Count Down to the Millennium With the BACKSTREET BOYS - BB Jan 00
Nick, Brian, A.J., Kevin and Howie reflect on their divine '99
Do you know where you'll be when the clock strikes midnight on December 31, 1999? You might be hangin' with your best buds; chillin' with your fam; or even cozying up to your crush, anxiously awaiting that new year's kiss! But whatever the festive, final Friday of the 1900s takes you, you can be sure that the Backstreet Boys will be whooping it up right along with you in spirit. The fantabulous five from Flordia want this transition into the next century to be one mega-movin', groovin', "Larger Than Life" happening. Backstreet Boys Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean, Kevin Richardson and Howie Dorough have oodles of things to celebrate. Now, with everyone's health back intact, the sensaysh success of their body-rockin' 1999 Millennnium tour and chart-toppin' tunes like "I Want It That Way" to their credit, Backstreet's back--and they hope to continue their momentum right on into the year 2000!
celebrating the good times
The magnitude of the millennium is not lost on babely Brian. Though he hasn't yet committed to a New Year's Eve party plan, the sentimental sweetie will surely want to be surrounded by his nearest and dearest, including his cousin Kevin and the rest of the Backstreet bunch. After all, the 24-year-old B-Rok raves, "It's amazing to think, you know, you're bringing in the new year!"
On the other hand, sweet-as-apple-pie Nick, who turns 20 on January 28, has definite plans for his New Year's Eve. "I'm not a really big celebrator," 'fesses the blue-eyed blondie. "I don't want to be anywhere but home for the millennium. I want to be with my family. I think that's where everyone should be."
Stage-shaker A.J., who can't wait to turn 22 on January 9, completely agrees with his bud Nick. When it comes to special occasions, he knows who he wants to hang with: "Each other, our families, our loved ones, God--just having people around us that keep our heads out of the clouds and our feet on the ground," reflects the wonderboy from West Palm Beach, Florida.
success worth waiting for
As the eldest of the Backstreet bunch, thoughtful Kevin, 28, truly appreciates where 1999 has taken him and the other swoonworthy fellas. "It's been one of the most successful years of our lives, but it's also been the hardest year," relates the 6-foot-1-inch tall talent. "We had to grow up a lot this year, and it's going to be a new year, a new start for us." Yep, Kevin eagerly anticipates the Backstreet Boys' future. "We have a lot of good people around us, [we're] surrounding ourselves with positive energy, and we got rid of all the negative stuff. So we're looking forward to the new year."
And it's not just Kev who feels the love. Twenty-six-year-old Howie senses it, too. "Even though we've had a lot of success this year, it's still been trying. But I believe it's helped us grow stronger as a group," explains the brown-eyed babe. "Sometimes you have to take a few steps back to be able to take steps foward. That's one of the reasons we titled this album Millennium, because we feel it's a rebirth of another century here. So we feel that this album is also a rebirth of us."
continuing the party
The songsters' supa-dupa success--like the fact that theirs is among the best-selling albums of 1999--will definitely be on A.J.'s list of things to be happy about when the clock strikes at midnight. "It's like we're bringing in the new year, and the group is still going on, and everything is working out so positively," grins teh 5-foot-9-inch crooner. "The millennium is kind of like the new, new world. It's kind of a combination of everything."
And Bri's heart of gold glows even brighter when he thinks about the new year and how much he cherishes his Backstreet buds and their future together. "I wish that they may have courage, that they may have trust and love and preserverance," he expresses.
At this time of year, Howie gratefully reflects on his amazing Backstreet experience. "I sometimes have to take a step back and look at all our accomplishments, and sometimes I don't really realize it--until I tell other people--how successful we really are," he's marveled. "I thank God every day for the opportunity." And we're willing to bet that had the Backstreet Boys been able to forsee their future, they'd definitely say, "I Want It That Way!"