Way before One Direction literally consumed our entire lives with their fancy fragrances, sticker books and such; Backstreet Boys were our ultimate obsession. Is there honestly any bigger tune than Larger Than Life?
No, there is not.
And guess what? AJ McLean, Howie D., Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell are finally back with their STONKIN' new single Don't Go Breaking My Heart; so we caught up with Howie for a chinwag about everything from their Vegas residency to that rumoured tour with the Spice Girls.
Oh HEY, Howie D. What are you up to right now?
I’m back home enjoying some down time before the Backstreet Boys Cruise.
And what does this Backstreet Boys Cruise you speak of involve, exactly?
Oh boy. It’s four days of no sleep, the consumption of some adult beverages and lots of fun with fans. 2000 people are coming out; reliving the late '90s and playing our songs, games. They're party nights. It's great fun.
Er, AMAZING. We take it they'll be hearing your new single Don't Go Breaking My Heart, too? Tell us about the track.
It’s a great song were very proud to have gotten it. We’re really excited; it's perfect for us to come out with in the current climate and there are dance moves in the video even though people probably expect we may no longer be moving.
Oh, we know you're still moving babes - you boys have your very own Vegas residency...
Vegas has been great. We've had an amazing run; we’ve done four runs already and have two more this year. Once we get this album released we’re going to go on a proper world tour and hopefully come back to the UK.
Are there any songs from your back catalogue you wish you'd released as a single? Our favourite's Everyone, tbh.
That’s a tough one. One we did with Ryan Tedder called Undone that we really like. We put it in the Vegas show cause we like it so much. I need to suggest Everyone; that’s one that should go back in the show again.
YES PLEASE. Speaking of touring, remember those rumours you were set to go on a joint tour with the Spice Girls? What happened there?
Yes, we’d still love to do it. We just saw Mel C recently. We did a show in Dubai and she was there as well – I mentioned it to her and she said 'we definitely heard the rumours.'
If the stars were to align for both of us we’re definitely open to it.
Incredible. Now you guys have been around for 25 years this year. That's a bloody long time in the pop world; what do you think's the secret to your success?
It’s a combination of many things – we love each other, we’re like a family. We have our fans.
We make good music that feels good to us and most importantly for our fans. At the end of the day, we know our fans will stick with us if we keep providing good music and it’s all because of them. They’re amazing fans and great people; they’ve supported us through thick and thin.
Backstreet Boys' new single Don't Go Breaking My Heart is OUT NOW and it's bloody brilliant. Go stream it, download it and all that sort of thing.