New Kids On The Block Share Behind The Scenes Of New Album, ‘Still Kids’ | Billboard News — Transcript

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1. 0:00it involved you know ring room service a
2. 0:03bottle of wine yeah and then he played
3. 0:06hard to get for two days and he would
4. 0:07talk to John so John would go what
5. 0:09happened he's not texting me he's going
6. 0:11to let Jordan sing it instead hey with
7. 0:14the New Kids on the Block this is
8. 0:16billboard
9. 0:19news you guys have a new album out first
10. 0:22time in 11 years what is the feeling
11. 0:24like what does today feel like for you
12. 0:26guys well it is exciting to finally be
13. 0:28able to share the album I mean been
14. 0:30finished and ready to go for a little
15. 0:32bit it's exciting and just hearing the
16. 0:34fans you know diving in right
17. 0:38[Music]
18. 0:43away we're excited we're proud of the
19. 0:46album and excited to play it and have
20. 0:49listening parties right
21. 0:51Jordan yeah no it's always fun to like
22. 0:53put new music out and share with the
23. 0:55fans like something you've been like
24. 0:56working on for a year or whatever how
25. 1:00long it took us have you guys been like
26. 1:02scrolling social media feeds are you the
27. 1:04type of guys that scroll like to see the
28. 1:05reactions like favorite songs getting
29. 1:08the the the music out like are you are
30. 1:10you guys plugged in or that or you just
31. 1:12like kind of letting go I was just on
32. 1:13there yeah and I the fans are already
33. 1:15you know calling out different songs
34. 1:17what are they saying Joe what are they
35. 1:18saying what's the word on the street you
36. 1:20know
37. 1:22listen it's still time I know it's too
38. 1:24early it's too early let let it build up
39. 1:26let it simmer you know we don't want to
40. 1:28rush anything okay yeah right now for
41. 1:31single kids your your beautiful ballad
42. 1:35love like this we're slowly you know
43. 1:38okay climbing the uh climbing the charts
44. 1:41the Billboard charts the fans are happy
45. 1:44though that's the one thing they're
46. 1:45they're very happy that's cool that's
47. 1:47cool I don't want to brag on the album
48. 1:50but you know if you're a blockhead or if
49. 1:53you know anything about this band I
50. 1:55think we nailed it and I think it's it's
51. 1:58great and we're really proud of it and
52. 2:00the fans are reacting the way that we
53. 2:02could only dream they would it's a
54. 2:04really special Journey for them and our
55. 2:06fans they listen you know they're not
56. 2:08like skipping ahead to songs they will
57. 2:10listen to every single moment and look
58. 2:12for things and listen for things and
59. 2:13they're responding the way that we could
60. 2:15only hope they
61. 2:21would how much of a challenge is it to
62. 2:24keep those hits fresh and keep being
63. 2:26able to to play them and in ways that
64. 2:29are exciting to you you guys and
65. 2:30obviously the fans are always going to
66. 2:31love hearing the songs they want to hear
67. 2:33and and sing along to the songs hit me
68. 2:36there is no
69. 2:38way they're the same records as they
70. 2:41were in
71. 2:441988 the only thing is that when we play
72. 2:47them they sound amazing and the fans
73. 2:50love
74. 2:54it if you're at the gym if you're out
75. 2:57running if you're just at home and you
76. 2:59put your favorite old album on it sounds
77. 3:02amazing for us it's like it's the
78. 3:05reaction that we get from the from the
79. 3:07fans when we play those old Rec it feels
80. 3:11brand new I don't know it feels alive we
81. 3:13do jazz them up a bit we do throw little
82. 3:16things in there or like we'll change the
83. 3:18routine a little bit here and there
84. 3:20we've been getting the same reaction for
85. 3:22you know 40 years so once we get that
86. 3:25reaction it just it feels fresh and new
87. 3:28every every single night
88. 3:30[Music]
89. 3:34it's like if you went to see one of your
90. 3:35favorite Brands if you went to see lead
91. 3:37Zeppelin you wouldn't want to hear a
92. 3:38remix of stay away to Heaven you know
93. 3:41you'd want to hear stay away to Heaven I
94. 3:44do want to hear remix your guys song
95. 3:46remix on one of my favorite I love that
96. 3:49song too hell yeah great going to be a b
97. 3:52and obviously it's your first album in
98. 3:54in a while but also like you guys have
99. 3:55been very active and putting out new
100. 3:57music listening to this album it does
