The Boys are back - and bigger than ever

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: May 19, 2099 Source: JAM! Music Submitted By: Dima Hassan Tuesday, May 18, 1999 Millennium fever The Boys are back - and bigger than ever By MIKE ROSS -- Edmonton Sun They said it couldn't be done. They said the Backstreet Boys would be gone, forgotten and ridiculed after one successful album. It's exactly what happened to New Kids on the Block less than 10 years ago. "They" were dead wrong. As Backstreet Boys' third album, Millennium, hits the streets today, the group remains one of the most popular singing groups on the planet. The Spice Girls' "girl power" is passe. This is "boy" power. The music business is braced for Millennium fever. A press conference in Toronto on Friday is expected to attract more media attention than a visit from Prince William. MuchMusic becomes MuchBackstreet on May 24 as the video network runs a full day of B-Boys. They'll be on Jay Leno and on the cover of Rolling Stone. There's even a Disney special in the works. It's almost enough hype to make you forget that the new Star Wars flick opens tomorrow. (Almost.) BMG Music Canada, the Backstreet Boys' Canadian distributor, has shipped 500,000 copies of Millennium. It's the biggest of the year so far. "I anticipate it'll be their third million seller in a row," says BMG publicity boss Cameron Carpenter. "Their first two albums each sold a million in Canada. They're the only act ever to do that. Canada is the No. 1 per capita territory in the world." (Editor's note: Paul Shaver of Virgin Music Canada disputes that claim, saying that the first two Spice Girls albums have also sold in excess of 1 million copies each in Canada.) The HMV Superstore in West Edmonton Mall is expecting a throng of breathless girls when the doors open today at 10 a.m. To fuel the flames, the store is giving away a free CD to the first 300 fans inside the store. It's part of 2,000 free CDs - in honour of the "millennium" - being given away at eight HMV locations across Canada. Since Power 92 began playing the single, I Want It That Way - once every three and a half hours, like clockwork - eight of the 10 phone calls the station receives concern the Backstreet Boys. "This single's doing exceptionally well," says Power program director James Stuart. "I think it's the best single the band has had to date. I think they're actually getting better as time goes on." This is no fluke. As Carpenter explains, the Backstreet Boys was the first act of this generation to tap into the "tween" market, finding that the 13 and under crowd wasn't interested in listening to Smurfs records. "They opened all the doors," Carpenter says. "If it wasn't for them, there would be no 'N Sync, and Ricky Martin wouldn't have been able to leave the confines of Menudo." And, ironically, comebacks by former New Kids Joey McIntyre and Jordan Knight probably wouldn't have been possible were it not for the Backstreet Boys. As contrived and calculated as this act is, there is no denying the talent. That's not just the Boys themselves. The "team" behind this Florida group, which got its start as Disney entertainers in Orlando, boasts some of the smartest songwriters, producers and marketing minds in the business. The success story starts in Europe, where the single We've Got It Goin' On became a smash hit in late 1995 before there was even an album recorded. Quebec was the next territory conquered. The rest of Canada soon followed. Only with the second album, Backstreet's Back, which was the first American release, did boy group fever really take off. From 'N Sync to 98 Degrees to Boyzone, they're now coming out of the woodwork. The question is still being asked: Is this it? Will it be three successful albums before Backstreet Boys are history? Don't bet on it. Their popularity is showing no signs of fading. It's only getting bigger. The Backstreet Boys' fall tour, sponsored by Sears, is expected to include Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. It's the only venue big enough. Comment on this item. Next Item: BSB Camera Shy? Prev Item: Boys Town