The Backstreet Boys, or BSB, is a boy band and pop group that rose to popularity in the late 1990s. Since then they have broken music and concert sale records, having sold more than 180 million albums (38 million in the United States.) to make them the highest-selling boy band on record. The group originally consisted of Nick Carter, Howard Dwaine 'Howie' Dorough, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson, and AJ McLean.
Their debut album, Backstreet Boys, was released in 1996. The album debuted at #1 in Germany, Norway, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Finland, Austria, and Canada and sold over 38 million copies worldwide (14 million copies in the U.S.) setting a record for the most successful debut album in history. In some countries, they've also released a second album, Backstreet's Back. In May 1999, the Backstreet Boys released the album Millennium, which sold over 1.13 million units in its first week, setting a record for most albums sold in the first week of release. They also held the most sales for an album's second and third weeks. The record dominated the worldwide charts, landing at the #1 spot in 25 countries. The album was certified 11 times platinum by December 1999, making it the fastest selling album in a year. The album went on to sell over 43 million copies worldwide. Released in November 2000, their album Black & Blue, whose 13-song selection features five songs co-written by members of the group, plus two songs written by all five Backstreet Boys, achieved platinum status in over 30 countries and gold certification in 10 regions around the world during its first week of release with sales of over 25 million copies worldwide.
In October 2001, the boys released The Hits: Chapter One, a disc of their greatest hits and Drowning, their last single until their return in 2005. After a five-year hiatus, their new single, Incomplete, was released to radio stations on March 28, 2005 and quickly became the #1 most requested song in top markets in both U.S. and overseas. The song was a drastic change from their previous albums, switching to adult contemporary rather than pop. On June 14, 2005, the Backstreet Boys released their comeback album Never Gone, which they spent more than a year recording. It has sold over 13 million copies worldwide.
On June 24, 2006, Kevin Richardson left the band on good terms to pursue personal projects. The group said that they won't close the door to Kevin and whenever he wants to go back, he's welcome. The now four have released on October 30th their sixth album, called Unbreakable. On October 30,2007, BSB madness was back in Times Square for the boys. They have proven time and time again in the industry that they are "unbreakable" and the bond they have for their fans is unbreakable. They started touring in February 2008. Their Unbreakable Tour has been a big success!
Their new album This Is Us released on October 6th, 2009. They worked with Max Martin, OneRepublic singer Ryan Tedder, RedOne, Ne-Yo, Brian Kennedy, Pitbull, Claude Kelly, Jim Jonsin, Eddie Galan, T-Pain, Rami Yacoub, Kristian Lundin, many others on the album.
On January 26, 2010, they released a second greatest hits album titled, Playlist: The Very Best of the Backstreet Boys and is part of a series of similar Playlist albums issued by Sony Legacy.
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