MTVi News: You've introduced Black & Blue with "Shape of My Heart," which is
doing incredibly well. Did you consider releasing something more up-tempo
initially, or was there a conscious decision to go with something slower?
A.J. McLean: [When] we released our very first single, "We Got It Going On,"
back in 1995 in the U.S., it only peaked at the charts at #69. Granted, the
whole music scene then was all grunge, hip-hop, gangsta rap and stuff like
that, so we kind of got thrown into a frying pan and got French fried,
basically. So [for Backstreet Boys] we went with "Quit Playing Games (With My
Heart)" [as the first single]. When we came out with our last album,
Millennium, we did "I Want It That Way" first. [RealAudio]
["Shape of My Heart"] is a good bridge for us to go into the next album,
Black & Blue. It's the Backstreet Boys motif that seems to work, which is
coming out with a mid-tempo that's radio-friendly. It's very highly
commercial. It can cover more than just pop radio; it can also cover AC
[adult-contemporary] radio, sometimes even country radio, and once in a great
while, maybe even urban radio. We had talked about releasing a up-tempo just
to come out of the starting gate just totally blow everyone away with a
great up-tempo song for the end of the summer, for all the kids going back to
school but we had a pretty good record with the whole mid-tempo [vibe]. I
think it was our best choice off our new album. [RealAudio]
MTV: The single is definitely more adult sounding, at least in terms of the
vibe of it. What were your goals for the album this time around?
A.J.: Well, we definitely wanted to have growth and kind of grow with our
fans and grow with the music scene, and not stay so much in that "bubblegum
pop" realm that people have kind of put us in. We didn't want to go too far
and pull a complete 360 and go alternative or go totally off the deep end.
I think this album definitely shows a step up from Millennium and two or
three steps up from Backstreet Boys, just by the musical content, some of the
lyrical content, and some of the ideas behind some of the songs. Every song
on the album doesn't sound like the next one. Each track kind of has its own
identity, which is also a very unique quality about this record. I think that
with this record, our fans, who have been with us since the first record
which are now as old as us want to hear something a little bit more mature,
in a sense. And it's also given us something to show our fans' moms and dads,
that they can have something to listen to as well.
MTV: But there are strong dance songs on the album, too.
A.J.: Oh yeah, sure. There are actually more up-tempos on this record than
have been on any of our other records in the past, whether it was Backstreet
Boys, Millennium, or our first European album.
MTV: What's really new on the album? What will surprise people?
A.J.: I think the main thing that's going to surprise our fans, especially,
and the people in the media and, hopefully, other artists is the fact that we
wrote seven songs on this album, two of which were written by all five of us,
as a group. "Time" and "The Answer to Our Life" were both written in the
Bahamas when we took our writing trip together. I wrote a track on the album
called "Yes I Will" which is a little bit more R&B, more like an old-school
R. Kelly kind of jam. Howie [Dorough] wrote two songs on the album: "What
Makes You Different Makes You Beautiful" and "How Did I Fall In Love With
You." And then the rest of the guys kind of co-wrote on a couple of other
songs that we did with Max Martin and Rodney Jerkins and Babyface.
I think the fact that the songs on this record, especially two of the
up-tempos, are not your typical party, 'get up and dance' club songs. They
actually have plots behind them and musically, they're definitely different.
They're not like anything anyone has ever heard, or heard from us especially.
One has a great potential to be the follow-up single is "The Call," is one of
my favorites. It's got a Latin/urban feel with this drill march behind it,
and this real ambient, in-your-face kind of vibe. It's basically talking
about cheating, whether it's a guy cheating on his girlfriend or a girlfriend
cheating on her boyfriend. It's stuff that happens every day. It kind of
discusses trust and honesty in a relationship. It's not like your typical
love song, which is 'Hey, I did you wrong, but now I love you and we're back
together again' and all that crap that people put in songs, but granted, it
does work because everyone wants to hear a good, quality love song.
[RealAudio]
MTV: But "The Call" is a little more real, a little grittier.
A.J.: Yeah. This is an up-tempo love song with some cajones, which is really
different, I think.
MTV: A few months back when you were writing the album, you had said there
might be a bit more rock and hip-hop and maybe even country influences. Did
that end up turning out?
A.J.: There was kind of a rock/hip-hop jam that me and Nick [Carter] wrote in
the Bahamas that we are going to save for a soundtrack, or possibly even save
it and bring it back to life when we do the next album. There is definitely
an acoustic, Savage Garden kind of vibe on the album; there's a little bit of
a straight-up hip-hop, straight-up R&B. There's a couple of dance records, a
couple of adult contemporary records, one that could be potentially sounding
a little bit country. This is the most diverse album we've ever done. I think
we'll definitely cover a lot more ground, because your heavy R&B fans will
love "Shining Star" and "Yes I Will," and the typical dance music-type fans
will like "The Call" and "Get Another Boyfriend" and "Not for Me." We have a
song on the album about our fans called "Everyone"; it's like the second
coming of "Larger Than Life."
