Even after the UK's Smash Hits Awards named America's Backstreet Boys as the Best Newcomers of 1995, they barely charted in the Canadian market with their European hit single, "We've Got It Goin' On". It never caught fire in the US. However, with the release of 1997's Backstreet's Back, the Boys began to rise to prominence in the US. It was during this pivotal time hat we had a chance to talk with the Backstreet Boys.

At this time, they sat modestly on the Billboard Hot 200 while their single "Quit Playin' Games (With My Heart)" was steadily moving up the charts.

So, here we go, back two years, before the massive hype. Before they became huge I sat down with them at Shea's Theatre in chilly Buffalo, NY. Here are Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, and A.J. McLean: the Backstreet Boys.

How did you guys come together?

Howie: A.J., Nicky, and myself met back five years ago. We met in Orlando at the auditions for Universal Studios for different acting jobs for movies and commercials. And while bumping into each other at auditions we realized that we had another passion, music. And so we kind of formed up a little trio. We heard of a record label called Transcontinental Records and we presented our ideas to the record label and auditioned for it. But they took us as far as they could go and we thought we wanted to go to a bigger label to take us on to do, you know, worldwide distribution and everything. And shortly after that we signed to Jive Records. And it's history from there.

The Backstreet Boys have been compared to the New Kids On The Block, as well as a male version of the Spice Girls. What makes you guys different?

Kevin: I think just as far as the comparisons, I mean, both New Kids and the Spice Girls are incredible. The New Kids were incredibly successful, although there was a lot controversy surrounding their success and their vocals and all that stuff. But the Spice Girls, you know, they're very successful as well. I mean, it's a compliment to be compared to them on the level of success. But we feel that our music, our influences and what our group is all about, is totally different. The Backstreet Boys are just about music. We're not about an image or anything like that. We're just trying to make good music. We're just five guys who love to sing. We have a love and respect for music and we want to have careers in this industry for a long time.

How does it feel to be a part of this longstanding tradition in music of being a teen idol?

Brian: I think being a teen band, so to speak, they call us a boy band here in Europe, but we've been trying to stray away from that as much as possible because of the fact that we concentrate on our music, we don't concentrate on an image. A particular style that I think we all share comes across in our music as well as being in the spotlight, a teen idol so to speak, in teen magazines. There's a lot of influence that you have on young people of the world today, and it can be somewhat of a pressure. But I think we as people always profess to not being perfect because we're not. And our music is about love, relationships, and any kind of thing that would deal with ordinary life that young people and all people of all ages can relate to. And it's important for us to stick to our music. We're not politicians. We try to stray away from being, you know, answering important questions, because we're only human and we do what we love and that's an opportunity to sing and perform music.

Does the group have a lot of input into the music and the album?

Nick: How could I answer that question?

Brian: Very Carefully. (laughs)

Nick: Yes. (pauses to think) Guys, why don't you help me out on this one?

Brian: I'll just say coming from the recording of the first album to the recording of the second album was a little different, being that we hadn't had a lot of studio time under our belts which was a little intimidating at times. But I think when you listen to the album, song after song, you'll realize that there's no particular person that actually stands out more than the other because the Backstreet Boys are a group. And we're five very talented individuals that all can sing very well, so we hope that that will carry. Dealing with the music side, as I said in the beginning, it was a little intimidating in the beginning to record songs. So we didn't have as much input as we did on the second album, and I think that stands out a little bit when you hear the European album which the U.S. will get in a little while and that you don't have yet. But I think it's just as important to collaborate in the studio. We're all growing as writers and as artists. And I think that's the future of the Backstreet Boys, more talent, more things, more different ideas coming directly from us because it's already started.

What is the most ingenious or sneaky thing a fan has done to meet you?

Howie: This one fan knew everything to a T about my family. She called and said she was my sister (Pollyanna) and was downstairs in the lobby and we believed her. I mean, she must, I don't know what the heck, have had found my biography from somewhere or somehow found this stuff out about me. She got them to connect her to my room. I just thought it was really creative.

Brian: Yes, we were also in Glasgow, Scotland, and the stage got rushed and their barricades weren't that strong, and we didn't have that many house security as well as our security down front, and you can't really stop thousands of girls coming from all different angles. And they rushed the stage. Two or three of them made it up on stage while the song was going on. We didn't know which way to go. One of them beelined it towards Kevin and then wrapped her arms around him. And another went straight to Nick and strangled him.

So we've had some pretty interesting things happen. You guys achieved success rather quickly. How has that effected you?

A.J.: I don't think that we achieved success at the very beginning. I think a lot of people don't know this but we've been together for almost five years now. At the very beginning, we toured for about a year and a half without a record deal. We basically got our record deal from one of our managers holding up the phone at one of our concerts in a school. I don't even know if it was a school, it was somewhere in Ohio.

What do you say to all of those kids out there that want to get a record deal?

A.J.: You better be able to sing. Patience. Have a lot of patience. There's a ton of talented people in this world, and it's just a matter of getting the break and actually meeting the right people and making the connections. Because being on the road and traveling you realize how many talented people there really are out in the world that just never make the right connections. And the connections are a big part of it as well. You just got to realize that you can't take anything for granted.