101. 3:59sound like you guys are like
102. 4:01reinvigorated like it sounds like there
103. 4:02is like a certain like enthusiasm across
104. 4:05every song like there's like certainly
105. 4:07like a hunger you can kind of hear and
106. 4:10and cohesion like does it feel like that
107. 4:12like does it feel like a special project
108. 4:14you know that we're going to give you
109. 4:15the inside scoop or anyways my scoop
110. 4:17Donnie you know kind of kicked it off
111. 4:19and we've had success with singles oneof
112. 4:21the last song we had was bring back the
113. 4:23time and great reaction there and that
114. 4:26sort of kicked off like maybe let's do
115. 4:27some more music and Donnie started
116. 4:30writing and Jordan started recording
117. 4:32vocals and building and personally cuz I
118. 4:35ended
119. 4:36up luckily enough you know writing you
120. 4:39know co-writing half half about half the
121. 4:42the album and it it did take a lot it
122. 4:45would there was a lot of passion there I
123. 4:46heard a lot of passion you know and but
124. 4:48there was a lot of give and take and
125. 4:50space to like feel what this was going
126. 4:52to become when we all got involved you
127. 4:54know and um there was a bouncing back
128. 4:57and forth you know of songs and then
129. 4:59when I made more songs and there were
130. 5:01other songs on you know Donnie and Lars
131. 5:03Road and um yeah it it's nice that you
132. 5:08you hear that cuz I think it was a very
133. 5:10real thing how different is the music
134. 5:13making process Now versus you know
135. 5:16either the last album or back in the day
136. 5:19straight up you could get a decent vocal
137. 5:21on an iPhone voice memo you know it's
138. 5:23funny though what's funny is that um I
139. 5:27recorded in in a hotel room like after
140. 5:30the last cruise we did I recorded with
141. 5:32Lars who's one of The Producers on the
142. 5:34record and back in the day we recorded
143. 5:37our whole Christmas album mostly in
144. 5:39hotel rooms so that's the similar part
145. 5:42but we basically all could be at home
146. 5:45and record our parts on the record and
147. 5:48you know I could text Joe or text Donnie
148. 5:50and they'd give me feedback and you know
149. 5:52do some backgrounds on this song and do
150. 5:54this on that song so it was really easy
151. 5:56and fluid and still felt together as a
152. 5:59the group yeah true yeah cuz we we would
153. 6:02usually have to like all fly to a city
154. 6:05or all fly to LA and meet up at you know
155. 6:09at the studio at a certain time but now
156. 6:11it's like Hey whenever you're ready you
157. 6:13know jump on the FaceTime and you know
158. 6:17take a computer out and you know do some
159. 6:19vocals or whatever it's like I think
160. 6:21what sped that along too is like we did
161. 6:24a song during the um pandemic and it was
162. 6:29like like we were forced to have to
163. 6:31record that way and since then it's like
164. 6:34no we don't have to meet up at any are
165. 6:38you crazy look what we just did I'll see
166. 6:40you guys when I see you it's fine bro
167. 6:42I'll see you on FaceTime or Zoom or
168. 6:44whatever even though we're not together
169. 6:47you know sometimes that can make it
170. 6:48sound a little disconnected but I think
171. 6:51one of the things you may pick up on the
172. 6:52album too is I think there's a sense of
173. 6:55like not wanting to let each other down
174. 6:57it becomes this energy of like
175. 7:00I don't want to compare it to uh this is
176. 7:02not a pun but like a Band of Brothers we
177. 7:03are a Band of Brothers in our own right
178. 7:06and you know much like the real life
179. 7:09Banner Brothers you know they never want
180. 7:11to let each other down and it's like
181. 7:13there is that thing it's like I don't
182. 7:14want to not deliver here I want to you
183. 7:17know there's a urgency I think that
184. 7:19sometimes you can hear in voices of
185. 7:20wanting to deliver the best right in a
186. 7:24performance and um I think I think
187. 7:26that's present in this record even in
188. 7:28the writing you know there's like a they
189. 7:30want to
190. 7:31not have the stinky vocal on the album
191. 7:34or have the clunker of a track that
192. 7:36nobody wants to listen to right it's
193. 7:37like it's it there's a it gives an
194. 7:39urgency you know and and it gives an
195. 7:42energy that is hard to put your finger
196. 7:43on but it's it it's felt by the
197. 7:46listeners we joke about it but you know