I'm very happy with this record, and I think this is our best work yet. But
it'll all come down to the 21st of November to see what everybody likes. It's
kind of nerve-racking, but we'll see what happens with it. Trying to follow
up Millennium is going to be tough.
MTV: Why did you choose Black & Blue as the title?
A.J.: Well, it's kind of a funny short story. We were in a photo shoot still
trying to pick what we were going to call the album. We went through
everything from Frozen Air to Deliverance, which was an idea that Fred Durst
told me when I was hanging out with him in L.A. He's like, "A.J. I got this
great idea, why don't you call it BSB: Deliverance." And I thought it was
cool, but I was like "You know, I got to ask the rest of the fellas first."
So we were standing on the photo shoot set, and we were standing on a blue
background, all wearing black, and Brian [Littrell] just turned to us and
said, "Fellas, what if we called the album Black & Blue?" We all looked at
him like he was on crack. We were like, "Dude, Black & Blue? What the heck?
That's kind of boring." And he's like, "Think about it. Black & Blue - the
first thing you think about is being beat up."
Honestly, the media has tried to bring us down numerous times. Even other
artists have made fun of us or dissed us in their songs, made fun of us in
their videos. It's kind of like, we've been taking all of these punches here
and there. We're still here standing strong, because all that we care about,
really, is putting out good, quality music for our fans, and it's always
going to be like that. There's always going to be that rock and roll
journalist that's going to do an interview with a pop band and is going to
trash you, or there's going to be the Blink-182s that do a video based on
making fun of groups like us. It's going to happen, and we can take the
punches and keep on going and not even worry about it, which is kind of what
we're doing. We've stuck together as a group and as a team and as a family.
We've taken these blows and just kept on coming. [RealAudio]
MTV: And there's no picture of the band on the album cover.
A.J.: There is a picture of us on the back of the album. It's a very strong
picture. It's very "Reservoir Dogs"-ish, kind of apocalyptic,
end-of-the-world. It's definitely something that I think has got a meaning,
like the Beatles' [self-titled] "White Album" or Metallica's [self-titled]
"Black Album." We don't want anyone to take [the title] negatively, like
we're a bunch of wusses and we've been getting our asses kicked, 'cause
that's not the case. It's kind of like a subliminal message, basically
pointing fingers back at people that were trying to bring us down
----------
Here's the boys' diary(From each member)
-------------
KEVIN
Saturday, November 18, 2000.
Tokyo- Hi guys, it's Kevin here just checking in to let you know what we'íve
been up to. I have to tell you, the Backstreet Boys are experiencing the
craziest time of our lives right now. See, we got it into our heads to do
this mad race across the world to visit all our fans and say a huge thanks
for their support - 6 continents in 100 hours and we're well on our way
already.
But first up I wanna say a huge thanks to you guys and MTV for voting BSB
Best Group at the MTV Europe Music Awards. It meant so much to us. We had a
cool night too. The girls from All Saints hooked up with us and we had a
laugh catching up but one of the highlights had to be performing Shape Of My
Heart up on stage- we always get a kick out of singing live but knowing that
the likes of Madonna and Wyclef were there to watch us definitely added that
extra sparkle.
Straight after the awards ceremony we steamed over to The Grand, one of the
swankiest hotels in Stockholm and the venue for THE hottest party of the
night. R&B winner and Puff Daddy's girl, Jennifer Lopez was there shimmying
on the dance floor and I bumped into Robbie Williams and his Kids duet
partner Kylie Minogue - she's tiny! I couldn't believe it when Madonna took
to the stage and I really, really couldn't believe it when I looked at my
watch just a few minutes later (or so I thought!) and realised it was gone 5
o'clock in the morning! Bed time.
Luckily the five of us had the next morning free and so, being hard-grafting
kinda guys- we snapped up the opportunity for a well-earned lie-in. Then it
was rock 'n' roll all the way as we were whisked to a private gate at the
city airport and escorted onto the most amazing jet ever invented. Bedroom,
dining room, shower room and private chef all on board - it's like a flying
hotel! Don't get me wrong it's not our jet. We've hired it purely for the
four days of the trip. The Backstreet Boys can't afford to travel in this
kind of style all the time y'know.
