MEDIA

INTERVIEWS

BACK TO THE future! TV HITS MAGAZINE (Australia) July 1999 Issue #131

Strap yourself to your seat and let TV HITS take you on a fast trip to the "Millennium" with the Backstreet Boys! Five words 'til blast-off...

Do you consider yourself a boy band?
Kevin: When we first came to Europe we were part of a melting-pot of boy bands. At that time in the United States there were a lot of boys with pretty faces. They don't have to sing and the producer does all the work. We don't want to be considered in that category - it's not what we are.

Do you keep up with world affairs?
Kevin: I'd like to do something for the people of Kosovo. I was watching CNN last night and it was very depressing.

Are you aiming for an older audience with "Millennium"?
Kevin: I think our fans mature as we grow...
Brian: I don't know we aim at any specific group. We're just trying to create quality music. The lyric content and the music on this album is little more mature than the last two months.
AJ: It's more mature for us. We're not just dealing with the "I Love You" and "I'll Never Break Your Heart" topics. We've tried to stretch our lyrical content a bit and we hope our fan base will be happy. We have a thank-you song to our fans, to our mamas - we have a bigger content all round.

Have you guys ever been tempted to give it all up? Break up?
Nick: I think now it's time to clear up all the rumours going around. I think we've been asked this 50, 000 times. The answer is no! We're not breaking up! No matter what happens we will always be the Backstreet Boys.

Are you guys happy with all your achievements?
AJ: We have achieved many goals. In the United States, we have sold over 10 million copies of our first album.
Kevin: It's unbelievable!
AJ: So far, so good! Maybe this is not our best album yet. But there will be a better tour, a better show.. a better everything! We're always learning.

Could you tell us more about the songs on the album?
Kevin: I co-wrote a song. It's called "Back To Your Heart" and I co-produced it. I played the keys and the bass on the track.
Brian: I was involved with co-writing of "Larger Than Life" and "I'll Be The One". We had a lot more to do with the production and writing on this album. We worked very hard on it and we're very proud - we think it's our best album.

What are your favourite songs on the new album?
Nick: "Don't Want To Lose You" and "Spanish Eyes".
Howie: "Spanish Eyes" and "Don't Want You Back".
Kevin: "Don't Want To Lose You" and "Show Me The Meaning".
AJ: "Don't Want You Back" and "Perfect Fan".
Brian: "Don't Want To Lose You".

Why were there excerpts of your new songs at the end of the US version of Britney's album?
Kevin: I don't know. It's a bit like when you're at the movie theatre and you see excerpt from movies to come. It's a new idea that our record company had - for exposure - but if we'd been told about it before it happened, we probably wouldn't have wanted it on there. It wasn't our decision.

What do you think of the new millennium?
Kevin: I'm looking forward to it!
AJ: It's gonna be cool!
Kevin: When I was raised, and I read the Bible. It talks about the end of the world, so it can be kind of scary! But I think it's like a fresh start for us - that's why we chose this name for this album.

Did you feel a lot of pressure while you were making this album?
Nick: I'm not sure there has been so much pressure. We hope that everybody will enjoy it as much as we do. There are more personal influences, and lyrically it's deeper. 
Howie: I would say that there was pressure last year for this album, that's why there have been changes. The tour was postponed because we had to be sure this album was definitely finished. We also had the new management, my sister passed away... it's probably why we love this album because we've been working so hard.

Tell us about your tour...
Nick: The stage is a pentagon, so it's gonna be more intimate and it will also be a challenge for us to perform on a 360 degree stage. That's all we're going to say now! 
(Aww! C'mon guys!)

OZ TOUR NEWS!
* The BSBs started their world arena tour in Ghent, Belgium on 2nd June. The big news is that the guys are set to tour our shores in early 2000. Perfect!

HOW TO DATE A BACKSTREET BOY!
If you want Kevin... Start rubbing the sides of old tea pots, 'cause Kev once played the genie in Aladdin...
If you want AJ... Start having your own puppet shows, 'cause AJ used to be a puppeteer!
If you want Brian... Grab his hand when he's on the top floor of a building , 'cause he's afraid of heights!
If you want Howie... Work out - this dude's a fitness freak!
If you want Nick... Head for the sea, 'cause he's a scuba nut!