49 Fun Facts About Backstreet Boys

Which Blink-182 music video spoofed the Backstreet Boys and other late-1990s boy bands?

All the Small Things came from director Marcos Siega's boy-band parody idea, which Mark Hoppus resisted at first, yet the video became a hit.

Which two Backstreet Boys are cousins?

Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson are cousins: Kevin phoned Brian in Kentucky about joining, and Brian flew to Florida to take the fifth spot.

Which R&B vocal group did the Backstreet Boys say they modeled themselves on, rather than a boy band?

Boyz II Men was a model they named, and they wanted to be seen as a vocal harmony group, yet the boy band label they dreaded followed them to America anyway.

Which hip-hop star remixed a Backstreet Boys hit with the group for a 2019 Super Bowl ad?

Chance the Rapper rapped over 'I Want It That Way' to sell a spicier version of a classic nacho chip while the group danced behind him.

Where did the Backstreet Boys play their first show, in May 1993?

SeaWorld Orlando hosted that first show, and Pearlman soon handed the group's daily care to professional managers Johnny and Donna Wright.

Which 2013 apocalypse comedy ends in heaven with the Backstreet Boys leading an 'Everybody' dance-along?

This Is the End first closed as the heroes rose into heaven; wanting a better finale, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg added the Backstreet Boys performing there.

The Backstreet Boys flew to which country to record with Max Martin and Denniz PoP?

Sweden is where they recorded their first single, 'We've Got It Goin' On', which stalled at No. 69 in America.

Before American radio embraced them, where did the Backstreet Boys first become stars in the mid-1990s?

Europe embraced them first, because American radio was still crowded with grunge, rock and rap when their early singles came out.

Which Backstreet Boys single reached No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1997?

Quit Playing Games (with My Heart) was the group's pick; their label wanted 'If You Want It to Be Good Girl (Get Yourself a Bad Boy)' as the U.S. single, and they pushed back.

Which sitcom's cold open has a police lineup of suspects singing the Backstreet Boys' 'I Want It That Way'?

Brooklyn Nine-Nine had the suspects sing so the victim's sister could identify her brother's killer, and the Backstreet Boys later filmed their own version.

Besides managing and producing the Backstreet Boys, Lou Pearlman was also paid as what?

A sixth member's cut went to Pearlman, which came out after Brian Littrell hired lawyers to learn why the group had received only about $300,000.

Lou Pearlman was later sent to prison over what?

A Ponzi scheme that cost investors more than $300 million sent him fleeing abroad, until a German tourist couple spotted him in Bali in 2007.

Which famous singer was Lou Pearlman's cousin?

Art Garfunkel helped spark his cousin's interest in music, and Pearlman said he sank $3 million into the Backstreet Boys before seeing a profit.

Which singer's debut album hid a preview of the Backstreet Boys' Millennium?

Britney Spears shared their record label, which planted the preview after her album's last song as a coming attraction.

Millennium broke which country star's one-week U.S. album sales record?

Garth Brooks had set the SoundScan-era mark with Double Live in 1998, but NSYNC more than doubled Millennium's total less than a year later.

Which album beat Millennium for the Album of the Year Grammy?

Supernatural paired Carlos Santana with his longtime mentor Clive Davis as a producer and with contemporary guest stars such as Rob Thomas.

Why did the label order new 'I Want It That Way' lyrics?

Confusing lyrics worried the label, which brought in Mutt Lange to help write new ones, but the group outvoted the rewrite and kept the original.

The Backstreet Boys' 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)' video was inspired by which Michael Jackson video?

Thriller inspired the haunted-mansion video, which the group fought the label to make and which won MTV's Video Music Award for Best Group Video.

What kind of place hosted the 'I Want It That Way' video?

An airport, Los Angeles International, was the set, and the song stalled at No. 6 on the Hot 100 because no commercial single was sold at its peak.

Which Millennium song became a single after a band member urged fans to vote for it?

The One won the TRL vote over 'Don't Want You Back', which had been on track to be the next single until a member phoned in to back it.

What was unusual about the Backstreet Boys' 1999 tour tickets?

All dates at once: the Into the Millennium Tour skipped the usual test of a few markets, and all 53 shows sold out that day.

Why is 'Everybody' on the Backstreet Boys' U.S. debut subtitled 'Backstreet's Back'?

It came from their second album abroad, Backstreet's Back, since their U.S. debut combined songs from their first two international albums.

Which song was the first single from the Backstreet Boys' 2000 album Black & Blue?

Shape of My Heart led an album the group hoped would beat NSYNC's first-week record of 2.4 million; Black & Blue opened with 1.6 million instead.

What did the Backstreet Boys sing at Super Bowl XXXV in 2001?

