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"We had been touring pretty much non-stop for 7 or 8 years and we were almost living in a bubble; we had lost perspective
on a lot of things," Kevin says. "You need to take care of yourself and rest and be able to reflect. This time off gave us
a chance to recharge our batteries and step away and see what has happened in our lives, what we have accomplished and to be
thankful for the opportunities that we have had and thankful for each other."
"Never Gone," which BSB spent more than a year recording, accomplishes the formidable task of moving beyond pop idol notoriety to
reflect what is happening in the group's lives and in the world. The project features intensely personal, upfront vocals, coupled
with production that spares drum loops and synthesizers for a mature, live, more rootsy vibe. Don't worry-the pandemic hooks and
velvet harmonies are still there, behind lyrics that tell universal stories of hope, loss, redemption and love.
First single "Incomplete," released in April, proves Backstreet Boys' enduring relevance; in its first week out, the ballad was
most-added at radio. By the end of May, the song was climbing the top 10 on Billboard's mainstream top 40 chart as well as the
top 5 of Top Digital Downloads. The accompanying video clip reached No. 1 on AOL and garnered rotation on MTV, VH1 and MuchMusic.
Title track, "Never Gone," is among the most moving songs on the album. Written by BSB's Kevin Richardson with Gary Baker and Steve
Diamond, the harmony-drenched ballad pays tribute to the death of Kevin's father. It is produced by Mark Taylor.
"That song has really been important to each one of us," AJ says. "In addition to the loss of Kevin's father, I lost both of my
grandparents, Nick his grandmother and Howie his sister. We've all experienced great losses, so this song really touches us personally."
The guys also worked with John Shanks, the 2005 Grammy Award Producer of the Year ("Safest Place To Hide"); and the venerable Max
Martin, who helped catapult to fame Ace of Base, Britney Spears-and BSB, with "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," "As Long As You
Love Me" and "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)."
Martin collaborated on 4 of the 12 songs on "Never Gone," including "Climbing the Walls," a tour de force of conflicting emotion,
coupled with a melody so immediately gratifying, you'll be singing along by the second chorus; and the melancholy love song "I Still,"
which features skyscraping vocals and a magical mesh of harmonies that should be a patented trademark for the Backstreet Boys. Martin
also worked with BSB on "Just Want You To Know" and "Siberia."
Being in the studio together for the first time in years, it took the group some time to integrate their different musical influences.
But according to AJ, "Once we got with Max, everything shifted and we started going more toward contemporary, alternative pop with a
little R&B. We found exactly what we are supposed to be doing for this album. It's more organic, with more live instruments, and a nice
departure for us. If we kept on doing what we used to do-with the way music sounds today-people wouldn't care anymore. We had to step
ahead of ourselves."
Brian adds, "It was essential for us to grow. If we're not getting better and challenging ourselves, what are we here for?"
Certainly, the average life span of most acts in popular culture is far less than a decade, but the Backstreet Boys are proving that
growing with your audience-while staying true to a track record of timeless melodies-cultivates the rare gift of endurance. Indeed,
Backstreet's back... again.
"We're excited and we hope our fans are, too," Kevin says. "We're looking forward to a happy, prosperous 2005."
BACKSTREET FACTS
BACKSTREET BOYS are NICK CARTER, HOWIE DOROUGH, BRIAN LITTRELL, AJ McLEAN and KEVIN RICHARDSON.
BACKSTREET BOYS have sold more than 71 million records worldwide.
Two of the group's U.S. albums - BACKSTREET BOYS and MILLENNIUM - have received the Diamond Award from the R.I.A.A. for sales of more
than 10 million each.
BACKSTREET BOYS first-ever network TV special "Larger Than Life" aired Wednesday, May 30, 2001 on CBS.
To coincide with the TV special, TV Guide issued six different covers of BSB: five individual shots and one group photo.
BACKSTREET BOYS performed the national anthem at Super Bowl XXXV, January 28, 2001 at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium.
BACKSTREET BOYS made history when all 765,000 tickets for their greatly anticipated 11-week, 39-city 1999-2000 North American arena tour sold out as soon as they went on sale Saturday, August 14 - the vast majority within an hour.
The Backstreet Boys teamed with comic book icon Stan Lee to produce a Web-based franchise chronicling the adventures of the BACKSTREET
BOYS as cyber-crusaders. The Backstreet Project debuted as a limited-edition collector's comic book that was sold exclusively at
Backstreet Boys concerts. The animated series was launched on the Web in the summer of 2000 using Macromedia Flash animation.
BACKSTREET BOYS (their self-titled album) was initially released in Europe on May 5, 1996. Released in U.S. 1997.
The Backstreet Boys consists of Nick Carter, Brian "B-Rok" Littrell, Kevin Richardson, Howard "Howie D" Dorough, and Alexander
James "A.J." McLean. The band was formed in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The conception of the quintet started in high school with
McLean. Carter. and Dorough starting to sing together after bumping into each other at numerous acting auditions and becoming
friends. Richardson and Littrell (Richardson's cousin from Kentucky) eventually joined in. In 1994, the Backstreet Boys signed
with Jive Records. With a knack for combining pop-rap lyrics with hip-hop dance beats, the Backstreet Boys found a large audience
by 1997 all while maintaining a clean-cut image.
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