Backstreet’s Back, Alright!

If you really understood the title of this article, you already know what it is going to be about. Yes, the Backstreet Boys are well and truly back, and they’re here to stay.

Throwing it back to 1993, an era when ‘boy bands’ were immensely popular, when a group of five incredibly talented male musicians came together to bless the world with their tunes: this group, unassumingly calling themselves the ‘Backstreet Boys’,  would later go on to become the highest selling boy band of all time. Debuting at a time when other male pop group legends like ‘Boyz II Men’ were topping the charts, the world was looking to boy bands to take music forward, courtesy of the sensational ‘Jackson 5’ and boy, did they live up to the expectations.

Before we go any further, let us clarify that Maroon 5, Coldplay etcetera DO NOT qualify as boy bands because of one simple reason: they had the audacity to pick up instruments. Matching outfits, synchronized dancing and exceedingly over-budget music videos, that’s what real boy bands are about. The Backstreet Boys’ revolutionary outbreak set the stage for a generation of the omnipresence of boy bands on music charts throughout the world. Starting with NSYNC, and then moving all the way across the Atlantic Ocean with The Wanted and One Direction, Simon Cowell has these veterans to thank.

During their initial run, the Backstreet Boys dominated the late 90s and early 2000s. They produced songs which became instant classics, such as ‘I Want It That Way’, ‘As Long As You Love Me’ and ‘Everybody’ to name a few. Their success pushed them beyond legendary, with six Grammy nominations, five BBMAs and over a hundred million record sales worldwide. In 2006, they faced a small bump in the road, when Kevin Richardson jumped ship only to climb back on the bandwagon later. In 2013, they released what was thought to be their last album, In A World Like This. Although not critically acclaimed, this album also contained a few gems, the most precious being ‘Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of’. 2018 will mark their twenty-fifth anniversary of making music together and to celebrate the occasion, the band is rewarding their loyal fans the best way they know, with new music. Their latest single, ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’, is an absolute banger which makes every 90s kid jump up in joy. The song is borderline EDM while including elements of R&B and 90s pop music. But the revelry doesn’t end there, the Backstreet Boys have already announced that a new album is in the works and if all goes according to plan, we might get TWO new albums this year itself, as confirmed by Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell.

“As long as there will be music, we’ll be coming back again”, said the lyrics of arguably their greatest song, and they’ve kept up their end of the bargain, haven’t they?

Written By Mahia DeSylva and Shubhang Yadav

Picture Source: Google Images