4idols Backstreet Boys

In the tradition of their predecessors New Kids on the Block, the Orlando-based Backstreet Boys use dance-club pop, fresh-faced good looks and sexy choreography to whip up their pre-teen fans into a hormonally charged frenzy wherever they perform. New York transplant Nick Carter and Florida natives Howie Dorough and A.J. McLean were performing as an a cappella trio in Orlando before they hooked up with Kevin Richardson and his cousin Brian Littrell, recently relocated from Kentucky. Soon the Backstreet Boys, who took their name from an outdoor Orlando market, were performing at gigs throughout central Florida.

The quintet soon came under the control of former New Kids on the Block managers Donna and Johnny Wright, who helped shape the group into a polished pop dance outfit. The Backstreet Boys eventually signed with Jive Records in 1994 and released their debut album in Europe and Canada in early 1996. The album hit big on the European charts, and the Backstreet Boys became overnight sensations abroad. When the CD was released in the United States one year later, American teens, drunk on Hanson and the Spice Girls, were primed for its arrival. The album debuted at No. 29 on the album charts on the strength of the hit single "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)." All in all, Backstreet Boys has sold more than 10 million copies (and counting) worldwide.

The much-anticipated BSB follow-up, Millennium, hit record store shelves in the spring of 1999. As expected, it was a huge success, spawning several hit singles, spending over a year on the Billboard Top 200 and selling 12 million copies as of summer 2000.

To promote the release of their next album, the Boys embarked on a whirlwind promotional tour which took them to six cities around the globe -- Stockholm, Tokyo, Sydney, Cape Town, Rio de Janerio and New York -- in the space of 100 hours. Black And Blue, their third U.S. album, was released on November 21, 2000.

After a five-year hiatus, their new single, "Incomplete", was released to radio stations on March 28, 2005 and quickly became the #1 most requested song in top markets in both U.S. and overseas. The song was a drastic change from their previous albums, switching to adult contemporary rather than pop. In May, the only European Backstreet Boys concert in almost 4 years was quickly sold out. On June 14, 2005, the Backstreet Boys released their comeback album Never Gone, which they spent more than a year recording. The album debuted at #3 on the U.S. chart with substantial first week sales of 291,000 copies and has gone to sell over 2.1 million worldwide, including #1 debuts in Japan, Germany, India, Chile, Brazil, Australia, and Korea.

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