“Indian music is floating everywhere! We don’t know the artists’ names, but we get to hear it all over. Even the films are huge, especially something like ‘Slumdog Millionaire’,” said band member Nick Carter.
The four-member band is also open to collaborations with Indian musicians, citing examples of previous tie-ups by US rapper Jay-Z with Punjabi MC and British rock musician Sting with sitar-player Anoushka Shankar.
“We are always open to collaborations. Since we have been around the world, our inspirations have become international. We are ready for anything new, and Indian music would definitely be new for us,” band member Brian Littrell said.
The Backstreet Boys was formed in 1993 with AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson alongwith Nick and Brian. Kevin left the band in 2006, leaving it as four-piece.
The 17-year-old boy band was on their first visit to India for the Rock ‘n India concert where they performed some of their evergreen hits like ‘Show Me the Meaning’, ‘Shape of My Heart’ and ‘Quit Playing Games’.
The whirlwind tour included a performance in Delhi and Bengaluru leaving the band with no time to visit other places in the country.
“We would like to come back again soon and maybe then we’ll be able to look around India, but this time we could only travel from the hotel to the venue and back,” said AJ.
The band was extremely popular during the late nineties with albums like ‘Millennium’ and ‘Black and Blue’ selling millions of copies and singles like ‘I Want It That Way’ and ‘The One’ topping charts.
The band has come a long way since then and has had to cope with the changing music industry.
“Its difficult being a popular artist and staying in the top 30. People are getting younger as we are growing old. Back then I was 17, now I am 35. The whole music industry has changed,” said Brian.
But they are not ready to compromise on their style and are determined to make that kind of music which appeals to them first.
“We are fortunate to have a big enough fan base who have been loyal to us for 17 years. But we will make that kind of music which appeals to us first. If we don’t enjoy it ourselves, I don’t think our fans will like it either,” said Howie.
The band, which released their latest album ‘This Is Us’ last October, is not worried about regaining the popularity they enjoyed during their heydays.
“We were a huge phenomena back then, it doesn’t matter if we don’t regain that stature. Surviving for 17 years is not that bad,” said AJ.
The Boys have gone through a lot of ups and downs, with Kevin abandoning the group, AJ’s drugs and alcohol addiction and Nick branching out to launch a solo career. But their bond is still strong, they say.
“We are like a family, we share a special bond. Most people want to stay together, its only one or two who try to disrupt it,” said AJ.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
THIS IS US TOUR: Indian Music Is Floating Everywhere: Backstreet Boys
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