The Backstreet Boys formed 7 years ago in Orlando, Florida. High school students AJ McLean and Howie Dorough along with junior high student Nick Carter began running into each other at local acting auditions. They became good friends and started singing at the auditions to pass the time. Soon they formed a trio inspired by Boyz II Men and Color Me Badd and decided they wanted to expand it by two. Through a mutual friend they met Kevin Richardson and after looking all over Orlando for a fifth member Kevin decided to call his cousin, Brian, in Kentucky. Brian relocated to Orlando immediately and the Backstreet Boys were ready to write the first chapter of their story. At first they sang some of their favorite songs by other artists, which they still do even today, but then they started finding their own sounds. They blended pop and R&B with their strong harmonies. They wanted a record deal so they began going to local record labels and singing acappella. Within 6 months they were one of Florida's hottest bands. During one of their concerts their manager held up her cellular phone and let David McPherson from Jive Records hear them. They were signed immediately after that. They took Europe and Canada by storm and slowly began to take off in the United States with their release of Backstreet's Back. After going multi-platinum with their second album (first in the US) they released Millenium in May 1999 and billboard awards, American Music Awards, MTV awards and Grammy nominations soon followed. Now that they are a sensation all over the world as well as in their home country they plan to do a REAL world tour following their upcoming album (this will be their fourth) Black and Blue which will be released on November 21st!
