How has megastardom affected the Backstreet Boys? Listen in as they tell BOP how their lives have changed.
The Backstreet Boys unanimously agree that ever since they hit stardom with thir catchy tunes "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" and "We've Got It Goin'On" from their 1995 self titled European debut, their lives are significantly different from the way they were once. Now, the Florida-based quintet of QTs-Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean and Kevin Richardson-can do many things they could only dream of in the past, like travel around the world, get treated like royalty, buy gifts for their loved ones and sing to their hearts' content in front of huge crowds of fans. So, what do they have to say about their fame?
The Perks
Prbably the biggest change in the Backstreet Boys' lives since achieving fame is that they have done some serious globetrotting.
The five talented performers are constantly in motion, travelling on the road from country to country, bringing their music and charisma to their faithful fans. A.J., 19, tells BOP that before the Backstreet Boys formed, he didn't get to visit foreign countries he now frequents and see all the different cultures and people he now sees. "Back then I couldn't even travel the world just like it was nothing," he says.
Because of the incredible success the band has had, A.J. and the gang can now travel to any place they need to got to without worrying about it. For example, when we hooked up with the boys in West Hollywood, California, right before Mother's Day, both Kevin and Brian said they were going to drop everything and catch a red-eye flight to Kentucky to surprise their moms for the special day. For these boys, hopping on planes now is as easy as riding a bike. If they want to be somewhere, it's like-poof!-they are there.
Aside from travelling anywhere he needs to without worrying about the cost, 23-year-old Howie says he loves the royal treatment that comes with being a celebrity. Before he became a star, he says, "I couldn't get backstage passes to other people's concerts." And now that's cinch! As a Backstreet Boy, Howie gets the total V.I.P. treatment wherever he goes-and when his favorite bands are playing, this comes in very handy.
A.J., excited to keep telling us about the things that have changed now that he's famous, adds that he now gets to buy all the things he couldn't afford in his pre-star days. "I couldn't buy myself nice little treats," A.J. says. And 22-year-old Brian, fully aware of how earning a lot of money has changed his life, agrees. "[My life] is a lot better than four or five years ago," Brian says. "[Now] I am not stressing about making that next payment."
Before Brian was singing with the Backstreet Boys, he held a string of jobs, none of which he is missing at these days. "I was working at fast-foods restaurants, you know, for four or five years," says
B-Rok. And now, ironically even if he wanted to, he couldn't go back to those placed. "Well I mean, we can't go to McDonald's and eat," thinking of the many times they have been nearly mobbed by fans at the Golden Arches.
But for the Backstreet Boys, the greatest perks of stardom aren't the material they have received. They tell us that they are absolutely love that they can give so much of what they have to their loved ones. A.J., for example, is totally psyched that he can give many gifts to his family. Before becoming a celebrity, "I couldn't buy my family nice Christmas presents," he says. And that has definitely changed. He, as well as his quintet counterparts, get to play Santa Claus around the holidays. Last Christmas, for example, Kevin went all out! "For Christmas I bought both my brothers TAG watches" the 24-year-old says, adding, "I am buying my mom's house for her, so she doesn't have to make the payments on it." Now is that ultra-sweet or what?
The Pits
The Backstreet Boys understand that it takes a lot of hard work to maintain their level of success. And although Kevin says he is very happy with the way things have turned out for the band, he says that maintaining the level of the success they've reached, especially in Europe, requires 100 percent of their time and energy. "We don't have a lot of free time, and that's something you miss," Kevin says. "We work from the time we get up to the time we go to sleep, usually." Seventeen-year-old Nick agrees. "I mean, I mean, it's nuts," Nick tells BOP about the Backstreet Boys' gruelling work schedule.
Sometimes Kevin wishes that he could have some peace before and after the high-energy, hour-and-a-half show they put on. Instead, when they are off stage, they are still doing things that need to be done for an overall successful day. There are interviews, fan meet-and-greets, sound checks and other shindigs they need to attend. So, Kevin says, he missed "just not having to do anything." He explains: "I mean, financially, now I have the freedom to do things that I have always wanted to do, but I don't have the time right now to do it."
However, the fact that there is very little time to reap the benefits of their work doesn't bother Kevin or the other boys. "Eventually I will [have time]," he says. And they would never trade the demands of success for a few moments of peace and quiet, especially not Nick. He says that he is definitely enjoying their rise to the top. Yet the perks are not the real reason he keeps performing. For Nick, the most important thing is that he is following his life's dream. "I can do something that I have been wanting to do all my life. And that's to be a singer," says the blond cutie. And that's worth every minute of his day!