The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993, consisting of AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, and Brian Littrell. They became the best-selling boy band of all time, with global sales exceeding 100 million records, built on the Scandinavian pop factory of Max Martin, Denniz Pop, Kristian Lundin, and Andreas Carlsson. Kevin Richardson departed from 2006 to 2012 before rejoining. Almost all of their biggest hits were written entirely by professional outside songwriters.
The Backstreet Boys' authorship score of roughly 5–10% is among the lowest for any major pop act. Across eight albums, their songwriting credits are sporadic and appear mostly on deeper cuts — the Max Martin/Kristian Lundin/Andreas Carlsson production machine drove nearly every hit, making the Boys almost entirely interpreters rather than composers.
Member Credit Breakdown
Percentage of all tracks (across all albums) where each member holds credit.
| Member | Period | Lyrics | Music | Production | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AJ McLean | 1993–present |
9%
|
9%
|
0%
|
100%
|
| Howie Dorough | 1993–present |
7%
|
7%
|
0%
|
100%
|
| Nick Carter | 1993–present |
7%
|
7%
|
0%
|
100%
|
| Kevin Richardson | 1993–2006, 2012–present |
6%
|
6%
|
2%
|
76%
|
| Brian Littrell | 1993–present |
10%
|
10%
|
0%
|
100%
|