The Boys Are Huge In Quebec
- from Jam Music On Tour -

December 5, 1996

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MONTREAL (CP) -- The Backstreet Boys, five young American rockers, have become the hottest act in Quebec since Celine Dion. They've sold 200,000 albums in Canada -- 160,000 of them in Quebec.

Their self-titled debut album is No. 4, just behind Dion in this week's chart of best-selling albums, says the Canadian music-industry publication The Record. That's thanks almost exclusively to Quebec sales.

The five young Americans (Nick Carter, 16, Howie Dorough, 23, Brian Littrell, 21, A.J. McLean, 18, and Kevin Richardson, 23) are at a loss to explain their popularity in a largely French-speaking market.

"We're huge in Montreal. Exactly why, I am not sure," says Richardson. "Basically, girls seem to love us."

Sylvie Brunetta of Donald K. Donald Productions said tickets for their Jan. 3 show at the Molson Centre sold out in 30 minutes.

"With the Backstreet Boys, it's a combination of their good looks, good sound and good marketing strategy," she says.

PHOTOS: The Backstreet Boys, live in Leiden, the Netherlands June 23, 1996 --
courtesy of the European Backstreet Boys Page