Interview with Howie

The Backstreet Boys are all grown up—some are even dads—and after 17 years in the music industry they finally know what works for them. Their upcoming album, This Is Us (out Oct. 6), goes back to the foursome’s roots with a mix of R&B ballads and dance songs featuring some of the best producers and musicians out there. I spoke to half–Puerto Rican “boy”Howie Dorough about the band and his own plans to sing in Spanish:

Congrats, I hear you’re a father. Do you and the guys talk about babies now?
Brian and I do a little bit here and there. He was one of the first to have a child. I go to him for advice. He’s always been good with his son, Bailey, and Kevin [who left the group in 2006] came by for his birthday celebration. His son is almost 3.

Any chance for “Backstreet Boys: The Next Generation”?
Ha-ha! Who knows what life has in store for him? If that’s the direction they want to take it in, I’m sure we’ll be really supportive.

The Backstreet Boys have been around since 1992. What’s the secret of your success as a group?
One of the biggest things is that we communicate with each other. It’s important to any relationship. We talk about the good things and the bad things. We’re all good friends outside of this. We’ve grown up together. Having passion for what we do really helps a lot. And the fact that we have such a loyal fan base. It’s a combination of all these things.

Do women still throw bras at you when you’re on stage?
I used to joke that I would collect the bras, wash them and give them to my sisters. It’s very flattering. We still do. … We still have fans that sneak their way into our dressing room.

What can you tell me about your upcoming album, This Is Us?
I’m very proud of it. It’s our seventh worldwide record, and the sixth in the states. This record is one of our best; it’s up there with Millennium. It’s back to our original sound: pop and R&B. We’ve reached out to producers that we’ve been wanting to work with: RedOne, who works with Lady Gaga, T-Pain, Jim Jonsin, who did [Lil Wayne’s] “Lollipop.” We went back to Max Martin, who was one of the original creators of Millennium. It’s a dance-oriented record. The last couple of records, we enjoyed them, but we went into a pop rock direction. We discovered little by little that it didn’t fit the type of group that we are.

So can we expect some serious moves? And more important, do you have the energy to keep up?
We’re in rehearsals right now for touring, and I’m dancing my butt off. I’m taking extra supplements, vitamins, gingko biloba. It’s a bit less than in my 20s, but you can’t tell by seeing us onstage. We’re building up the stamina.

What does the name of the album mean to you?
“This Is Us” is a song on the record that I had the chance to cowrite. It’s a mid-tempo song about a girl and guy, relationship-wise. Also, this is who we are. We’re not trying to be something we’re not. We’re going back to our roots.

You guys recently released a video for the song “Straight Through the Heart” and it has a vampire theme.
We went there. … We’ve all gotten into this Twilight/True Blood vampire thing. We did a spin of our own. The response has been great.

By the way, how did Pitbull get involved on the song “Helpless”?
It’s a bonus track. He was really great. We were working with Jim Jonsin and they’re good friends. He did this song named “Helpless,” said we need a rapper and suggested Pitbull. He was so down. We sent him the song and he came back with a rap the next day. He’s such a cool, humble guy.

Any plans to sing in Spanish?
For sure. I told Pitbull we need to translate this song into Spanish and do it in Spanish. My dad is Puerto Rican and my mom is American. I grew up with the Latin influence, listening to Menudo as a little kid. We actually did a few songs in Spanish in Spain. We’re doing “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” in Spanish. We had “Spanish Eyes” on the Millennium record. We’re trying to find another song. I’ve been working on a Latin/English album myself. That’s the great thing about our group; we allow each other to spread our wings.

Tell me more about this project.
I’ve always wanted to do something in Spanish and English. I’m a fan of Jon Secada, Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin. I’ve always had some kind of calling. I don’t speak it 100 percent. I know enough to get me by. And the fans appreciate that I’m trying.

Seems like you have your hands full.
I love what I do so much. I’m even into comanaging. I’m putting together a girl group. My wife has to steal me away every now and then.

Source : German BSB Supportteam MySpace