Fergie interviews the Backstreet Boys!
**this article is from Hello Magazine from Jan-Feb 1998
Sarah, duchess of York interviews the Backstreet Boys and gets the low down on the US boy band who count her daughters among their legion of fans.
My introduction to the Backstreet Boys was courtesy of Beatrice and Eugenie (her daughters) one day on the way to school. "Cute group, great clothes." said Eugenie. "One of them wears hats all the time." said Beatrice. "Great voices," the both chorused from the back of the car.
A few weeks later I found myself at MTV Studios, all set to interview the heart-throbs of the teen Pop scene. Never one to miss out on a challenge, I soon realised I had quite a task ahead of me.
Several years ago, the boys- A.J McLean, 20, Howie Dorough, 24, and Nick Carter, 17, from Florida, and cousins Kevin Richardson, 25, and Brian Littrell, 22, from Kentucky- were still struggling to find an audience in the US. Now they are mega stars in Europe and Canada where they have clocked up seven number one hit singles. Indeed, Quit Playing Games rose to number two in the US and marked their first victory on home turf.
The boys also have won numerous awards including the 1997 European MTV Select Award and the highest accolade in the teen scene-the Smash Hits Award for being the best band in the universe. Their latest album, Backstreet's Back, has sold more than nine million copies world-wide. This was not a group to be taken lightly.
I hadn't planned what questions I was going to ask as I felt spontaneity to be the best course of action. Any fears I had were quickly eclipsed when I met the boys. Their professionalism, maturity, and solid views on life were immediately apparent and uplifting.
I asked them first to sing their biggest hit for us. They readily agreed and performed As long as you love me a cappella. After that, each explained his role in the band.
Brian: I do vocals mostly and have been dabbling a bit with the guitar since Christmas.
Kevin: I've been playing keyboards since I was about nine years old, and I also do background vocals.
A.J: Bass and vocals mostly
Nick: I've been playing the drums for the last two years.
Howie: I play a little guitar and do background vocals.
SARAH: HOW DID THE GROUP GET TOGETHER?
Howie: A.J and I met eight years ago at a talent contest and we ran into Nick at various auditions. The three of us formed a little trio, then we met Kevin and Brian, who are cousins. We've all been together for five years now.
SARAH: YOU'VE TRAVELLED ALL OVER THE WORLD. WHERE HAVE YOU ENJOYED PLAYING MOST AND WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR BEST RECEPTION?
All: Wembley
Howie: We really enjoyed it and we're getting ready to play there again in March.
SARAH: WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH AS A GROUP?
Brian: Just to make good music, respectable music, music for all people of ages to enjoy. We're not about a market or an image, we're about quality music. We believe that as long as we focus on the music and don't get distracted by other things, we'll hopefully be around for a long time.
SARAH: WHAT KIND OF IMPACT HAS FAME HAD ON YOUR LIVES?
Brian: It definitely changes your schedule.
A.J: We have less time off and we have had to get used to a lot more work. It's been lots of fun and really worth it, even if it's taken a lot of dedication and patience. But we all have strong family backgrounds. With the support of our families, friends and each other, it's been great.
SARAH: WHAT IS IT THAT KEEPS YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND?
Howie: The five of us.
A.J: Our moms! (laughs)
Nick: The best thing is that out mothers aren't afraid to tell us anything.
Kevin: Our management and record company. Our family and friends.
SARAH: YOU COME ACROSS AS BEING VERY CENTRED AND SHOWING GREAT INNER STRENGTH. WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM?
Howie: Again, that's from our families. We all come from middle-class backgrounds, hard-working wholesome people. We've all worked very hard to get where we are today and we appreciate very much what we have. We never take anything for granted. We know that we still have a lot of goals to reach.
SARAH: WERE YOU PREPARED FOR THE SUDDEN LOSS OF PRIVACY THAT COMES WITH FAME?
Nick: We knew that was something that was going to come with the territory. But I also think we're big hams (all the boys laugh) We love the attention.
Howie: It's not such a bad thing to have a bunch of screaming girls after you
Kevin: It was sort of strange at first. Our popularity in Europe and Canada was just so big and the number of fans were amazing! It just blew us completely away. But then we would leave those countries, having a couple hundred fans at the airport and arrive home in the US where no one knew who we were. Now our music and popularity in the States is finally beginning to grow, so that gap is getting smaller and there are fewer places we can go and not be recognised. It's very exciting, but scary at the same time.
SARAH: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE TABLOID PRESS?
Brian: It's funny. When you see things in the tabloids at the supermarket, you wonder how it's possible they can write such stuff. And when you realise that what they write about you isn't true, it's pretty hard to even look at what they write about anyone else.
SARAH: SO MANY BANDS BREAK UP SOON AFTER THEIR INITIAL SUCCESS. HOW WILL YOU AVOID THAT?
Nick: That's one goal which goes against the odds. But I believe that as long as we keep communicating, we will beat that.
Kevin: There are five of us. We know that we are five individuals and we have to allow each other to be himself as well as a group. Eventually, there come a time when we might want to take a break and each do our own thing for a while. When that time comes, we'll sit down as a group and decide what will happen from there.
Brian: We'll never call it quits, that's just not possible.
SARAH: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS ROLE MODELS TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION?
Howie: We never set out to be role models. We're just five guys who love music. God has blessed us with talent and we're just trying to share that with the world.
SARAH: MUSIC CAN BE HEALING, CAN'T IT?
Nick: It's the universal language.
Kevin: Absolutely. We received a letter the other day from a woman who had recently lost her husband and she wrote that our music had helped bring her and her daughter close. That's the kind of thing that makes it worthwhile.
SARAH: A LOT OF PEOPLE MAY SAY THAT WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS EASY. WHAT HAS IT TAKEN FOR YOU TO GET WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
Howie: Two years of practice, six days a week, small tours of schools around the States and then, after we signed to Jive Records, there was three years of touring. People have this misconception that we do a show, go to a party, sleep in the next day, go shopping, lie by the pool, and go do the next show. But we haven't seen that yet. Mostly, when everyone else is at the after party, we're on our way to the next gig, getting there with barely enough time to shower and rehearse before going on. Not to mention the photo shoots, promotions, and interviews that have to be squeezed in between.
SARAH: WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELVES IN THE YEAR 2000?
Brian: Hopefully performing for about 250, 000 people somewhere. Still working together, still writing and still at the top of the charts.
SARAH: WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LIKE YOU SO MUCH?
All: Hopefully, it's the music
Howie: It's all about the music
SARAH: WHAT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Kevin: That we've had the benefit of co-writing our songs with good song writers and producers who we've learned a lot from-their experience had helped us to grow. That we are not just pretty faces. That we can sing and that we are artists who are constantly striving to get better. Howie: We are simply five normal guys and what you see is what you get. The people that you see on the cover of the CD are the same people that you see on stage and, even more importantly, the same people you would meet at the side of the road. We keep it simple and honest. Honesty is the biggest part.
Brian: There are no "fronts" about us
SARAH: WELL, IT'S "FRONTS" THAT ULTIMATELY FAIL
Howie: That's why we plan to be around for a long time.
SARAH: IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO SPREAD ONE MESSAGE TO YOUR AUDIENCE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Nick: Dreams. If you have one and want to succeed, just don't give up. That's how we got where we are today. We kept striving for our goals and working and we never gave up.
Howie: We also hope to bring universal harmony to all countries through our music and help bring them closer together. Harmony and Peace.
-Danielle