Posts with tag "BackstreetBoys"

Those synchronized dance moves, color-coordinated outfits, four-part harmonies and emotive solos -- who does them better than boy bands? With the Backstreet Boys (photo, left) in the midst of a "comeback" tour and Robbie Williams' recent announcement that he plans to perform again with Take That (photo, right), we thought it only fitting to find out what their contemporary boy bands have been up to lately, starting with ...

The swine flu has brought a lot of things to a lot of people (fever, fear, phlegm), but who knew that a quadruple reassortant virus could help musicians sell albums. In what at first glance seemed like unfortunate timing, Boyz II Men singer Shawn Stockman was struck ill by the virus last week. But the upside was that all of a sudden everyone became all interested in Boyz II Men again and handily right before the release of the new album, "Love."

The Backstreet Boys got a similar public relations push when boy Brian Littrell announced he had the swine flu on the eve of the band's great comeback in October. Could the swine flu be a stunt to sell albums or is it just a happy accident of infectious disease? Our experts weigh in after the jump.

Who: Kaci Battaglia
Video: 'Crazy Possessive'
Hails From: Clearwater, Fla.
For Fans Of: Christina Aguilera, Jessie James

Why She's About to Pop: By the time Kaci Battaglia was 13, she had a record deal with Curb Records, several Top 10 singles, and had toured around the world with the Backstreet Boys, Jessica Simpson, Bow Wow and more. The singer, hailing from Florida, was well on her way to whirlwind success, but chose to take a break to be a normal teenager for a while and decide if a career in music was what she really wanted. "It's important to live your life free of regrets and go after your dreams; sometimes happiness doesn't lie on the stereotypical path," Battaglia tells PopEater. "Sometimes you need to take risks to find happiness and balance, and not be afraid to do that."

After focusing on school and hobbies like kickboxing for a period of time, the 22-year-old singer is now back in the game with an edgy new single, 'Crazy Possessive,' a passion for songwriting and plenty of insight about the business. "Even though the music industry has changed in the past 10 years, the basic format is the same," Battaglia says. "Being familiar with that helps me handle obstacles, and I am better prepared to deal with almost any situation."

Sure, it was Katy Perry who kissed a girl and Britney Spears who sang "Livin' in sin is the new thing," but the words are actually those of Max Martin, a 38-year-old Swedish producer that some would argue is the biggest pop songwriter in the world.

"He was the guy who ushered in teen pop being more like a form of creative expression," Ann Powers, pop music critic for the L.A. Times tells PopEater. "Look at [producers] Stargate, Ryan Tedder -- they wouldn't exist without Max or the success he had. There's been a huge shift in the 21st century towards appreciating mainstream pop and I would base that as a shift to when Max Martin started."

Talk about bad timing. The Backstreet Boys have crafted a new album, 'This is Us,' they are incredibly proud of, working with the likes of T-Pain, Ne-Yo, Max Martin, and more. And after months of preparation and rehearsals, the week of release date, with appearances booked on 'Ellen,' Jimmy Kimmel, and Conan O'Brien among others, BSB's Brian Littrell was diagnosed with Swine Flu.

"It's a part of everyday life that even artists/entertainers can get sick with the Swine Flu," Backstreet Boys Howie Dorough tells Popeater. "And it definitely affected our promo week here and we were actually really bummed."

The ladies of PopEater discuss the swine flu that prevented a Backstreet Boys invasion, David Letterman's post-confessional balancing act, Gosselin-gate and Levi Johnston's bizarre career aspirations.

The Backstreet Boys have been forced to cancel their New York City promotional tour because member Brian Littrell has been diagnosed with the swine flu. The other three members -- Nick Carter, Howie Dorough and AJ McLean -- have seen a doctor and are not showing any symptoms.

"We were really looking forward to spending time with our closest fans and friends in NYC... I hope we can come back soon and do everything we can to help," Littrell said in a statement Monday.

Despite the benefits of success, some pop stars still don't have a say in their creative process. With their seventh studio album, 'This Is Us,' the Backstreet Boys are trying to change all that. "For years, it was always the record company that was kind of running the ship," Backstreet Boy AJ McLean tells PopEater. "On this particular record, it was kind of us running our own lives for the very first time."

Instead of being told who they were going to work with and what songs they were going to sing, Backstreet started calling their own shots and personally contacted the producers they wanted to work with. Nick Carter called T-Pain to see if he was interested, while the whole band reached out to RedOne, Jim Jonsin and others.

Being in control also made the band more personally invested in the material, so they took it personally when tracks prematurely leaked online. "We were a little bit bummed about it, because we were trying to keep this whole record kind of a secret," says McLean. "But it actually turned out to be beneficial. When it first got leaked, we hadn't picked the actual final 12 tracks yet, so it was kind of cool to see what different fans liked. It was surprising what we thought they'd like and then what they really liked."

Lots of people seem to like the Backstreet Boys, period -- they've sold more than 76 million records to date and show no sign of slowing down. 'This Is Us' will be released Oct. 6 and the band will embark on a worldwide tour behind it. We're assuming they'll get to pick their set list too.

PopEater recently visited the Backstreet Boys at a Hollywood studio where they were rehearsing for their upcoming tour. While there, we spoke with Nick Carter about the group's new album, 'This Is Us,' and his younger brother, Aaron, who will be a contestant on this season of 'Dancing With the Stars.' "I'm excited for him," Nick said. "I think he's going to really do well cause my brother's doing his thing and he's in a great place." Ever the helpful sibling, Nick plans on lending Aaron as much brotherly love as he can. "If my brother wants me there then I'll be there," he says. "At least I'll be in the audience supporting him."