Backstreet Boys Go Country: Win Award & Perform New Song At CMT Music Awards
At last night’s 2018 CMT Music Awards, the Backstreet Boys proved they could win over a country music loving audience.
Early in the evening, the boy band won its very first CMT Music Award for a collaboration with Florida Georgia Line. The two groups won the CMT Performance of the Year prize for the version of BSB’s “Everybody” that they did together on an episode of CMT Crossroads.
“Seriously? Who would of thought 20 years ago when ‘Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)’ came out that these guys, Florida Georgia Line, would be singing it onstage, and that we would actually do something together,” said Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell as he happily accepted the award.
“I wanna thank God, your mama, and these boys right here,” BSB’s Nick Carter added excitedly.
Backstage, Entertainment Tonight spoke to the band about the big win.
“We definitely didn’t expect this, especially when we saw the category and all the nominees,” Howie Dorough told ET.
“It feels amazing,” added Kevin Richardson.
Later in the program, Littrell, Carter, Dorough, Richardson, and AJ McLean sang their new song, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” live for the very first time.
Choreographed dance moves and smoke effects peppered the performance of the pop tune, and the guys received many screams from the country music fans in attendance at the awards ceremony, which was held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
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Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn introduced the Backstreet Boys’ performance by gushing about how much she loves the group. She walked up to the microphone carrying a poster from her childhood bedroom of the quintet, calling the guys “my faves.”
The Backstreet Boys will play several radio shows in June before returning to Las Vegas in July to continue their popular residency. The Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life show, which debuted last year, is staged at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
We are over the moon! Thank you to our boys @floridageorgialine, to @cmt and the whole country community for welcoming us with open arms!!
? @JasonMyersPhoto pic.twitter.com/cnTF8zWbPW
— Backstreet Boys (@backstreetboys) June 7, 2018
“Until we physically can’t dance anymore, we’re going to keep performing,” McLean told People in February. “That’s what encompasses who we are. We’re performers. We’re not just going to sit up on stools.”
A full album, featuring the single “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” is expected to come out soon.
“I want to create new memories. We’ve been singing the same songs for almost 25 years,” Littrell told People. “It’s not that we’re not excited to sing our old hits, but we want to grow, too. We don’t want to be stuck in what was. We want to continue to grow with our fans.”
