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Backstreet Boys

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The GRAMMY Museum Unveils 'Backstreet Boys: The Experience'

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The a one-of-a-kind, "ultimate fan experience" opens to the public on Wednesday, April 10 and runs until Sept. 2, 2019
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMY Museum
Mar 6, 2019 - 9:24 am

The GRAMMY Museum has unveiled its latest exhibit: Backstreet Boys: The Experience.

Opening to the public on Wednesday, April 10 and running through Sept. 2, 2019, the "one-of-a-kind fan experience" celebrates the seminal boy band's three-decade career and features personal memorabilia, wardrobe, artwork and photography. It will also feature immersive photo and video interactive experiences that will allow their legion of fans to engage with the group’s music and history like never before, including a fan confessional booth that will allow fans to record a message directly to the group.

"From the beginning of our career, we have always made it a priority to interact with our fans," says band member AJ McLean. "This exhibition is a perfect way to share our favorite memories with the people who made our dreams a reality."

"The Backstreet Boys re-defined pop music as we know it creating a dedicated fan phenomenon that still exists almost 30 years later," says the Museum's Executive Director Michael Sticka. "We're thrilled to celebrate the group's unique commitment to their fans and vice versa while producing a one-of-a-kind immersive interactive environment."

On April 8, Backstreet Boys will take part in the Museum's Public Program series, where they will share never-before-heard stories from the past 25 years. JoJo Wright from KIIS-FM will be moderating the Program taking place at the Museum's Clive Davis Theater, and PEOPLE will exclusively live stream the event on Facebook.

Backstreet Boys have been nominated for eight total GRAMMY awards, including at the 61st GRAMMYs, for Best Pop/Duo Performance ("Don't Go Breaking My Heart"). 

Tickets to the GRAMMY Museum are available for sale at www.grammymuseum.org.

Backstreet Boys GRAMMY Museum 2019

Backstreet Boys

Photo: Rebecca Sapp | Design: F. Inomata

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Backstreet Boys Talk GRAMMY Museum "Experience," 'Millennium' Legacy & Touring

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As they unveil the interactive 'Backstreet Boys: The Experience' exhibit, we go behind the scenes with the GRAMMY-nominated boy band to look back on their 26 years together
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 18, 2019 - 3:10 pm

On April 8, the Backstreet Boys visited the GRAMMY Museum for a very special evening; the preview night of the newest exhibit there, Backstreet Boys: The Experience. AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell all played a part in making the exhibit happen, sorting through old wardrobe trunks to choose which iconic '90s and '00s looks to put on display and sifting through the countless fan photos and homemade memorabilia they've been gifted over their 26-year career.

Backstreet Boys On New Exhibit, 'Millennium,' More

We went behind the scenes with the GRAMMY-nominated group right after they explored the newly set up exhibit for the first time, as they reflected on who BSB is today, their legacy, having fun in Las Vegas and their excitement for the DNA World Tour. Or, as McLean put it, their "biggest tour in 18 years," in support of 2019's DNA.

"I think [The Experience] is gonna surprise a lot of people, bring back a lot of memories…if you're a fan, this plays homage to you," Carter told us about the new exhibit. "[There's] a lot of things you can interact with, but just really cool things that remind people who the Backstreet Boys are and where we've come from, so it's a cool experience."

Speaking of looking back, the group also discussed the 20th anniversary of their record-breaking album Millennium, which was the best-selling album of 1999.

"Millennium is probably, to this day, one of the biggest album's we've ever had. I think if we weren't on the map by that time in most people's eyes and ears, we were definitely at that point," Dorough said. "I think that itself is what's continued the legacy of the Backstreet Boys."

Backstreet Boys: The Experience is currently on display at the GRAMMY Museum L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles until Sept. 2. Learn how and when to have your special BSB experience on the Museum's website.

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Vince Gill

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Vince Gill Tackles The Tough Conversations On His New Album 'Okie' & Recalls First GRAMMY Win

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The Recording Academy sat down with the 21-time GRAMMY winner to talk about driving real conversations with his latest batch of songs Behind the Scenes at the GRAMMY Museum
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Sep 24, 2019 - 4:25 pm

Country singer/songwriter and guitar-slinging legend Vince Gill has done it all, and yet his new album Okie sitll manages to cover vast amount of uncharted territory. After over 40 years in music and 21 GRAMMYs, perhaps it isn't surprising the Oklahoma native feels and sounds more comfortable in his own skin tha n ever. And with Okie, Gill not only reclaims an old slur with its title, but redraws the boundaries of taboo in its songs. 

Behind The Scenes: Vince Gill On 'Okie'

"You shouldn't be afraid of conversations about anything. Whether it's race, or it's religion. There's a song about teen pregnancy. There's a song about sexual abuse... There's a ficticious song about a guy killing his dad to protect his family," Gill told the Recording Academy Behind the Scenes at the GRAMMY Museum. "I mean, yeah [these topics are] not the norm. But in a sense they really are the norm of what's really going on with people when they struggle."

