BACKSTREET BOYS TO FAMILY MEN
THE BOY BAND IS BACK WITH NEW MUSIC AND A GAGGLE OF SCREAMING FANS – ALL OF THEIR KIDS!
Is this coffee?” says AJ Mclean as he spots a steaming cup. Less than 20 minutes into a rambunctious photo shoot with his Backstreet Boys bandmates, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough and Brian Littrell – and nearly all their kids – the singer, 40, is in desperate need of a pick-me-up. “There’s not enough caffeine in the world!” jokes Mclean, who holds on to his 20-monthold daughter, Lyric, as his 6-year-old daughter, Ava, gives Dorough’s son Holden, 5, an enthusiastic high-five. Indeed, life is happily chaotic for the entertainers, who after 25 years together are gearing up for the release of their 10th studio album, DNA (out Jan. 25), and an accompanying world tour – all while juggling school runs, nappy changes and the terrible twos. “Our kids are amazing. They share their daddies with the world,” says Dorough, 45, whose son James, 9, introduces himself to everyone on-set with a handshake. “Fatherhood has taught all of us to slow down and be more selfless.”
Finding the perfect balance between family and career hasn’t been easy for any of BSB. Seemingly unstoppable during the height of their fame in the late ’90s – “We were like kids in a candy store,” says Dorough – fans worshipped them and packed stadiums, screaming back lyrics of songs like “I Want It That Way” and “The Call” off record-breaking albums Millennium and Black & Blue. “We all went through a bit of ego,” says Richardson, 47. And some fell victim to the lifestyle. “We’ve had our party days,” adds Mclean, who entered a treatment facility for the third time in 2011 and is in recovery from alcohol addiction. “We’ve had our good, our bad and ugly.”
The ugliness has included public family drama, grappling with addiction and tumultuous relationships for Carter, 38, the band’s youngest member. Last year he was accused by singer Melissa Schuman of raping her in 2003. Carter denies the allegations. ( The case was declined for prosecution by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office because the statute of limitations expired in 2013.) “You’re going to live and have experiences, and thankfully I have the most incredible guys I’ve known since I was 12,” says Carter about the support he’s received from his bandmates. Seeing their families made him yearn for one of his own, and two years ago he welcomed son Odin with wife
Lauren. “Words can’t explain how blessed I am to have him, my wife and my group,” says Carter. “They’ve helped me be a great father.”
Now the band are feeling more invigorated than ever. Their Planet Hollywood residency, “Larger Than Life”, sells out nightly in Las Vegas and is drawing a new generation of fans. “We don’t do all the dance moves we used to, but we’re learning how to modify,” jokes Littrell, 43. “It’s a blessing to be sitting here later in life.” They’re also thankful to have “strong” women by their sides. “It’s just changed everything,” says Mclean about their marriages. Adds Carter: “When you find an incredible woman who can be a great mother, that makes everything different.” Next year, when they hit the road on tour, their ever-expanding family will be sitting front row. The VIB room – for “very important babies” – will be stocked accordingly. “It’ll be daddy daycare,” says Carter. As fame sets in again, they wouldn’t have it any other way. “If we can keep our home lives enriched and amazing,” says Richardson, “everything else is the cherry on top.”
“We got a little jaded, but having our own families gives you those goose bumps all over again” —Howie Dorough