Talent over Tragedy
Who does Backstreet Boys' Howie Dorough lean on for support? His big sister Pollyanna. Here, an exclusive talk with the singing sibs about how teaming up musically has helped them through tough times.
It's 4 a.m. and Howie and Pollyanna Dorough are finally calling it a night. No, the 2 haven't been out partying. They've been holed up in a New York City recording studio laying down tracks on Polly's new Latin-pop demo - the first recording out of Howie's company, HowieDoIt Productions, which he founded this past July. YM got the scoop on their current - and childhood - collaborations before they hit the hay.
Q: As executive producer on Pollyanna's demo, was it hard giving directions to your big sis?
Howie: I still think of myself as her baby brother, so at first I didn't want to seem like I was being a high-and-mighty-knowi-it all because of my experience with Backstreet Boys. But now I'm just blunt! When you're family, you have that built-in comfort level.
Q: How do you think your fame will help Pollyanna's career?
H: I've always tried to plug her [in the press and the industry] whenever I could. I was making all of these connections through Backstreet, so I wanted to help her break into the business. She was singing long before I was. The roles kind of switched, and now I'm able to help her. After all, she was the one who guided me into my music career.
Pollyanna: When Howie was little I'd take him with me to auditions and rehearsals. I'd also pull him up onstage to sing with me in church, constantly encouraging him to perform. Once he started making his way in the business, I taught him how to annunciate when he sang. But now he's helping me improve my vocals. My strength had always been singing live in off-off-Broadway shows; I had no idea how to sing in a studio. Howie has helped me through it.
Q: Yes, he even sang background vocals on your first sing, "Fly to Heaven." What inspired you to write that?
P: It's a very personal song about my sister Caroline, who died of lupus in 1998. While she was dying, I wanted to keep her spirits up and not say good-bye. So she died without my telling her how much she meant to me. The song says, "There are so many things that I wish I had said to you. I had the chance and I let it slip away. If I could fly to heaven to see you one more time, I'd fly all the way up there just to say I love you."
Q: We hear you're donating the money you make from the song to the Caroling Dorough-Cochran Lupus Fund.
P: Since the song was inspired by her death, I thought it was only right to give all the proceeds to her foundation to raise money for lupus research and education, and to provide financial assistance for those with the disease.
Q: How did Caroline's death affect your perspective on life?
H: It made me realize that fame and fortune mean nothing without your family. The day before Caroline died, Backstreet Boys had just won our first MTV Award in America. I was supposed to fly to North Carolina to see how Caroline was doing the next day, but our brother, John, told me to leave that night because she was getting worse. I got to the airport, but missed my flight by ten minutes. By the time I caught another flight and got to the hospital, she had taken a turn for the worse. The doctor was trying to resuscitate her, but we lost her. I kept thinking if I had made the first flight, I could have said good-bye.
Q: Do you ever regret the crazy schedule you have with Backstreet Boys?
H: I did after I went to her funeral and had to fly to South America three hours later to do a concert. Caroline's death made me see that work was my life. With Backstreet, I have this schedule where I have to go, go, go. We get so caught up in things because we're trying to please the fans and the record label. But now I know that our family and personal lives are more important than success. That's why Polly and I wanted to start the foundation to honor our sister.
Q: You also hosted a benefit in Orlando, FL, to raise money for Caroline's foundation. What was the event like?
H: Polly and I performed, "Fly to Heaven." I auctioned off some of my personal items from the early days of BSB, like stage costumes and suits I wore to award shows. Plus, Mariah Carey donated the jeans and shirt she wore in her "heartbreaker" video, Shania Twain gave an overcoat, Shaquille O'Neal sent shoes, and a bunch of other celebrities chipped in stuff to raise more than $100,000 for Caroline's foundation.
Q: How was it performing "Fly to Heaven" together live?
P: It was a very emotional; night, but it was good practice for me and Howie. Later I performed the song by myself for 2 million people at the Popkomm Festival in Cologne, Germany. I also sang "Fly to Heaven" at concerts in the Domincan Republic and Washington, D.C., with other Latin artists.
H: Polly and I are planning to go to South America to raise more money for lupus whenever my schedule permits. Polly will be my opening act. I'll be singing songs by Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, and Enrique Iglesias with a nine-piece band behind me. I'll get a chance to explore my salsa side. We'll also do "Fly to Heaven." I know the fans will appreciate the message behind the song. I have a big Latin following, and BSB as a whole has tons of fans in South America, so they'll see at least one member of the group before our next tour.
Q: How do you find the time for all these side gigs when you're already so busy with Backstreet Boys' crazy schedule?
H: It's tough! Right now, I'm trying to juggle it all - BSB, Polly, and the charity events. Plus, I opened a dance club called Tabu in Orlando. It used to be a theater, Pollyanna and I did our first play there.
P: We performed in The Wizard of Oz when we were growing up. Howie was a munchkin and I was Glenda the Good Witch. Howie is a really great actor.
Q: We saw a glimpse of that talent on his Roswell guest spot last season. Will you be doing any more acting?
H: I might be a recurring character on Roswell. And I was also offered a part as a bully in a movie called Bloom - I don't think anyone would expect that from me! As long as the filming doesn't conflict with my BSB schedule, I hope to do that. But Backstreet Boys will always come first.
Source: YM Magazine, November 2000
Article written by: Patty Adams
