I know this is early but that’s because I’ll be in Cancun with the Boys for their anniversary this year. I plan to post a full blog on my thoughts when I come back. But it’s never too early to simply, be thankful. We have so much to be thankful for as a fandom. It’s easy to forget, because they’ve been so reliable. They never waivered despite it all. I want to really just, think about everything that brought them to where they are now. It’s a crazy journey! So buckle in because I have a lot of thoughts as the Boys approach their 31st anniversary.
The odds were against them so many times, it’s wild to think about it.
At the beginning, when Lou Pearlman tried to screw them over and it almost destroyed the group, they were able to survive it with hard lessons learned but their name and group intact. It led into what was pretty much their golden age. They were going strong for years and dominated in a way almost unheard of. Objectively, looking back at the Millennium era now, as an adult? It was insane and changed the course of their entire career.
We saw how close they came to shattering during Black and Blue and how that led into a hiatus. Their one and only true hiatus. It’s funny, looking back at that now, because realistically it was pretty short. We’ve seen longer gaps between albums since. But man, it felt scary. We all wondered if they would come back.
They did. Just like they promised.
They came back to a music industry that tried to shut them down. When the world told them no one cared about boybands, they kept going. Backstreet Boys flat out ignored it and did their own thing. They released Never Gone after their song Incomplete stormed the charts, even when radio wanted to deny them. They couldn’t. When Jive wanted to play games, they kept at it. In Nick’s words over the past year, they said “fuck the label” and did the video for Just Want You To Know their way.
Kevin needed a break, and that gave the group the perfect excuse to quit, they never left. Instead, they decided to keep going. Obviously with his blessing. But think about it, they legitimately had the perfect out. They chose not to take it. So many other groups would have. So many other groups did in similar situations.
Two albums came without Kevin, This Is Us and Unbreakable, Those two era were when the walls began to come down between them and us fans. Social media was born. Meet and Greets were becoming a thing. They started doing the cruises. That fan to artist connection really gave us the opportunity to see more and be even more grateful for the group that stole our hearts years before. Say what you want, but those eras were fun.
But then, Kevin came back and that strengthen the group more than ever. They had this joy when they were together again heading into their twentieth anniversary. That’s what was so great about the In A World Like This era. There was such a dedication and authenticity. It showed on stage. They gave us the documentary and were simply, unapologetically themselves.
Screw the world. They were here for us.
We watched as the world continued to write them off as a relic of the past. But then they did their collaboration with Florida-Georgia line which got them on the country charts. Suddenly, people began to remember why they were so beloved. Their residency announcement came where they broke records with how fast it sold. Their next single Don’t Go Breaking My Heart made radio again, they were almost giddy. We were giddy! They were charting and their album DNA was at the top of the album charts.
As a fan, life had never been better.
The pandemic put everything on pause but, that pandemic ended up being a blessing because it forced them to realize they had an unexpected amount of downtime. That’s what gave us A Very Backstreet Christmas and in truth was some of their most impressive vocal arrangements to date. Once the lockdowns were over, they continued the DNA tour without even missing a beat. They were happy to be back and we were happy to have them.
Now while I won’t speak of it here because in my personal opinion, we don’t need to give extra attention to those seeking it, we all know what happened in late 2022. That said, it still did not destroy the Boys. They stuck together. They stood as one. We as a fandom stood as one, united no matter what for the Boys we love. They finished the DNA tour on the highest of notes. Yes they’re on a break for now but per AJ, Nick and Howie, there’s some secret plans coming to fruition in 2025.
In a world where most boybands crumble and only reunite for nostalgia, it’s beautiful that ours never stopped trying. Ours never stopped fighting. Ours never stopped working for new things rather than settling on living in their past glory days. That is what is so special about our Boys. They love what they do. They love each other. They love us, the fans. Maybe that sounds cheesy and yeah, it definite is a bit, but it’s also the truth. It’s easy to forget sometimes because yes, breaks are hard! But man, we’re also so blessed in ways that no other boyband fandom is.
So I’m thankful. I’m beyond grateful they want to keep working together. I’m thankful that they enjoy being together as a group. You can see it in the ways they all support one another. Or when they joke around on stage, or interact via social media. It’s real.
“In the beginning, it was manufactured – there’s no doubt about it. But, it’s like Pinocchio, he was manufactured but he turned into a real boy.”
That’s what made the difference. And it’s why I think they will truly keep to the now infamous lyrics ‘as long as there be music, we’ll be coming back again’ for as long as they can. It’s why we’ll be here for the ride, however long that ride may be.
So happy anniversary Boys. Thank you for all the crazy amount of memories over the years. Thank you for the music, the harmonies, the shows and all the work behind the scenes. Thank you for caring so much about your craft. Thank you for caring so much about your fans. Thank you for fighting so hard every single time. We love you. You’ll never know the true impact you’ve had on so many lives.
Again, we love you.
Here’s to the future. We know it’ll be bright.
The Dark Side 