Although the Backstreet Boys won’t be delivering a new album anytime soon, four members of the boy band are preparing solo LPs – making four of the five Boys their own man.
“It’s important to point out that the group has not disbanded,” said Brian Littrell’s attorney, Jordan Keller. “They certainly intend to record as a group in the future, they just don’t know when”.
Of the four members venturing out on their own, two have had solo projects in the past – Nick Carter released his first solo record, Now or Never, last year, while A.J. McLean had a nine-stop tour in 2000 under his nom de rock, “Johnny No Name,” an alter ego who represented the pop star’s rock side with covers of Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine and Methods of Mayhem. Though no details are available yet on McLean’s original work outside of the band, it’s supposed to also be in a rock vein.
Carter seems to be going in a more rock direction as well – he’s working with none other than Tommy Lee, who will be assisting as a producer. Carter’s already co-written several songs with a collaborator, according to his management.
Howie Dorough, who is going in a more Latin direction, is still in the writing/demo stage and has enlisted a slew of collaborators for his project, which will include songs in both English and Spanish. Among his writing and producing crew, Dorough will be working with Emilio Estefan, Steven Morales (Enrique Iglesias, Christina Aguilera), Gen Rubin (Paulina Rubio, Diana Ross) and Rudy Perez (José Feliciano, Jaci Velasquez), according to a rep for the band.
Finally, Littrell, who grew up singing in the church and at weddings and funerals, is taking a gospel cue for his outing. He’s hoping to blend his experience in the pop world with a contemporary Christian sensibility. “There’s a wide range in Christian music,” Keller said. “From Michael W. Smith to choirs, there’s a lot of room to work with.”