Ever wonder what the Backstreet Boys do before show time to make their voices sound so good? Read on and find out!
It's moments before a Backstreet Boys show. With thousands of fans waiting around an empty stage, the big question is: Are the Backstreet Boys freaking out backstage? Are they crossing their fingers and nervously combing their hair in their dressing room mirrors? Nooo way! While the crowd anxiously awaits for these five cuties--Nick Carter, A.J. McLean, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough and Kevin Richardson--to perform their hit songs "We've Got it Goin' On" and "I'll Never Beak Your Heart" from their self-titled European debut album, they're tuning their pipes (that is, warming up their voices) for the show.
"We do a lot of a cappella singing together and warm up about 30 minutes before we go on stage," Kevin explains to BB.
Besides vocalizing as much as possible, Howie says it's important to keep his vocal chords as moist as possible for a good performance. "I try to drink a lot of herbal, hot teas with a lot of honey and lemon," the 23-year-old singer tells us. "And, I have a steamer that I use sometimes."
When BB asked 17-year-old Nick if he, like Howie, was into tea-time, he said no. But it isn't because he dosen't like tea, Nick just says that in those last-minute moments before a show, he dosen't have enough time for tea. "I would like to," he explains, "but basically, [I] just warm up."
Brian, 22, tells us that all the singing, dancing and road tripping can get pretty crazy at times and it takes more than their pre-show warm up session to keep the Boys' voices fine-tuned. When he feels something creeping up on him that might send his vocal chords into shock, he says he just tries "to take a break for a second."
Aside from a few rest and relaxation breaks, 24-year -old Kevin adds that the Backstreet Boys also "try to stay away from dairy products because they tend to make your throat"--OK, this is a bit personal--"get a lot of mucus." Yuck!
Following the low on milk, ice cream and cheese diet, A.J., 19 watches his health, not just his throat, to avoid vocal damage. He also says he is extra careful about kissing fans at shows. "All those fans, if you give them a kiss on the cheek...they got a cold and boom! you get sick," A.J. explains. But knowing that some things are unavoidable, once he does detect a throat problem, he takes action fast. "The day I get it," he says, "I go out and get my prescription and I pop the pills and the Thera-Flu and I'm on my way."
This month, the Backstreet Boys are all on their way. They're taking their well-tuned tunes around Europe and making final arrangements to release their U.S. debut album at the end of April. And they're probably kissing a few fans along the way, too.
