Backstreet Boys & NSYNC members spill on decades-long competition

Backstreet Boys and the NSYNC have had a longtime rivalry that defined the 90s.

In CW's new documentary, The '90s Boy Band Boom, Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys said that NSYNC was formed as a direct competition to his group.

He said, "When you have a Coca-Cola, why not have a Pepsi? When you have a McDonald's, why not have a Burger King?"

"When you look at your big brother going to Europe and knocking down doors, recording songs and moving the needle across the planet ... they strolled right into a concrete highway that was built for success," Littrell added.

It is worth mentioning that Backstreet Boys, which debuted in 1993, had already gained popularity when NSYNC was formed in 1995.

The member of NSYNC, Chris Kirkpatrick, also shared in the documentary that competition pushed both groups to work harder, saying, "The competition between us and the Backstreet Boys was definitely a thing. It was the fans. It was us five. It was those five. It was the songs. It was the shows. It was everything we did, it was a competition."

"I’ve told this to AJ [McLean], I’ve said, ‘Listen if it wasn’t for the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC wouldn’t have been as big as we were. And if it weren’t for *NSYNC, the Backstreet Boys wouldn’t have been as big as they were.'"

"Because it would’ve been so easy to be complacent, but because of that rivalry we always had to make sure we were one step ahead of them. It challenged us. It made sure that we never got complacent. Put in the time, put in the work. That was the mentality we always had," Kirkpatrick added.