Nick threatened to cook dinner for everyone but thankfully the food was
ready and waiting - salmon, vegetables and AJ's favourite dish- Swedish meat
balls. (Don't tell him I said so, but he had two helpings.) The best moment
of the whole 91/2 hour flight though was when I put my flying lessons to
good use and took the controls. Man, what a feeling.
Well, we all managed to snatch a few hours sleep on the plane and I'm
writing this just moments after we arrived in Tokyo. There must've been,
like, 1000's of fans at the airport waiting for us and the screams were
deafening. It's such a wonderful feeling to know that after four years away,
they still love us! That's all from me. I've got a whole bunch of interviews
to do and a few more thousand Japanese fans to say "hi!" to.
Laters!
BRIAN
Sunday, November 19, 2000.
Hey there. Brian here giving you guys the lowdown on the Backstreet Boys
Black & Blue World Trip so far. We're just approaching Sydney now and
everyone's feeling heaps better after a decent night's sleep. Mind you, I
still don't know what day it is. All I know is it's day two in our crazy 100
hour tour of the world but it sure is fun. I was so exhausted yesterday I
crashed out within an hour of taking off from Tokyo. Man, it was wild visit.
When we landed at Tokyo's Narita airport we could hear the fans before we
even entered the terminal. Sure enough there were thousands of smiling faces
everywhere we looked. I love checking out the banners and I saw one which
really touched me cos it said, "Congratulations Brian on your marriage!"
Thanks.
There was only time for a quick freshen up before we boarded a boat in Tokyo
harbour to sail us across the water to Odalba Bay where there were even more
dedicated supporters waiting for us. Someone told us that many of them had
been there since 5am, can you believe it?! As the boat pulled up to the
shore line us five guys took our positions on the deck and shouted out "Ai
shite mas!" it means "I love you!" and it hit the right spot with the fans
alright. Then we sang an a cappella version of Shape Of My Heart. The
response was wonderful. I gotta tell you, when I'm feeling shattered after a
long flight all I need to witness is the look on the smiling faces of the
fans and that makes me so happy.
OK confession time- I not only miss my wife and my family but I also miss my
dogs. Do you know, I talk to them when I'm away!? It's true, I phone them up
and tell them, "Don't worry, Daddyís coming home soon!"
Anyway back to Tokyo- later that afternoon we headed to Venus Fort Shopping
Mall where we performed the new single for the fans. A couple of Samurai
swordsmen did this mad mock fight before we came on. It was cool but I had
to stop Nick from walking right out there onto the stage and joining in.
He's mad on his marshal arts and he's crazy about Japanese culture - you
must have seen his tattoos by now.
The performance went really good. It's great for us to show people what the
Backstreet Boys are capable of. In the early days we got written off by so
many critics as just another boy band but I think we've proved our point
somewhat. Still you can never get complacent and I for certain still feel
real nervous about singing live. You never know what's going to happen. I've
been in some sticky situations where the sound cuts out and you just have to
keep talking to the crowd to keep things ticking along! Thank goodness
everything went to plan.
It was cool to have some down time to chill at the hotel before we headed
back to the airport ready for our flight to Sydney. AJ welcomed everyone on
board over the tannoy and Howie crashed out in the middle of the a busy room
clutching a Winnie the Pooh bear a fan had given him at the airport. Like I
said, I fell asleep pretty soon too and do you know what, I could sure do
with some more kip now! Ah well, gotta keep going. Over and out!
HOWIE
Sunday, November 19, 2000.
Hey guys! This is Howie checking in to keep you up to date on the ins and
outs of the Backstreet Boys Black & Blue World Trek. We've just taken off
from Sydney, Australia, where we received an amazing reception from the
fans.
I couldn't believe it when we found a black and blue open-topped double
decker bus waiting for us at the airport when we touched down. The last
couple of times we come to Sydney we had to travel in mini vans so this was
something else. It was like those sightseeing tour buses you get in London.
The weather was perfect and sitting on the top deck was the perfect place to
be cos even though it was humid we had a nice breeze to cool us down. The
only bad thing was I lost my hat. I wasn't having too good a hair day so I
was really pleased when we got presented with brand new Cougar hats and then
I was pretty upset when it got swung off my head by a gust of wind. Ah
well...
We drove through the city, chased by a convoy of fans, before pulling up at
the North Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club on Bondi Beach. Well at least we were
supposed to pull up outside but things didn't run so smoothly. First the bus
ploughed straight through a wooden post and then it got grounded. You see
we'd put Nick and Kevin at the back to give us more space so... I'm just
kidding!
