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Kevin Kwong

The last time American teenage pop sensation Backstreet Boys visited Hong Kong, the five lads from Florida staged a mini-concert at a record store, signed autographs and said: 'We are here to get our name around.'  Though its debut album Backstreet Boys sold well here and in Europe, the group had only a couple of hits on the British charts and its name remained unfamiliar in the United States.

 Fast forward 18 months to Wembley Arena, London. It is almost show time and the stadium is charged with teenage hormones.

 Any movement on stage leaves the full-house audience, consisting almost exclusively of young girls, screaming for joy.

 By 8.30pm, still no sign of the boys - Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean, Howie Dorough and Kevin Richardson - and the crowd begins to chant and stomp, causing our seats to vibrate.

 It takes another 15 minutes before the band bounces on stage sporting ski suits, goggles and dancing to the throbbing beats. At this point, the deafening scream reaches crescendo, drowning out the music.

 This hair-tearing, face-scratching hysterical welcome, however, is a becoming trademark of BSB concerts.

 The group received the same rapturous treatment when it played at Madison Square Garden, New York, in January - and is likely to be greeted by an equally frantic crowd when it comes to Hong Kong in October.

 Though the concert venue has yet to be confirmed, Backstreet Boys will be here on October 15 for two days to perform three concerts as part of its forthcoming Asian tour.

 Living up to the title of its latest album Backstreet's Back, BSB not only intends to reclaim its top spot in the pop charts but also realise its ambition of winning over Asia - in the flesh.

 Formed more than three years before it recorded its first album in 1996, the Backstreet Boys is one of the more commercially successful a cappella groups to come out of the US.

 Carter, McLean and Howie D are long-time friends from their home city, Orlando and Richardson and Littrell are cousins.

Since the release of the first album, their music - a mix of pop, funk, hip-hop and urban R&B - has built up a faithful following in Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and, now, Australia. The group's popularity has translated into big record sales, making this region one of its most profitable markets.

 According to Rock Records (HK), Backstreet Boys sold 80,000 copies in Hong Kong and its follow-up album has already attained the same sales figure since its release last August. Both have topped the local album charts. And there is more.

 The group's three video releases (on laser disc, video CD and tape) have sold 40,000 copies, while single sales have also done well, given Hong Kong's small CD single market, surpassing 10,000 copies.

 In Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia, both their albums have gone multi-platinum. Everybody (Backstreet's Back), As Long As You Love Me, and All I Have To Give have all topped the singles chart in these countries. Only Japan appears to be immune to the BSB craze.

 In just more than a year, the group has had five consecutive top five singles in the British charts while Backstreet's Back has sold some nine million copies since its release last August.

 It was also named 'Best Band in the Entire Universe' at Smash Hits magazine's Annual Poll Winners Party, a barometer of teen tastes.

 Judging by their performance at Wembley, Backstreet Boys' success lies not just with their looks but image. Like Cantonese pop stars, it is a squeaky clean act and the group tends to talk a lot about God and family.

 Carter, 18, once said: 'The best way you can compare us is to a family of five brothers, because everything a family of five would do that's what we do.

 'If we have a little dispute, we'll find out a way to solve it.'  Their carefully choreographed dance routines show a lot of thought. The fact that all five can sing - and that McLean, 20, and Howie D, 25, know exactly when to bare their chests - is also an advantage.

 But the Boys better watch out. Since they last visited Hong Kong, a number of boy bands from Britain, US and Australia - 98 degrees, 911, Human Nature and Hanson, to name a few - have laid claim to teen pop's global throne.

 With Kevin pushing 26, how long can BSB call itself a boy band? After all, the youngest member of the Hanson brothers, Zac, is only 12.

 To ensure its survival, the Backstreet Boys will have to rely on not just catchy tunes but super-slick marketing strategy. But isn't that what boy bands are all about? The entertainment pages are edited by Winnie Chung. Tel: 2565 2216; Fax: 2562 2485. E-mail: wchung@scmp.com 



From boys to kings of pop