Thoughts As DNA Hits Another Anniversary

It’s weird to think about the fact it’s been a few years since the release of DNA because thanks to covid, time isn’t exactly normal anymore. What’s felt like a decade has only been two years and it’s easy to forget that the album came out in 2019 when it feels like it hasn’t been that long, most of the time. And this isn’t a reflections post cause we’re still in the midst of the DNA era. But when I think about this era, it’s definitely an era interrupted. It’s hard not to wonder how things might’ve been without a pandemic mucking things up.

I’m convinced, well I guess more cautiously optimistic, that the DNA World Tour won’t be delayed again. With the current precautions put in place with testing being required and/or vaccines, there’s ways to go about it safely. In every Instagram Live Nick does, he talks about it like he’s sure it’s happening and so I’m going with it. Funnily enough I have Nick on live via my phone while I’m writing this cause he’s fanboying over football. Anyway, they were promoting the era anew back in 2020 before everything went to hell. What else was there to come? Would they have released another single after all?

As much as I say the Boys should do what they want and not listen to the fans (something I still stand by) I do think they should do a re-release of the album this year. Add some of the tracks we know didn’t make the cut (anywhere, so not the Japan bonus tracks) and maybe add a live version or two of a couple songs from the tour. Release it as a “tour edition”. It’s something they did before with In A World Like This actually. I think it’d be a good way to refresh it. Then…release Passionate as a single. Because god dammit that song should’ve been sent to radio, okay.

That’s a hill I will DIE on.

Like seriously, who do I need to hold hostage to make this happen?

Anyway, when I listen to the album, it still hits just as hard as it does in 2019. Breathe is just as beautiful as ever. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart still manages to be all of who the Boys are while staying modern with a few twists. And as for New Love…there will never be a time I don’t love that song. The soul put into The Way It Was makes it forever timeless. Usually after an album settles within my brain there inevitably ends up being skip songs, because the “newness” wore off. But that’s not the case here. It’s just so well done that I can’t help but love it. And as well as the album did, it deserves more than it got thanks to the pandemic muddling things up as badly as it did. Why not give it that second shot?

It makes me smile to think of this album however because it’s the album where the world seemed to recognize everything the rest of us had been saying for years. That Backstreet never left. They’re enduring no matter what others like to say, they’re the group that never fell apart. Never stopped trying. Where allthe other boybands failed, they succeeded. And I know the world is filled with a lot of uncertainty right now, but it’s still nice to have them to count on. Remember how excited the group got just to be played on the radio repeatedly again? Remember how hyped we all were?

It’s frustrating that the buzz and the hype got so insanely interrupted, but I think we’ll all be ready to dive back into that when the tour comes back into play. And Boys, if you manage to see this? Consider the tour edition release idea. Reinvigorate the era. None of this was any fault of yours, but why not use this as an opportunity, right? Even if they don’t, however, it doesn’t lessen the way all the stars aligned for this album, the way they did for the start of the DNA era, if nothing else.

With that, please enjoy some of my favorite promotional moments they’ve done with the current era! Because honestly they had some great ones.

What’s been your favorite memory during this era?

Here’s to many more before it’s over!