TEEN BEAT: Now that you're bringing Backstreet Boys to the U.S., is it a fantasy come true?

AJ: I'd say it is a big dream come true. We never really got a chance to be here for the last year and a half. We've been over in Europe, but now we are finally bringing it home and I think it's worth our while. It's going to be the bone as we say, it's going to be good!

TB: What does this album mean to you?

AJ: Patience, time, heart-to-heart feelings and persistence. We took our time with it, the songs are good, the producers were great to work with. To work with the other four guys is a dream come true. They're very talented yound performers, actors, singers, dancers, everything. It's a dream come true and I think this is the greatest thing and the album is, in my eyes, hopefully a number one hit.

TB: Is there anything on the album that might surprise people?

AJ: I think the versatility of the album. The fact that going from one song, which is a dance song, to one song that is a ballad to another song that's a mid-tempo R&B type of song... we cover every ground of every age group of every race. We want everyone to love our music. That's hat Backstreet Boys is all about - family, fun and stuff like that.

TB: You've also got experience in acting and dance. Do you think either of those could become a second career for you?

AJ: Actually, I wanted it to be my first career - I wanted to be a dancer or an actor. I never really wanted to be a singer, but it just kind of went that way, I guess. Being in the entertainment business, you kind of cover all terrains, so you have a backup plan.

TB: What kind of dancing do you do?

AJ: Everything - tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, gymnastics. You name it, I've done it.

TB: What would be your dream acting job if you ever start acting?

AJ: To do a movie with either Gena Davis or Dustin Hoffman and be a bad guy. I would love to be the villian, because everybody seems to love the villian more! I mean, the good guys win, but the villians are the ones everyone likes.

TB: What would your dream date be?

AJ: It would be with someone who has a really catchy personality, who's very spontaneous and doesn't care where we go. We can go to McDonald's and she'd still have a good time. I'd love to have a little sand fight on the beach, throw water on each other. I'd serenade her, buy her ice cream.

TB: What makes the BSB so special?

AJ: Being real. That's what makes us special - being real. We have nothing to hide.

TEEN BEAT: So you play keyboards?

Kevin: Yes, I do. I've played since I was 9 years old.

TB: Did you take lessons?

Kevin: No, I taught myself. I play by ear.

TB: When you're making a video, does being in front of the camera make you want to get into acting?

Kevin: We're all very big hams, we all like attention. We like being on the stage, and when you get in front of the camera, it's almost like being on a stage. And Nick, Howie, AJ and myself, we've all done a little bit of theater work and so, for me, I'd definitely like to get in front of the camera for television or film.

TB: What type of role would you like to play?

Kevin: Any kind - villain, comedy, whatever. I'm really interested in that.

TB: You've get a lot of competition now with other guy bands that are big.

Kevin: Well, we're not really new. We've been around for four years, but now we are new to the U.S. because our music is just coming out here. A years and a half ago we released our first single in the U.S. But we're just five guys who love to sing. We are a vocal harmony group. And we're just trying to make good music, make people happy.

TB: If you could pick the perfect line-up for a Backstreet Boys concert, who would you headline with?

Kevin: The girl from Sweden, Robyn. She's got a great voice. I'd like her to open up for us, possibly. Who else? Maybe Hanson. Maybe All-4-One. I don't know about them opening up for us, maybe it could be a co-headlining tour, because these are very successful people. So, I'm not saying we're better than they are, I'm just thinking what would be a good combination as far as music. Oh, I fogot about the infamous Spice Girls.

TB: Is there anything you bring on the road with you for good luck?

Kevin: I always bring pictures of my family. My father, my mother, my brothers and my God baby. I don't really bring any good luck charms, not really.

TB: What did you feel the first time you heard yourself on the radio?

Kevin: The first time I heard myself on the radio, I was like, whoa! I couldn't believe it. I turned it up. I was just driving down the road and I turned it up - it was incredible!

Teen Beat: Did you guys have any input on the concept of this video?

Brian: Yes, we got to pick the treatment that we liked. We had several different ideas from different directions.

TB: Are you more nervous or excited about your music coming out in the States?

Brian: Both. I'm very excited, I'm very happy yet I'm very nervouse because you never know what the future holds and we've worked so very hard all over the world, to come back here. Who knows?!

