MEDIA

INTERVIEWS

Backstreet Blitz! TV HITS MAGAZINE (Australia) February 1998 Issue #114

Your fave all-singin', all-dancin' boys are back and are conquering the world all over again! TV HITS got the mega-exclusive from Howie D of the Backstreet Boys all the way from sunny Florida!

Hey Howie, what have the Backstreet Boys been up to lately?
Hey, how are you there in Australia?! We were in Spain, Italy, France and Holland for the MTV Awards recently.

You're having a hit here in Australia with "As Long As You Love Me". Are you excited about that?
Oh, very much so. It's going to be our first single that's going to be totally worldwide at the same time, so we're very excited.

You won an MTV Award for that song recently, beating Hanson! How did that feel?
Oh, it was awesome, especially with such good competition. We were very much honoured, it was very flattering. The whole MTV show was very overwhelming, we got a chance to perform, accept and present.

So what do you think of Hanson?
Hanson? We actually met them for the fist time at the MTV Awards, they're cool guys. I can't remember which is which - we saw them really briefly right before they were presenting an award and right before they were closing the show, but they're cool guys. They were asking what song we were singing and stuff like that. I guess they'd heard our music before.

How does it feel to finally be popular in your own country, American, after so much success overseas?
We've had a really good two-and-a-half-years, travelling around the world having success in each place little by little. I think anybody can understand that it means a lot to have success, especially in your own country - all our family and friends have been there for so long supporting us, that's a great feeling.

Nick's little brother Aaron Carter is trying to be a pop star now too. What's that like?
(Laughs) It's cool, we were all trying to help out. I even have a sister that's working on a song right now! We're all trying to help her - introduce her to the people who have influences our lives. We're all supportive, it's one, big, happy family.

Do you get recognised a lot?
Oh, a bit, not so much at home yet, but in some other countries like the European countries and Canada. Yeah, it feels weird. I'm just a normal person, I don't think there's anything unique about me that would catch people's eyes. They recognise me just when I'm walking around the mall or something. I never thought I'd be in this kind of position!

Do any of you still go to school?
Nick's still working on his high school education. I finished college, completed Tourism and got my Arts degree so I guess education is a big thing for all of us - and I'm still doing some studies here, I have more to get my Business degree.

How do your friends feel about your fame - do they like it or do they get jealous?
They're very excited about it. They're really supportive and they're behind us 100 per cent. Our family and our friends have seen all the work we've done in the last five years. It's s dream for all of us coming true now.

You've travelled all over the world, do you have a favourite place?
I tell you, Australia is a really special place to us. We were there for about a week and a half and we had a really good time. Sydney was very beautiful, Melbourne was also very nice and that's definitely going to be one of our vacation spots when we come back there.

What was the best thing about Australia when you visited us in 1996?
We loved your accents, they were so cute, the "mates" and the food there was very good. We actually got a chance - all of us - to see our first kangaroos and our first koala bears, that was very, very, very, really interesting. You guys at TV HITS actually took us to a zoo! We had a great time in Sydney seeing the Opera House. We had a chance to do some sightseeing and work and stuff like that, it was fun.

Are you coming back anytime soon?
Yeah, actually I think we are planning on coming back to Australia later this year. They're planning a world tour and we'll try and get around to all the countries we've had success in. I know the tour is starting in April and going on from there, so we'll definitely see you guys next year.

What is your favourite song on your album?
I'd say on this album, "All I Have To Give", a song written and produced by Full Force. I think it represents the Backstreet Boys well - all five of us get to sing on it.

Who are some of the famous people you've met?
Some of the famous people I've met? Well, we've met a lot of people! Fortunately we've had the chance to meet a lot of our idols. Just recently at the MTV Awards, our dressing rooms were just near the dressing rooms of Aerosmith, U2 and Hanson. We've met the Spice Girls, we've met Whitney Houston, we've met the Bee Gees, we've met Arnold Schwarzenegger, Andrew Lloyd Webber, we've met a lot of people. It's been really great.

What do you think of the Spice Girls?
I actually know them, we've met them a couple of times. We've done shows with them. They're really cool. Yeah, they're really cool. It's kind of weird - the fist time we met them, they really respected our music because we came out in England before they did. Now every time we meet them they listen to our soundtracks and they meet up with us, we talk. They're really cool people.

Did you feel silly singing about yourself, like in your song "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"? 
No, not really. I think that's a strong song from our album. It's like Backstreet's back, here we are back in your face again, you know, in your ears. Hopefully everybody's ready for us with our strong second album, we're back, right back at ya'!

What's the best thing about being a Backstreet Boy?
The best thing? I'd say the best thing is getting to travel around the world and meet people of all different cultures and races who hear our music - it's just spreading the Backstreet Boys around the world!

Do you have a message for your Aussie fans out there?
Just, thank you so much Australia and those fans out there for all your support! We know we haven't been over there for a while, but we appreciate all your support. Just keep the Backstreet pride alive and we'll be back over there real soon.

Chart Busters!
Those Backstreet Boys are zooming up the charts just about everywhere in the world, from Germany to Switzerland, Ireland and the US! Check out these world charts from Billboard magazine!