How the Backstreet Boys Came to Collaborate with Britney Spears on the Song “Matches” from Glory
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In a conversation with PEOPLE, the boy band also shares details about their upcoming Las Vegas residency at the Sphere.
In 2020, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears treated music fans to a nostalgic pop moment.
The group—comprised of Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, and Howie Dorough—joined forces with the pop icon, now 43, for the dynamic electro-pop track Matches, which appeared on the deluxe edition of her album Glory.
According to the I Want It That Way singers, both they and Spears had previously recorded versions of Matches, but neither had initially planned to release the song.
“It was during COVID when the label approached us and suggested, ‘How about a collaboration between you both on this track?’” recalls Dorough, 51, from a hotel room in New York City.
He continued, “And we thought, ‘Why not?’ We grew up alongside Britney, both being signed to Jive Records.”
The two acts spent years in the industry together, reaching the height of their careers around the same time.
During the discussion, Backstreet Boys also opened up about their upcoming Las Vegas residency at the Sphere, set to begin in July. Titled Into the Millennium, the show will bring their iconic 1999 album Millennium to life on stage.
“It’s exciting not only to collaborate with rising artists but also to work with peers who were making music at the same time as us,” Dorough explains. “So it just felt like the right thing to do.”
He continues, “Honestly, this is a comeback on a whole new level. You can’t get bigger than the Sphere.”
Reflecting on their last Las Vegas residency, the group described it as an “unbelievable experience” and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to return.
“We’re reviving an album we released years ago, bringing it back for fans who saw it the first time and for those who weren’t even born yet,” Dorough shares. “It’s a blessing to return to Vegas in this way—bigger and better than ever!”