Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys talks about going back on tour
There was a time when they were larger than life, as the song says. In the late 1990s, if you were a teenaged girl (or maybe a little younger or older), you may have been swept up in the phenomenon of the Backstreet Boys. Five guys (Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean and Kevin Richardson) sold tens of millions of records and attracted screaming fans everywhere they went. They had it goin’ on. Now, Backstreet’s back on tour, as a foursome since Richardson left the group. Ahead of the Canadian leg of the tour, Marsha Lederman caught up with Littrell – Backstreet Boy, solo Christian musician, husband and father – at his home in Georgia.
Can you paint a picture of that crazy time when the Backstreet Boys were a phenomenon and you were in your early 20s? What was that like?
I’ll go really deep for you and paint a picture. The picture starts with a blur. If you were to throw some colours on a canvas and shake it up, it would turn into kind of child’s artwork. Life has been extremely fast for the Backstreet Boys, even though it’s been a long run for the past 17 years. There was a time when our lives moved so quickly that it was hard to keep up, to be honest with you. It was hard to maintain a normal life outside of being a Backstreet Boy. I think now, as we get older, the success we have today is more manageable. The fans are not so fanatically crazy. I think they respect us not as stars, but as musicians.
How did it feel when things started to wane?
Coming off the ride at the top? It was a relief for me. I think now, having a chance to be outside it for a little while, I look at that as a blessing. My life is not as crazy as it used to be. You’re talking to someone who’s very, very content with the goals that I have achieved and the goals I’m working on.
What are your goals right now?
Continuing to be a good husband, a good father, continuing to be a Backstreet Boy for another 17 years, continuing as a solo artist. There are a lot of things left to do. I thought when I became a father several years ago that I would just retire, hang it up. But I continue to want to write songs, although I might write about different things today than 15, 20 years ago. I don’t want the Backstreet Boys to be looked at as a nostalgia act. I believe in my heart that we have more music to make.
Back in the heyday, was it difficult to reconcile your faith with life as a member of the Backstreet Boys?
That’s something I never sacrificed. There were some tough times where people wanted me to compromise my faith and do certain things. And I didn’t. I would never compromise my faith. People wanted to put us on a pedestal years ago. We could have any woman that we wanted, we could have any drug that we wanted. With money comes power, and all these things. A lot of people look at me and say you can’t be a Christian artist and be a Backstreet Boy. And my answer is why not?
How does life as a Christian musician compare to life as a pop idol?
My life is very different than Nick’s and my life is very different than A.J.’s. We see life completely different. I don’t have a bunch of time to myself. I’m not a single man. I would not want to be a single man in this world that we live in right now.
How has the dynamic changed since Kevin’s departure?
I think it’s made us better with Kevin gone, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. When Kevin came to us in Germany five years ago and said he felt like he didn’t want to do this any more, it made us really have to want it again. It’s been a blessing. I think it’s made the Backstreet Boys tighter together as four. But Kevin’s always welcome to come back. I love Kevin; he’s the reason that I am a Backstreet Boy.
Backstreet Boys play Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Saint John and St. John’s beginning Aug. 6 (backstreetboys.com).
Monday, August 02, 2010
THIS IS US TOUR: Perspective On A Phenomenon
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