Backstreet Boys

Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB)^[3] are an American vocal group and pop boy band consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Florida.

The group rose to fame with their debut album, Backstreet Boys (1996). In the following year, they released their second album Backstreet's Back (1997), along with their self-titled U.S. album, Backstreet Boys (1997), which continued the group's success worldwide. They rose to superstardom with their third studio album Millennium (1999), anchored by the worldwide hit "I Want It That Way," and its follow-up album, Black & Blue (2000). They also released a greatest hits album, The Hits – Chapter One (2001). After a two-year hiatus, they regrouped and released a comeback album, Never Gone (2005). After the conclusion of the Never Gone Tour in 2006, Richardson left the group to pursue other interests.^[4] The group then released two albums as a quartet: Unbreakable (2007) and This Is Us (2009).

Richardson rejoined the group in 2012.^[5] In 2013, they celebrated their 20th^[6] anniversary and released their first independent album, In a World Like This. Their follow-up album, DNA (2019), debuted at number one, nineteen years after they last topped the chart in 2000. They became the first boy band to top the U.S. album charts in three decades.^[7] In 2022, they released their first Christmas album, A Very Backstreet Christmas. They celebrated their 30th anniversary on April 20, 2023. In July 2025, they released Millennium 2.0, a reissued and remastered version of their third album, Millennium, with additional B-sides, live tracks, and demos.^[8]

The Backstreet Boys have sold over 130 million records worldwide,^[9] making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. They are the first group since Led Zeppelin to have their first ten albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200,^[7] and the only boy band to do so. The albums Backstreet Boys and Millennium were certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making them one of the few bands to have multiple diamond albums.^[10] The group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 22, 2013 (2 days after their 20th anniversary).^[11] They released a documentary film, titled Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of in January 2015.^[12] In March 2017, the group began a concert residency in Las Vegas that lasted two years, titled Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life. In July 2025, they launched their second Las Vegas residency, Into the Millennium, at the Sphere.