The national anthem was theirs, sung a week into their Black & Blue world tour, the night after a concert in Atlanta.

Why did the Backstreet Boys postpone their 2001 North American tour?

A member entered rehab, as AJ McLean sought treatment for depression and alcohol abuse, so the tour was put on hold that July.

What was the Backstreet Boys' 2005 comeback album called?

Never Gone was their first album of new songs in five years, trading their late-1990s teen pop for an adult contemporary sound.

Which musical gave the Backstreet Boys' Kevin Richardson his Broadway debut in 2003?

Chicago gave him his Broadway debut, years after he sang its songs in a dinner-theater revue.

Before joining the Backstreet Boys, Kevin Richardson played which character at Walt Disney World?

Aladdin was one of his park roles, and he was still working there when a friend's tip led him to the three singers he joined to form the group.

Which boy band teamed with the Backstreet Boys for a 2011 joint arena tour?

New Kids on the Block first shared a stage with them at Radio City Music Hall in 2010, and that team-up led to the joint tour.

Which 2013 honor went to the Backstreet Boys?

A Hollywood Walk of Fame star honored their 20th year, when Kevin Richardson's return let the original five record together for the first time since 2005.

The Backstreet Boys' 2013 album In a World Like This was notable as their first what?

In a World Like This was their first independent album, released on their own label, K-BAHN, after they left their longtime record company.

What was the title of the Backstreet Boys' 2015 documentary film?

Show 'Em What You're Made Of is the film in which Brian Littrell revealed he has muscle tension dysphonia, a condition that disrupts his singing voice.

What was the name of the Backstreet Boys' first Las Vegas residency, which began in March 2017?

Larger Than Life was announced as an 18-date trial residency, but it was extended into 2018 and kept running until April 2019.

Before DNA, what had the Backstreet Boys last done in 2000?

Top the Billboard 200: DNA did it in 2019 with help from a bundle that packaged the album with tickets to the group's summer tour.

Which single, released in May 2018, led off the Backstreet Boys' album DNA?

Don't Go Breaking My Heart was added to their Las Vegas show while the residency was still running.

Which pop star co-wrote 'Chances', a single from the Backstreet Boys' 2019 album DNA?

Shawn Mendes co-wrote it with producer Ryan Tedder, after AJ McLean spent years urging Tedder to send the group his best songs.

Why did the Backstreet Boys cancel their 2021 Las Vegas holiday shows?

An unfinished album was the cause: travel limits slowed work on their first Christmas record, so it waited until 2022 and the shows built around it were scrapped.

Which fast-food chain sold exclusive Backstreet Boys CDs with live tracks in 2000?

Burger King's three CDs each carried 'It's True', a new song that gave fans an early taste of the album Black & Blue.

Which comic-book legend made the Backstreet Boys superheroes in a 2000 comic?

Stan Lee co-created Backstreet Project, a comic sold at their concerts that set up a series of animated web episodes.

Which Las Vegas venue hosted the Backstreet Boys' residency that began in July 2025?

The Sphere shows lifted the band high above the crowd on a moving platform, so Brian Littrell, who fears heights, held onto a support stand.

Who is the youngest Backstreet Boy?

Nick Carter is the youngest, and he later conceived and starred in Dead 7, a 2016 Syfy zombie western cast with members of other boy bands.

The youngest Backstreet Boy grew up in Florida but was born where?

New York was his birthplace, and after his family moved to Florida he met future bandmates AJ McLean and Howie Dorough at local auditions.

What was the Backstreet Boys' youngest member's first solo album, released in 2002?

Now or Never came out in 2002, and the group then sued their record company, Zomba, saying it pushed his solo album at the band's expense.

What is the name of Backstreet Boy AJ McLean's rock alter ego?

Johnny No Name came with a made-up criminal past, and his 2000 tour raised money for VH1's Save the Music Foundation for school music programs.

Which disease took the life of Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough's sister?

Lupus took her life, and Howie Dorough went on to do charity work for the Dorough Lupus Foundation in her memory.

Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell's solo album Welcome Home was in which genre?

Contemporary Christian music was a long-held goal, so he signed a solo deal with the Christian label Reunion Records to make the album.

Which record label signed the Backstreet Boys in 1994?

Jive Records signed them after their managers sent the group on the road and invited label scouts to watch them perform.

What did the Backstreet Boys begin days after Kevin Richardson left in 2006?

A new album was underway within days, and Richardson said leaving was necessary to move on with the next chapter of his life.

Which country duo recorded 'God, Your Mama, and Me' with the Backstreet Boys?

Florida Georgia Line sang it with them at the 2017 ACM Awards, where all seven then did the famous dance from 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)'.