Backstreet Boys show they still got it

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Backstreet Boys show they still got it

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The Backstreet Boys will perform in Seoul next month to promote their latest album. Provided by Donice

If you lived the ‘90s, chances are you remember the era when the Backstreet Boys rocked the charts and attracted crowds of female fans.

If you were in your teens or 20s back then, perhaps you even sang along to songs like “Quit Playin’ Games (With My Heart),” “As Long As You Love Me” and “I Want It That Way.”

In February, fans will have a chance to see the band when they bring their world tour to Seoul.

Industry sources often point to the Backstreet Boys as the band that launched teen pop and the boy-band craze. The fact that the band has managed to survive in the pop music industry for 16 years, becoming one of the most successful pop groups in music history, is also significant, the sources say.

BSB have sold over 130 million albums worldwide, making them one of the biggest selling groups of all time.

When the group debuted in 1993, it offered a mixture of mid-90s dance-pop and a clean-cut, boy-next-door image. But when the band came back in 2005 after a three-year hiatus, their sound had shifted to power ballads and adult contemporary rock, which allowed them to keep their old fans while enticing new ones.

Through it all, the band has remained popular in Korea. Their albums have sold over one million copies here and they have performed here twice to large crowds, once in 2006 and again in 2008.

To promote their latest album, “This is Us,” the band has been touring the world since October. They will make a stop in Korea next month.

In a statement they made last year before going on the road, the band expressed excitement about meeting their fans from around the world.

“We can’t wait to see what the fans think of this new show,” the statement said. “We’ve worked very hard to bring an entertaining show to you all.”

In the sea of new boy bands, this concert offers fans a chance to see what a veteran boy band can do, and what they mean when they say This is Us.


*The Backstreet Boys will perform on Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. at Melon-AX Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul. Tickets cost 110,000 won ($97). For reservations, call 1544-1555 or visit http://ticket.interpark.com.


By Kim Hyung-eun [hkim@joongang.co.kr]



Related Korean Article

백스트리트보이즈, 2년만에 2월 음반발매-내한공연 ‘오빠들이 온다’



보이밴드 원조 백스트리트보이즈(Backstreet Boys)가 새 음반과 함께 다시 한국을 찾는다.

1993년 공식적인 팀 결성 후 유럽에서 앨범과 공연 활동으로 인기몰이에 나선 백스트리트 보이즈는 이후 'Quit Playin’ Games (With My Heart)', 'I’ll Never Break Your Heart' (1집 'Backstreet Boys' 수록), 'Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)', 'As Long As You Love Me' (2집 'Backsteet’s Back' 수록) 등의 싱글을 히트시키며 전세계 음악팬들의 아이돌로 자리잡았다.

단 2장의 앨범으로 전세계 3천만장 판매 기록을 거둔 그룹은 비틀즈 이후 백스트리트보이즈가 처음이다.

1999년에 발표한 세번째 앨범이자 'Larger Than Life', 'I Want It That Way' 등이 수록된 'Millennium'은 미국 내에서 발매 첫날 50만장, 첫주 113만장 그리고 그해에만 940만장 이상 판매되는 대기록을 세웠다.

백스트리트보이즈는 빌보드 앨범 차트 1위 데뷔는 물론 10주(비연속) 1위를 기록, 이후에도 무려 93주간 차트에 머물렀고 전세계적으로 4천만장 이상 판매되는 등 최고의 전성기를 맞았다.

'Shape of My Heart', 'The Call' 등이 수록된 4집 앨범 또한 발매 첫주에 미국 내에서만 190만장 이상 판매돼 연속 2장의 앨범이 발매 첫주 백만장 판매고를 기록한 첫 아티스트로 기록됐으며, 이 앨범은 현재까지 전세계적으로 2천4백만장 이상 판매됐다.

이후 멤버의 솔로 활동과 내적 갈등으로 3년간의 휴식기를 가진 이들은 2005년 5번째 앨범 'Never Gone'으로 활동을 재개했다. 이 앨범 또한 전세계적으로 약 천만장이 판매되면서 식지 않은 인기를 보여줬다.

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