Can you think of a better way to while away the afternoon than by noshing lunch and gettin' the latest word from the beauteous Backstreet Boys? Neither could we! KEVIN RICHARDSON, HOWIE DOROUGH, BRIAN LITRELL, A.J. McLEAN, and NICK CARTER rolled into our 16 Magizine offices in New York City--and the only yummier than the Boys themselves was the monstrous lunch they brought along with them! The fab five were in the mood to tell all about hitting it huge in the USA!
16: Now that things are happening in the US, what does it feel like?
Kevin:Real Nice!
16: Is reaction here different from the rest of the world?
Howie:It's a lot different. The feeling is important to us. This is our home country and we've been waiting
so long to come home. We kind of took a backwards approach, going around the world then coming back here. But I think,
looking back on it, it was a good decision.
Brian: I was thinking last night, when we were doing our New York City show, I though I wasn't going to be nervous
-we've done the show 50 million times- I know it like the back of my hand. And right before the curtain dropped, I was thinking
THIS IS NEW YORK CITY! Not only is this America, but this is New York City! I mean, how rough and tough can you get?
I clammed up for a second, then I heard the music and calmed down.
16: When your singles started climbing US charts, were you surprised?
Brian: Definitely. I was in my Jeep at home, and I turned on the easy listening station and heard a mix of
"Quit Playin' Games" I had never heard before- it was so cool I got cold chills.
16: How are fans in America different from the fans in other parts of the world?
Nick: I think the only thing that's really cool is, American fans pay attention. They study you.
And in a way it's very cool, because you know they're paying attention to what you sound like.
Howie: And yet, at some of our shows, I really though we were in Germany!
The crowds were going nuts! In Europe, we did a lot of shows where there was standing room only, but in the US there's been seating,
which kind of keeps people calm. But when there's a wide open space, people will push up against the barricades
and it can get kind of scary.
16: Are you thinking about your next ablum yet?
Nick: We're getting ready to record some new songs!
A.J.: You can never have enough material for the future.
Howie: We hardly ever have spare time, but when we do, we get to the recording studio.
Kevin: We're always thinking.