My Backstreet Lineup

Most everyone has their favorite Backstreet Boy. Even though every once in a while you'll hear the politically correct answer of "I love them all," I still think its natural human tendency to prefer one BSB over another. There's always one boy you'd rather get a hug from or one you'd want to be serenaded by.

Now I've been a Nick girl from day one. That hasn't changed. But the rest of the boys seem to be constantly on the move. I know for some of you out there your favorite might depend on who last waved at you in concert, but for me it is definitely is a gradual move. Reference this lovely graph below.

My Love for the Backstreet Boys Over the Years

Sorry for my blurry graph. It was the best I could come up with.

I actually amused myself watching how my preferences have changed over the years. When I was younger there was definitely a larger gap between my favorite and how shall I say, well not my favorites. I was young and couldn't really appreciate all the members for their specific contributions to the group. Over time that age gap has closed and while I still have my preferences, I still can respect what each member brings to the group as a whole.

Evolution of Nick


I suppose my taste for Nick hasn't really changed much over time. He won me over from the beginning with his boyish charm and good lucks and has been my main man ever since. I really think he's grown a lot as an artist and as a person in the last 20 years. I saw Nick perform solo not too long ago and was blown away by how good he sounded. Nick has interestingly never been my favorite voice, but I was very impressed. I can tell he's grown tremendously.

I do constantly question if Nick is worthy of my #1 spot. He's certainly not perfect, but I like that he's human.

Evolution of Brian

It's surprised me how Brian has been slipping on my list recently. I've always been drawn to his sense of humor. In the earlier years I particularly enjoyed his dynamic with Nick, the days of Frick and Frack. It was very entertaining and for the longest time.

Recently, however, I feel like his goofy antics haven't been doing it for me like they used to. I think as I've matured as a person, I've come to the realization that the Brian we see is on stage is not necessarily who he is off stage. I think its his stage persona. This actually became clear to me while on the cruise because I actually got to see Brian around the ship when he's not "on" and he appears to be quite a different person.

The other reason Brian has been slipping on my list is I feel like he's been largely the same person for the 20 years. Many of you may not view this as a negative, but the way I see it is the other three backstreet boys have grown as people, artists, singers, etc which I respect. Meanwhile Brian has the same look, same voice, same demeanor, etc. In fact, I think his voice has actually gotten slightly worse over time.

Brian fans- no hate mail, please. I still have lots of love for Brian. No one can make me laugh like Brian can. I have a lot of respect for him as a person. It's just that he's had some tough competition recently.

Evolution of AJ

As per my graph, AJ has been my recent new obsession. I think that's why you hear me talk about him so much. In the earlier years, I didn't really have strong opinions on AJ. I was never really drawn to him. He had a great sense of humor, but it wasn't as overt as Brian's. He was good looking, but not as cute as Nick. Thus AJ flew under the radar for a while.

When AJ finally released his solo album, I immediately fell in love with his song, London. It was at this point I really started to take note of AJ individually. How did I never realize what an amazing voice he had? His voice is hands down my fave now.

In the past few years I've seen a side of AJ I've never noticed before. He's not afraid to be himself, he's fun, has a great stage persona, so good with the fans, and the list goes on and on. What can I say? I guess I've developed a taste for bad boys.

Evolution of Howie

I view Howie as the underrated member of the group. He's a lot quieter and its tough to compete with the bolder personalities of Nick, AJ, and Brian. And its been that way since the beginning of the Backstreet Boys. It's no secret that Howie isn't necessarily the fan favorite.

Honestly, my opinion of Howie has improved drastically in the past few years. In the beginning I truthfully just couldn't get past the long curly pony tail. Physically, I think he looks better now than he ever has. I show pictures of the Backstreet Boys to my non-bsb friends and are all really impressed with Howie. They're like, "Wow! Howie is the hot one now."

But its not all about looks. I'm not that shallow.  I think since Kevin has left the group, Howie has been given more of a chance to shine and showcase his vocals. I'm also really impressed with Howie's recent album. I'm enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I'm still really hoping for a Howie US tour. *Fingers crossed*

Truthfully Howie hit his peak with me on the 2011 cruise and I hope he continues to climb on my list. I loved seeing his more outgoing/sexual side. It seemed like he was really comfortable letting loose. Not to mention that he continues to be the best (in my opinion) taking the time to do pictures/hugs/autographs with the fans during his down time. Shows just how humble he is and I really appreciate that about him.

Evolution of Kevin


I wasn't sure if I should take a look at Kevin, however I feel like the boys keep alluding to the fact that he may come back to the group, so why not.

There is a huge age gap between Kevin and I, which makes it tougher to relate to him. Though interestingly if I had to pick which Backstreet Boy I was most like, I'd say Kevin. I'm generally pretty responsible and the voice of reason.

Kevin fell off my list when he decided to leave the group but with his cameo appearance on the cruise last year, I started to open back up to the idea of him rejoining the group. I can't believe it's already been seven years since he left. It's almost tough for me to say how I currently feel about him since he's been largely out of my life for almost a decade. If he ever does decide to rejoin the group, I have no doubt he'll be able to reclaim his spot.



There you have it. I love all of them but all for different reasons. I'll have to revisit this post after the next cruise to see if and how my order changes.

So what are your Backstreet lineups? Who's your fave and why? Feel free to post your comments below!