Gill hopes tackling these tough subject matters head-on will inspire listeners to do just that: listen. 

"If you can have a decent conversation without judgement, without people drawing lines in the sand," he said, "It's amazing to me how devisive we've gotten with each other, so hopefully these kinds of songs can maybe make someone who doesn't agree with that listen with a different heart."

Gill also reflected on his very first of a 21 GRAMMY wins, which came back in 1990 for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male for his song "When I Call Your Name."

Hear more about the spirit of Okie, how Gill identified Ken Burns' new series "Country Music" as a great connector between some of his new material and Jimmie Rodgers and more in the video above.

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Tower Records 1999 Hong Kong

Tower Records 1999, Hong Kong

Photo: GARRIGE HO/South China Morning Post/Getty Images

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Poll: Which 1999 Album Have You Had On Repeat This Year?

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From Dr. Dre to Destiny's Child and Britney Spears to Moby, a lot artists released amazing albums back in 1999—we want to know which classic LP you're still jamming out to
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Sep 11, 2019 - 1:18 pm

If you miss the days of going to Tower Records, browsing through the new releases rack and leaving with a stack of shiny CDs to pop into your indestructible Discman, this is the poll for you! Even if you born too late to truly understand the extreme wave of 1999 music nostalgia currently taking place, 20 years later, perhaps you've attempted to relive the '90s through your own musical streaming journey.

Either way, we want to know which classic 1999 album you still can't get enough of, which you can tell us by taking our poll below. Make sure to read on to travel with us back to 1999, with an overview of the albums and a selection of their songs to listen to.

Polls

Which 1999 Album Have You Had On Repeat This Year?

 

Let's take a quick trip back to the turn of the 21st century, when crop tops and ringer tees were having a major moment and iMacs came in five fun candy colors. On Nov. 16, 1999, West Coast hip-hop king Dr. Dre released 2001, his long-anticipated follow-up to his 1992 debut album, The Chronic. His 68-minute opus brought us classic G-funk records like "Still D.R.E." and "Next Episode," both featuring Snoop Dogg and "Forgot About Dre" with Eminem, the Compton icon's then newly signed protégée. The latter song would earn the pair a GRAMMY win for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group at the 43rd GRAMMY Awards.

Over on the East Coast side of hip-hop, in Philadelphia, The Roots released their breakout third album, Things Fall Apart earlier in the year, on Feb. 23. The dynamic LP earned the group widespread acclaim and their first two GRAMMY nominations, including for Best Rap Album. The memorable, ultra-smooth "You Got Me" featuring Erykah Badu and Eve, earned The Roots their second nomination and first-ever GRAMMY win, for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.

Elsewhere in Los Angeles, the Red Hot Chili Peppers returned with their seventh studio album, Californication. The Rick Rubin-produced 15-track LP included classics like "Otherside," "Californication" and "Scar Tissue." The last song, still an alt-rock radio staple, earned the group the second of two nods at the 42nd GRAMMY Awards, where they also received a nomination for Best Rock Album.

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In another, albeit less serious, moment from the radio-friendly SoCal rock glory days, Blink-182 gave us Enema Of The State, along with hits "What's My Age Again?" and "All The Small Things."

Making our way over from pop-rock to bubblegum pop, America's sweetheart Britney Spears started 1999 right with the release of her debut album, …Baby One More Time on Jan. 12. The choreography, fashion and lyrics of both the videos for the title track and "(You Drive Me) Crazy" will live on in our '90s time capsules. If you forgot to "E-Mail My Heart," don't worry, the AOL inbox is still up and running somehow.

Fellow pop icons Backstreet Boys were ready to take us boldly into Y2K with their all-white getups and fierce poses/dance moves, as immortalized in the iconic "I Want It That Way" video and on the Millennium cover art. "Larger Than Life" was an appropriate opening track for the their third LP, the best-selling album of 1999. The beloved boy band earned four GRAMMY nominations that year, including for Album Of The Year and Record Of The Year, for "I Want It That Way."

Over in Atlanta, three powerful women known as TLC were also channeling a big Y2K mood on their GRAMMY-winning third studio album, FanMail. It featured the eternally empowering anthems "No Scrubs" and "Unpretty," and earned the trio two GRAMMYs and six total nominations.

More: Why The Millennium Tour Matters in 2019

A year and a half after releasing their self-titled debut, another powerful squad, Houston's Destiny's Child, followed up with the sophomore album, The Writing's on the Wall. With catchy-as-hell hooks on "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Jumpin', Jumpin'" and "Say My Name," the album is still one that can still turn the club up. The former track earned the group their first GRAMMY nod in 1999. The latter track, released as the album's third single, earned them two more nominations at the 43rd Annual GRAMMY Awards, along with their first win, for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.