I wish I'd known we were heading onto the beach cos I'd have put on my
sandals and shorts. I was wearing a jacket, sweatshirt, smart trousers and
boots so I wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion. The surfboards they gave
us made up for it mind you, but I could've done without the Speedos that
came with'em. Maybe I'll give them to my brother.
The boat trip around Sydney harbour made the whole visit for us cos we don't
often get the chance to have a laid back look at the sights. That was the
first time we'd seen the Opera House from the water and it was the kind of
break we really needed cos most of our stops have been go, go, go.
However the highlight of the day was our performance at Pitt St Mall. It was
an overwhelming feeling. The police had blocked off the roads for us and
something like 5000 fans were waiting for there. We weren't really sure what
kind of response we were going to get cos we hadn't been to Sydney for over
5 years but we needn't have worried. The crowd was massive!
The only strange moment of the trip was when a fan threw a bra onto the
stage where we were performing and AJ being AJ put it on. I don't know what
was going on there! I told him if it didnít fit Iíd give it to my sister but
it actually fitted fine so I think he kept it. I have to say, I haven't
actually seen AJ in a bra before and I really donít care to ever again!
Still, I'm sure we're going see some even more amazing sights during the
remaining legs of our worldwide trip and you'll be the first to know about
them.
That's all from me. I'm off to have a word with AJ about his clothes sense!
Bye,
Love Howie.
NICK
Monday, November 20, 2000,
Cape Town- How ya doin? This is Nick with my version of what's happening on
this crazy four day trip of ours. I'm writing this diary entry on our long
journey from South Africa to South America and I've got heaps to tell you.
I've never been to South Africa before so I was first at the plane window as
we began our descent over Cape Town. It was a beautiful site with Table
Mountain stretching out along one side of the city and the ocean on the
other side, reaching way out to the horizon. I was hoping to see some white
sharks but the plan was to stay on the ground for just 41/2 hours so we had
to pile straight into the cars that were waiting for us on the tarmac. My
car was a 1997 Jaguar and it was a real smooth journey.
The countryside I saw from the car window looked wonderful. The mountains
were really lush and green and covered in these incredibly tall trees. When
we pulled up at the hotel there were crowds of fans lining up to see us so
we spent some time chatting with them and signing autographs. One woman and
her daughter had been waiting since 4am to meet us!
Every stop off on the trip has included a press conference with the
country's media and this place was no different. Well, there was one major
difference actually... they decided to bring this huge cheetah into the room
and sit it on a table in front of us. Seriously! A real live cheetah! It
scared the hell out of me! Kevin and I were talking about it afterwards and
we were agreeing that it's amazing when you think about how powerful the
animal is and yet how helpless at the same time when it's facing extinction
the way it is. Don''t you think that's really horrible? People have got to
realise that these things aren't going to be around forever. We've got to
start doing something about this situation.
Like I said, I was really scared for a moment. I mean it was a beautiful
creature and we all gave it a pat on the head but I was wary of those sharp
claws and I was worried it was going to leap at us and take a swipe. It
seemed pretty tame though. You know, I don't mind being asked to do stuff
that some people might think are dangerous but the two things I'd never do
are jump out of an plane and fly in a helicopter. Once when we were in
Berlin, Germany, we cancelled this helicopter ride at the last minute. A few
hours later we heard it had crashed. That's why I don't ever want to fly on
one of those things.
But back to happier stuff... The location of the hotel was what really got
to me today. It was set on the edge of Granger Bay and the water really
reminded me of Cape Cod. You probably know that I'ím a big ocean person and
this place kinda made me think of home. I've seen so many different types of
ocean all around the world but the view I saw today is really going to stick
in my mind. The water was so clear you could see right down to the bottom.
The press conference was pretty good fun and we got asked some very
interesting questions. We're usually totally prepared for whatever gets
thrown at us however one question really knocked us off balance. It was
asked by a fan and this is exactly what she said... "What would you do for a
fan who took a bullet for you?" Well first of all, we hope never to be in
that kind of situation and we have a team of really great security guards
who look after us well. But secondly, we wouldn't want to do anything that
would put our fans in that kind of danger whatsoever and to be honest it
wasn't too good a subject to think about. Tough question, mind. We love our
fans so much and are so grateful for their support. It's you guys that have
made everything we do possible.
Another question we were asked was on the subject of girls or, more
specifically, what kind of girls we like to date. I took the opportunity to
remind the audience that Howie, AJ and I are all young, free and single
again and looking for love! So, if you know of anyone interested...!
Well it was such a short stay in Cape Town, it was over before we knew it
but the people were really friendly and the scenery was gorgeous so I
definitely want to come back for a long visit. Gotta go. Brian wants to
challenge me to a game on Dreamcast and I'm gonna wallop him this time,
