(Girl Power This Isn't, Seventeen, December 1999)
The Players: A.J. McLean, 21; Brian Littrell, 24; Nick Carter, 19; Howie Dorough, 26; Kevin Richardson, 27.
The Story: After bumping into one another one too many times at local acting auditions in Orlando, A.J., Howie, and Nick formed a Boyz II Men-inspired singing group in 1993. When they wanted to flesh out their three-part harmonies, Kevin quit his job at Disney World and came to the rescue. He then recruited his Kentucky-based cousin Brian, and the group was complete. It wasn't until 1996, however, that the Backstreet Boys had their first number one hit with "Quit Playing Games (With my Heart)." By now, they've sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.
The Secret: The brains behind the Backstreet Boys was producer Lou Pearlman, the guy who first clued in to the potential of boy bands when he signed the New Kids on the Block in the early '90s; he scored big again when he hooked the Backstreet Boys up with Jive Records. Of course, the Boys would disagree--they are currently suing Pearlman, claiming that he withheld $10 million from the crooning quintet and that he used poor business tactics when he began investing in rival group 'N Sync.
Goofball Factor: Nick is a total video game junkie, and he's addicted to Sega Dreamcast, which he plays incessantly on the road. Brian is heavy into basketball--if you're lucky enough to land backstage at a show, you might find the guys shooting hoops through their portable net.
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