198. 7:49was lucky enough to write this song on
199. 7:51my buddy Shan for for John didn't have a
200. 7:54dime and it took a little time but we
201. 7:57found our way and these are the better
202. 8:01days it was like we were dating I
203. 8:04literally did not want to overtext you
204. 8:06know what I mean cuz I didn't want to
205. 8:07pressure him you know I wanted him to
206. 8:09like just comfortably get to that point
207. 8:12we ended up you know we ended up getting
208. 8:14him on a on a getting the vocal and so
209. 8:17it's it's it's very even though it has
210. 8:19its difficulties it's actually pretty
211. 8:21interesting you know so I'm just
212. 8:23picturing you being like just checking
213. 8:25in oh just seeing it pretty much doing
214. 8:28the doing the tango no hey buddy hey
215. 8:32buddy what are you doing
216. 8:34buddy it involved you know ring room
217. 8:37service a bottle of wine yeah and then
218. 8:40he played hard to get for two days and
219. 8:42he wouldn't talk to John so John would
220. 8:44go what happened he's not texting me
221. 8:46he's gonna let Jordan sing it instead
222. 8:48well well how did that how did that song
223. 8:50come together because it's it's one of
224. 8:51the highlights on the album how did how
225. 8:53did how did that kind of happen with
226. 8:55with John you taking taking lead well
227. 8:58Joe texted me
228. 9:00and he said he wrote this song and that
229. 9:02it
230. 9:03reminded it reminded him of me and my
231. 9:06husband I wrote it for you actually he
232. 9:09was they were the m was the and uh he
233. 9:12played it for me and I was just like
234. 9:14teary eyed and I was like oh my God you
235. 9:16know just the fact that he wrote a song
236. 9:19thinking of me it was so sweet and you
237. 9:21know I I was H do I want to do like a
238. 9:25lead song because then I know Donnie's
239. 9:27going to text me like he did yes today
240. 9:30asking me to perform it
241. 9:33live and I totally ghosted you on that
242. 9:36one no no there's plenty of time don't
243. 9:39worry so um yeah it was it was it was it
244. 9:42was just it was very sweet I wanted to
245. 9:44ask in terms of um what it's been like
246. 9:49witnessing other boy bands and different
247. 9:51iterations of of boy bands over over the
248. 9:55course of your careers obviously you
249. 9:56guys toured and and and recorded with
250. 9:58back stre boys but you think about the
251. 10:01different variations of what a boy band
252. 10:04has meant and you know recently the last
253. 10:06couple years you've had a band like BTS
254. 10:08become International stars as a boy band
255. 10:10and score huge hits in the US like what
256. 10:12has it just been like living through
257. 10:14these different iterations of what a boy
258. 10:16band mean and can do and can look like
259. 10:18and can sound like yeah what has it been
260. 10:19like for you guys you look up to who you
261. 10:22look up to you know and then if you're
262. 10:23lucky enough to make it you're not
263. 10:25you're not looking back to who's looking
264. 10:27up to you you know but it is kind of
265. 10:29cool that like new addition were like
266. 10:32legit Our Heroes you know before we were
267. 10:34even in a group and then we get into a
268. 10:36group and then we just continue to look
269. 10:38up to them and they were been so
270. 10:40gracious over the years and such
271. 10:42examples for us and it's kind of cool
272. 10:45that those two groups are from Boston
273. 10:47you know I me in the same freaking
274. 10:49neighborhood it's that's that's awesome
275. 10:51um every band has its story you know and
276. 10:54um sure there are similarities you know
277. 10:56what I mean of hanging in there and kind
278. 10:59of being a band and dealing with you
279. 11:01know different personalities and
280. 11:03different Journeys and you can identify
281. 11:05with that I think there's some
282. 11:06identifying with that you know but it's
283. 11:08all mostly behind the scenes stuff you
284. 11:10know and then there's a also just a
285. 11:13regular disconnect that you know you
286. 11:14don't feel like it's it's exactly the
287. 11:17same thing we also avoid I think
288. 11:20sometimes taking the bait and not
289. 11:23because at least in the earlier days
290. 11:26certainly of Backstreet Boys and in sync
291. 11:28it was like you know I'm like off trying
292. 11:30to have an acting career and we weren't
293. 11:33even together anymore and people would
294. 11:34be like what do you think about them
