Backstreet Boys: Over 75 Million Strong

Love them or hate them, you cannot argue with the Backstreet Boys' success. Created by Lou Pearlman and molded after The New Kids on the Block, the original five members immediately attracted millions of young fans and topped the charts with their boyish good looks and catchy tunes. With over 75 million records sold, seven Grammy nominations, two American Music Awards and even one of Canada's own Juno Awards under their collective belts, the Backstreet Boys have now survived over a decade as a band.

But since their inception, the group has undergone a number of major adjustments, ranging from management changes to losing founding member Kevin Richardson. Regardless, the remaining four members – AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and Nick Carter – got together to record their latest release, appropriately titled, Unbreakable.

I had the opportunity to catch up with AJ McLean over the phone to talk about how the Backstreet Boys have matured and evolved (along with their fans), what it's like touring with Girlicious and to discuss their latest album, Unbreakable.

YT: What was it like recording your new album “Unbreakable"?
AJ: “It was actually, in my opinion, probably one of the most fun to make because it was just us, and we kind of locked ourselves in the studio for about five to six weeks in Nashville and just wrote, recorded and played video games. It was almost just like being in a fraternity. It was us living, breathing, sleeping music for about a good solid six weeks."

YT: So what were your expectations for this album?
AJ: “I think our expectations when we made this record were to kind of start a new bridge in our career to try to get people prepared for the next level of the Backstreet Boys. It wasn't just kind of fiddling around looking for songs. We pretty much knew we were going to put some more dance records on this album so we could bring it to the live stage. With the Unbreakable CD, we definitely got back more to our roots."

YT: What is the significance of the title, “Unbreakable"?
AJ: “A lot of our album titles, with the exception of the first one, which was just self-titled, really kind of set the bar and the theme for the album and where we were in our career and personal lives. When we were sitting having dinner, just the four of us, we were trying to think of an album title. Brian was kind of giving us a little bit of a pep talk and he had said the word “unbreakable" and I kind of paused for a minute and said, 'Wait a minute, what do you guys think about that?' We really thought about it and when you really break it down, we lost a member, we've been through hell and back and we're still here 15 years later. We've been through management changes, record company stuff and lawsuits and all these things and were still here solid as a rock which really shows we truly are unbreakable."

YT: So what is it like to be on tour without Kevin?
AJ: “Now, we've all kind of gotten used to it. I mean even when we first went into the studio to make the record, it was weird just knowing that he's not coming to work that day, that he's not coming tomorrow or the day after. Once we broke through that uncomfortable feeling, we just kind of got on the train and chugged on through."

YT: What is it like being on tour with Girlicious?
AJ: “They are HOT. They are four of the sweetest young ladies I've met in quite some time. We've not really had a chance to hang with them because they've been very busy, obviously promoting and doing press and such. They are extremely talented; they put on a great show, full of tons of energy, great pop songs and they're just fun, fun girls to be around."

YT: Do you find that your fans are different from before?
AJ: “Some of them are. I mean we're definitely seeing a lot more new faces as well as a ton of faces that have been with us from the very beginning. We're seeing a lot more couples coming to the show, a lot more guys, you know I think guys are probably saying it's cool to like the Backstreet Boys now because you know everyone's older. Whether they wanna admit it or not, you know, the pop music we've been fortunate to record and spread around the world is a part of pop culture."

YT: So what's the most important thing you've learned from being in this industry for so long?
AJ: “That it really is show business. That it's not just about the show, that there is a lot of business that goes on behind closed doors. You can lose it all in the drop of a hat if you don't really pay attention to your business. All of us have, kind of fortunately and unfortunately, had to become businessmen over the past 15 years."