Over in the New York rave scene, DJ/producer/singer Moby moved from the underground to the global spotlight with his fifth studio album, Play. The eclectic GRAMMY-nominated LP became the best-selling electronica album with instant-classic moody house tracks like "Porcelain," "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" and "South Side."

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Puerto Rican heartthrob Ricky Martin led another major music moment in 1999 with his GRAMMY-nominated self-titled fifth studio album, his first LP sung primarily in English. The album offers both English and Spanish versions of "Livin' la Vida Loca," while two of the other singles, "María and "The Cup Of Life," are offered as singular Spanglish versions. "Livin' la Vida Loca" earned Martin his first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100, as well as nominations for Record Of The Year at both the 42nd GRAMMY Awards and the inaugural Latin GRAMMYs in 2000. Along with him came the first major boom of Spanish-language artists, like Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, into the U.S. pop landscape.

Don't forget to let us know which 1999 album you still love the most in the poll above, and to share it with your friends as well. As you finish watching the videos below we're only left to wonder, which 2019 bops will still slap in—gasp—2039?

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Avril Lavigne at the GRAMMY Museum

Avril Lavigne at the GRAMMY Museum

Photo: Alison Buck

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Avril Lavigne Has Always Known Exactly Who She Is

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At the GRAMMY Museum last night, the eternal punk princess reflected on her musical beginnings, unyielding self-confidence and the impact of her music
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Sep 6, 2019 - 3:48 pm

17 years ago, a Canadian teen named Avril Lavigne skated her way into our hearts with her debut album, Let Go, along with unforgettable hit singles like "Complicated" and "Sk8ter Boi." She was just a teenager when the GRAMMY-nominated LP was released in June 2002, but she already knew who she was and felt ready to share her punk-rock style and sensibilities with the music world.

As she recounted to 250 lucky fans at her GRAMMY Museum event last night, Lavigne famously dropped out of high school at 16 to move to Los Angeles and pursue a music career. Clearly things went her way, as she is now one of the most recognizable names in pop—and through all the pressures that come with being a young woman in the music industry, she never lost sight of who she was.

Avril Lavigne at the GRAMMY Museum

Photo: Alison Buck

Speaking to Scott Goldman in the Museum's Clive Davis Theater, the eternal punk princess, rocking all black with punky suspender pants, reflected on her musical beginnings, that unyielding self-confidence and the impact her music has had on the next generation of female alt-rockers. They also discussed her sixth studio album, Head Above Water, which she released earlier this year. To close, she brought out two of her bandmates to share a few songs they've been rehearsing for her upcoming tour, her first one in five years.

Looking back on her initial experience with the L.A. music industry, she explains that they didn't quite get her at first. "The music was too soft and fluffy for me… I just wanted to hear guitars, even though I was only 16," Lavigne said. "The label saw me as a pop star," she added, musing that pop-rock wasn't so much a thing yet, in the early part of the millennium. She knew she had to be clear with who she was in order to prove herself to those who didn't understand it.

"I'd show up to a high-fashion shoot with a book bag of neckties," she explained, a testament to her confident demeanor and edgy style. Sharing some wisdom on how she managed to be so much of herself at such a young age, she said, "You have to love yourself and find your confidence."

When Goldman asked what her early music, specifically her first two albums, sound like to her when she listens now, Lavigne replied that she was proud of what she wrote as a teen and hears "variety and a lot of depth."

Goldman also asked what it felt like to be a role model for the next generation of guitar-loving women, citing rising alt-rockers Soccer Mommy and Snail Mail, who've named those early albums as major influences to their own music. "It's so cool…to know that my music inspired or influenced anyone," the "Complicated" singer beamed.

The much-anticipated performance included two songs from the new album, opening with the title track and closing with the anthemic "Warrior," as well as two of her '00s hits. After serving up a powerful rendition of "Head Above Water," Lavigne went into one of her "favorites to perform," "My Happy Ending," from her second album, Under My Skin. Before breaking into the chorus, she asked the audience to join her. She asked the crowd what they wanted to hear next, and over a dozen selections from her discography were shouted out.

Lavigne gave the audience a chance to be heard, listening, before responding, "'Girlfriend' should be fun." She was right.

Finally, in an epic act of on-stage cuteness, as Lavigne got up from her stool to exit the stage, the suspenders hanging from her pants got stuck, evoking a laugh. This was the perfect time for the crowd to request an encore, and she left everyone on a high note with "Warrior," even getting fan-assistance with a lyric she forgot on the new song.

As the fans filed out of the theater, a teen with hot pink hair and a cutoff plaid shirt turned to her dad and said with wide eyes: "I'm seriously shaking."

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