TB: What's the worst part about being on the road so much?

Brian: The worst part is being away from your family, your loved ones, your friends.

TB: Is it tough to have a girldriend these days?

Brian: It's really tough. It's hard to be really serious with a specific person.

TB: Do you have a group ritual that you do before you go on stage?

Brian: We have a group prayer - we all join hands and have a prayer. It's more of less a focusing point, with us saying, mentally, what we have to go out there and accomplish, what we have to do. We pray for safety, that no one in the audience gets hurt or falls because when you're dealing with a lot of people, sometimes it gets out of hand.

TB: Is it weird for you to think you inspire that kind of craziness in fans?

Brian: I can be onstage in front of thousands of people and there's a point in the show where it doesn't matter how loud the audience is, you can hear a pin drop onstage because you're in such a world, you're so focused on what's going on around you. If you just glance out into the audience, it's just so fulfilling seeing all these people.

TB: How do you want to be perceived by an audience?

Brian: We want to be perceived as five guys who love to sing, love to perform, who love to share the gifts of music that we have with the whole world. And we've finally got the opportunity to focus on the U.S. because it's very personal to us

Teen Beat: Is it a dream come true for you to be bringing your music to the US?

Howie: Definitely. We wanted to release the album a lot sooner than we did, but it just took off in Europe and everywhere else, so we decided to go there first. And now we're back home and we're proud and we hope everybody loves our album and supports us!

TB: So you get mobbed on the streets in Europe?

Howie: Yes. We have five security guards, one for each of us.

TB: For this video, is everything choreographed or do you just wing it?

Howie: A little bit is choreographed, but actually, this is going to be more of a free-for-all video. We have girls in an auditioning-like video, it looks like a casting video, and there's morphing where the girls are auditioning to be in something and then all of a sudden the roles reverse.

TB: In the video, you're all weating tan and brown clothes. Who picks out your wardrobe?

Howie: We have a stylist who we've been working with for pretty much all our videos. We've gotten really comfortable with their style of clothing, and we kind of collaborate with them.

TB: Do any of you work out?

Howie: Some of the guys do less of it. It's just, every once in a while onstage you open your shirt, and it looks bad when there's a little chuggle of fat on the side!

TB: How are you different offstage than you are on?

Howie: We're still normal, everyday people. We go shopping, we have chores to do at home still.

TB: Would you ever want to act as a second career?

Howie: Definitely. Acting and singing is like one for me. I try to keep them both level, both equal. Whichever one took off first was the one I was going to go with. So it's not like a second career to me. It's like all in one, it's entertainment

Teen Beat: Has singing always been a dream for you?

Nick: I think everyone has a dream they want to fulfill in life, and I think this is our dream. He wanted to make it happen and that's what we did. And we enjoy every moment of it, and we treat every day like it's our last!

TB: Do you have a favourite BSB song?

Nick: I'd have to say "Quit Playing Games." It's the only song that I haven't gotten sick of yet!

TB: What type of role would you want to play if you landed an acting gig?

Nick: Probably my ideal role would be an action movie. I would love to do an action movie. Something like Mortal Kombat or a war movie where you're running through the jungle. It's got to be action! I would also like to direct a movie, produce and direct.

TB: Who would you want to star in your movie?

Nick: Me! The thing is, we've talked about this a few times, that maybe in the future it would be cool if I made a movie about us. I came up with a storyline, so maybe we'll do something like that.

TB: You also have a comic book in the works?

Nick: Yes, that's what I was going to base the movie on.

TB: Will there eventually be a Backstreet Boys comic book on the stands?

Nick: Maybe! The thing is the storyline is not corny. If you come up with a group and try to make a comic out of them, it's got to be good. If not, it's going to be corny.

TB: What's the hardest part of the rehearsal process?

Nick: The dance, dancing is pretty hard for me. I don't like dancing too much!

TB: How do you like to dress when you're not being a Backstreet Boy?

Nick: My kind of style is sportswear, jerseys... with me, it just depends on how I feel. If I want to dress alternative, I'll dress alternative. If I want to dress prep, I'll dress prep. Whatever, it's just me!