295. 11:36what do you say about this it's like I'm
296. 11:38trying to get this acting job I'm not
297. 11:40worried about what them guys are doing
298. 11:42and I'd say that with respect to them
299. 11:44it's like I think we also went through
300. 11:46so much as kids that we probably are
301. 11:50mindful that there is a journey you know
302. 11:53it's like to the outside world it's like
303. 11:56oh well they did that so now they're
304. 11:58doing that no there was a process that
305. 12:02everybody's gone through and a struggle
306. 12:03that everyone has as a collective and
307. 12:06individuals like I don't know what those
308. 12:09individuals who make up that band have
309. 12:11been through in their life did they lose
310. 12:13a parent at a young age did they you
311. 12:15know did they suffer from something are
312. 12:17they suffering from something now I have
313. 12:19no clue right so to just say oh yeah
314. 12:24they're a boy band I know what that's
315. 12:25all about or whatever I have no clue
316. 12:27right and and I also know
317. 12:29we were judged a lot as kids and you
318. 12:34know we came through it and sometimes we
319. 12:38prove stuff to the world and sometimes
320. 12:39we we're actually proving stuff to
321. 12:41ourselves cuz we had our own questions
322. 12:44do we really deserve all the success are
323. 12:46we really this good like what the hell
324. 12:48but when people try to take it from you
325. 12:50then it's like hey you know we are that
326. 12:52good back up man you know it's like
327. 12:54there's this whole thing that you
328. 12:56experience and um but I do think we just
329. 12:59collectively I I've never heard this
330. 13:02band walking around talking about other
331. 13:06bands similar or inspired by us or by
332. 13:09people that came before us whether it's
333. 13:11the Jackson the new edition or whomever
334. 13:14that came before us it's like I just
335. 13:16think we just we went through a lot and
336. 13:19I think we have a
337. 13:21respect for people who are successful
338. 13:24and trying to make it cuz it's not easy
339. 13:26no matter what anyone says there's no
340. 13:28overnight successes maybe if you do a
341. 13:31social media thing and it goes viral in
342. 13:33a day okay you're an overnight success
343. 13:35but in this industry there aren't very
344. 13:37many of those it's a very difficult
345. 13:39thing to do so hudos to all who uh have
346. 13:42made it well that actually leads to my
347. 13:44next question which is just like you
348. 13:46guys are are back in a very different
349. 13:49iteration of the music industry now then
350. 13:52you know even just a few years ago when
351. 13:54you think about your last album was you
352. 13:56know streaming was just kind of getting
353. 13:58started Tik Tok wasn't a thing there
354. 14:01weren't trends go like like Donnie like
355. 14:04you're talking about blowing up songs
356. 14:06and five second Clips overnight like
357. 14:08have you guys felt that at all in terms
358. 14:10of like starting to promote this album
359. 14:11get the songs out there is it just like
360. 14:14or is it kind of the the same thing in
361. 14:16in like a different slightly different
362. 14:18form I think um what it looks like in
363. 14:22uh our pal Jared Paul our manager
364. 14:26mentioned that and it it makes sense but
365. 14:27but you know I I think people appreciate
366. 14:30an album like a full album they they
367. 14:33they recognize the work that's been put
368. 14:35into it and it's not just a singles
369. 14:37singles are fun too and and we've done
370. 14:39that but there's a sense of like oh this
371. 14:42is a serious piece of work and like yeah
372. 14:44we're going to we're going to give you
373. 14:46some time and and check it out and and
374. 14:49that's pretty cool you know I I think
375. 14:51you know things change and I think every
376. 14:54generation is like this is crazy what's
377. 14:56going on you know how do it's not the
378. 14:58same like oh no
379. 15:00um you know riding that wave and sorry
380. 15:03to interrupt that that's literally my
381. 15:04dad like every couple years what Tik
382. 15:08Tock huh yeah so totally totally and and
383. 15:12I'm I'm that guy in a lot of ways too
384. 15:14with my kids but it's nice to you know
385. 15:16make an album have people interested in
386. 15:18in a kind of a old school way that it is
387. 15:21a bigger piece of work and and we you
388. 15:24know we benefit from social media you
389. 15:27know we got the Tik Tock dance for kids
