A world of THEIR OWN

AFTER A WAIT of almost a decade, Thai fans are once more set to welcome American hit-makers the Backstreet Boys to Bangkok next week for their second live performance in the City of Angels.
The group, which formed in 1993, has a long string of hits, including “As Long As You Love Me”, “I Want it That Way”, “All I Have to Give”, “More Than That”, “Shape of My Heart”, “Drowning”, “Incomplete” and “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”.
They’ve released eight studio albums, the most recent, “In a World Like This”, coming out in 2013, and with 130 million records sold, are the best-selling boy band in history.
In 2013, after being awarded a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell embarked on a 20th anniversary tour. Dubbed “In a World Like This”, it comprises 170 performances across the globe. We spoke to Dorough while the band was enjoying a little downtime.

WHAT ARE YOU GUYS UP TO NOW?
The group has been off since August and each of us has been enjoying some much-needed R&R time with family and friends. I personally have been back home in Florida with my family as well as working on some solo stuff on the side.

YOU’RE ALMOST AT THE END OF YOUR “IN A WORLD LIKE THIS” TOUR. IS IT EASIER NOW COMPARED TO IN 2013 WHEN YOU STARTED THE TOUR?
Every time we take an extended break from the tour, I feel it’s a little harder to get back into the swing of things. I’ve been working on my stage act for the past week and a half, watching YouTube videos to help me remember the choreography.

CONSIDERING THE TIGHT SCHEDULE AND THE FACT THAT YOU DANCE AND SING A LOT ON STAGE, HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THE TOUR?
Physically I prepare by going to gym to boost up my cardio levels and running through the songs vocally as often as possible to familiarise myself with my parts. I stay up long after I put my kids to bed to watch the videos of our performances on the tour.

WHAT’S THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF THIS TOUR?
Being away from our families for long periods of time. The travel schedule can be a bit hectic too, flying every other day to different cities and countries. With this type of schedule we really have to get as much rest as we can on the off days and at night after the shows. The biggest problem for me is remembering the choreography!

BRIAN HAD SOME ISSUES WITH HIS VOCAL CHORDS EARLIER. HOW’S HE DOING NOW?
We have been off and away from each other quite a bit so all I know Brian has had a good amount of time to get vocal help. Last time we were together he sounded much better so I think the help is working.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE A GROWN MAN IN A “BOY BAND”?
It’s always a challenge trying to maintain the credibility we have worked so hard to get with having labels like “boy band” attached to us over the years, but I feel we have done a great job in doing so. Lots of our songs not only take our fans back many years to the memories they created when that song came out, but they do it to us as well. These memories give us the energy and excitement to perform the songs night after night.
MOST OF YOU ARE ALSO MARRIED AND HAVE KIDS. HOW DO YOU MANAGE TIME BETWEEN WORK AND FAMILY NOW?
It’s a challenge to juggle time for both work and family but I know we all try to give 100 per cent to both. It’s not always the easy but anything you work hard for shows results in the end. The hardest part is when we are on the road for long stretches but with Skype and FaceTime, we are able to keep in constant touch.

NOT A LOT OF ARTISTS AND FEWER EVEN BOY BANDS CAN BOAST SUCH A LONG AND SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES BACKSTREET BOYS ONE OF THEM?
I credit our longevity in the music business to the fact that we put out good quality music. And we would never have been able to maintain such a long career without the love and support of our fans!

IS THIS REUNION FOR GOOD? IF SO, WHAT’S NEXT FOR BACKSTREET BOYS AFTER THIS TOUR?
We are all excited to be back together as a fivesome and we have plans to keep making music for many years to come. Once we finish this reunion tour, we will go back to the studio and make another record then follow up with a new tour afterwards.

PLEASE SAY SOMETHING TO THE THAI FANS WHO HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOUR RETURN SINCE 2006.
To all of our fans from Thailand, we are so excited to be coming back to your beautiful country with this amazing show. We can’t wait to see all our fans in Bangkok!
 

ENDLESS ROAD
The Backstreet Boys perform at 8.30pm on Wednesday at Impact Arena in Muang Thong Thani.
Ticketsare Bt1,800 to Bt5,500. For details, call (02) 262 3456 or check www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.