚 a singer-songwriter. He was on the last season of American Idol and just had his first single released, called Hey Jesus. He鈥檚 so talented. I get a little emotional when I talk about my son. He鈥檚 super gifted and he鈥檚 taught me a lot about the journey and wanting to be better. He鈥檚 become my inspiration more than I have been his, lately.
The Backstreet Boys鈥 Into The Millennium Sphere residency starts on 11 July and their album Millennium 2.0 is also out the same day