390. 15:29that we did and uh you know and and
391. 15:32everything else we do to stay connected
392. 15:33on social media as well I'm grateful for
393. 15:36our history you know because we we built
394. 15:40it over time and now I don't know to
395. 15:43come out it seems like a different Lane
396. 15:45like we literally came to New York and
397. 15:47pounded the pavement you know and
398. 15:49knocked on doors and sang in offices to
399. 15:52to get our break and now it's very
400. 15:55different it's very different and but I
401. 15:57think that generation this generation
402. 16:00doesn't feel like it it feels real to
403. 16:02them that's what they're doing with and
404. 16:04in 10 years it'll be totally different
405. 16:05then we also pounded the pavement today
406. 16:07it's the only difference between 35
407. 16:10years ago and now is people letting us
408. 16:11in the doors when we show up in these
409. 16:13offices back then they're like get out
410. 16:15of
411. 16:16here you guys are touring the summer um
412. 16:20which is exciting um what can fans
413. 16:24expect Danny um they can expect Danny
414. 16:27it's true yes they they can expect uh
415. 16:30some of the new music obviously we want
416. 16:32to sprinkle some of that in there but
417. 16:34all the hits and you know we're going
418. 16:37back it's the magic summer tour and we
419. 16:38did that in 1990 and I've said in other
420. 16:41interviews this was my least favorite
421. 16:43tour back then because we were so far it
422. 16:46was a stadium tour so we were so far
423. 16:48from the audience felt disconnected
424. 16:51we're bringing it back and you know the
425. 16:53Magic's going to be in the music and the
426. 16:55new album and all the hits but I think
427. 16:58people are going to you you know feel
428. 16:59the Nostalgia and we're going to bring
429. 17:01some of the new stuff too and it'll just
430. 17:03be a great night with uh Jazzy Jeff and
431. 17:06Paula Abdul I mean a lot of hits there
432. 17:09so be good I love the Jazzy uh collab on
433. 17:12the on the album too that's that's a lot
434. 17:14of fun he's great he's he's brilliant
435. 17:18you know it's uh he's very very talented
436. 17:21guy like I mean he's been regarded as
437. 17:24the greatest DJ in the world on more
438. 17:27than one occasion he's he pretty pretty
439. 17:29talented guy that's going to be really
440. 17:31fun to match up with him and doing that
441. 17:32song was fun I mean I sent him the track
442. 17:34he's
443. 17:35like send it right back like done I was
444. 17:38like can you change this and done I mean
445. 17:41he's he's and he's very enthused about
446. 17:43the tour as we are so it's going to be
447. 17:45great to chop it up with him and um as
448. 17:48somebody mentioned earlier we we used to
449. 17:50tour around with Jazzy Jeff from the
450. 17:52Fresh prins in the late ' 80s you know
451. 17:54we used to hang out with uh Jeff and
452. 17:57will and Charlie M and JL who's uh their
453. 18:01manager and Will's manager to this day I
454. 18:03mean great guys and I can't wait to see
455. 18:05them this Summer you can clown on them
456. 18:07for being Sixers fans as well here you
457. 18:09go it's a Brotherhood you know we talked
458. 18:12before this interview for those watching
459. 18:14if this isn't edited out about the
460. 18:16Sixers and Celtics and Jason's love of
461. 18:19the Sixers but there's a respect there's
462. 18:22a respect between Boston and Philly
463. 18:24definitely oh yeah this is we're going
464. 18:26off off of music right now second but in
465. 18:301982 when the
466. 18:3276ers beat the Celtics to go to the NBA
467. 18:35finals in game
468. 18:37seven the Boston fans started chanting
469. 18:40beat La it was where the chant started
470. 18:43wasn't for Boston to go beat La it was
471. 18:45Boston fans encouraging Philly to go
472. 18:48beat LA because we were the Step
473. 18:50Brothers Boston and Philly in the in in
474. 18:54the shadow of New York in La yep so
475. 18:57that's what it is we we we have a mutual
476. 19:00respect the Celtics fans we don't like
477. 19:03the Sixers but we respect the Sixers
478. 19:06yeah cuz you beat the six
479. 19:09no no nobody in Boston would be mad
480. 19:12about seeing and beat in the Sixers win
481. 19:14one day nobody would as long as they
482. 19:16didn't beat us to do it exactly new kids
483. 19:19you guys are awesome thank you so much
484. 19:21for chatting this is awesome and uh
485. 19:24congrats on the new album out now