Pop
Backstreet Boys want to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show next year
AJ McLean would love to headline the Super Bowl in Los Angeles in 2027.
The Backstreet Boys have their sights set on the 2027 Super Bowl Halftime Show — and they’re not shy about letting fans know.
The iconic boyband — Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson — previously turned down the chance to headline the 2001 halftime show, choosing instead to perform the US national anthem. But more than two decades later, the group are ready to take centre stage.
During their recent show at the Las Vegas Sphere, AJ fired up the crowd with a bold tease, asking: “Backstreet Boys: 2027 Super Bowl Halftime? Let’s make it happen! I mean, why not? It’s in Los Angeles, it’s right down the street.”
The Everybody hitmakers spoke before about their 2001 decision, with Nick telling Entertainment Tonight that they were inspired by Whitney Houston’s legendary anthem performance and opted to follow in her footsteps. He said: “We passed on the halftime."
He added that singing the anthem was still “a memorable experience for everyone".
Meanwhile, Kevin reflected on the group’s early years, admitting the band struggled with the pressures of global fame in the 90s. He revealed that as their success exploded, the members “retreated from one another” instead of growing closer. Kevin left the group in 2006 to explore other projects before rejoining in 2012.
Looking back, he believes the time apart ultimately strengthened them, insisting: “We had to go away from each other to once again find that individuality… to create that group that we are to come back to each other.”
