Hey, fellow fangirl! We’re Britt + Kelsey. Before we dive into posting on the reg here, we wanted to take a minute to introduce ourselves.
Since we’re both design nerds (more on this in a bit!), our posts here will be all about sharing our creative perspective — from outfits, to video direction, to set design, and more — we’re going to focus on showcasing the aesthetic side of all things BSB. We hope you enjoy what’s to come!
But first, let’s share our story…
Kelsey’s Backstory
My Backstreet Boys story starts in Germany. My dad was in the Army and we were stationed in Mannheim in the early 90s (during the ages of 3-5 for me). The majority of the music I grew up listening to, until about high school, was just whatever my parents listened to. To this day, I’m super grateful that they have good taste. 😉 While in Germany, boy bands like East 17 and Take That were all the rage. My parents remember seeing a Backstreet Boys music video for the first time and getting them confused with the other popular boy bands, but in my mom’s own words, “They quickly became our favorite.” She told me that they remembered feeling “so cool” when we got back to the states because we knew all the BSB songs before the US finally caught on. While I love hearing everyone’s BSB origin stories, I’m slightly envious of those who have vivid memories of their first time seeing or hearing the boys. I was too young at the time to have that sort of memory — it kind of just feels like they’ve always been a part of my life. There are random things I remember, though, like ogling at them in a teen magazine then telling my aunt that Nick was my favorite (and not being able to get past Kevin’s eyebrows when she chose him…it’s okay, Kev. I get it now.) There’s also something about QPGWMH that always gets me right in the feels—the intro music makes my heart swell with nostalgia every. time.
I admit that I fell off of the fangirl train for a bit in the middle of my life during high school and college. While I still loved a good BSB throwback, I lost track of keeping up with what they were up to, especially while Kevin was out. Then, back in 2015, I connected with Britt through a Facebook group. We were both trying to start our own virtual design businesses (brand design for me, website design for her) and decided to swap services. While emailing back and forth, I sent over the “About Me” text to use on my website, which—of course—mentioned Backstreet Boys. This simple mention in an email not only re-ignited my love for them (at a WHOLE new level) but also started one of the most important friendships in my life.
Britt’s Backstory
I’ll be honest — I don’t even know when my BSB story began! They were definitely plastered all over the walls in my bedroom. I was also glued to my TV for every episode of TRL after school when they even had the slightest chance of a video being on the countdown. I remember crying when they announced AJ going to rehab (because, you guys, how freakin’ sad did they all look?!) And, I do have vivid memories of trying to record BSB songs from their Burger King exclusive CDs as my personalized greeting on my answering machine as a kid.
I went to a few local concerts here in Cleveland + Columbus over the years — I vividly remember the hoverboards flying above and all around us and even the more intimate venue in Columbus a few years later! And, while it wasn’t “cool” to like them when I was in high school and college, I still secretly listened to them on Napster + ALL of the old streaming services from way back when. 😉
As I got older, even entering the workplace, they were always my go-to comfort music. When times got tough, I looked forward to putting in my earbuds while I worked and I instantly felt a bit of relief. And, finally, when work began to get too stressful, I pondered the idea of starting my own business. Because, hey, I had two degrees under my belt — in web design + communications! Maybe I could make something work?! Something HAD to work. That’s when I posted on a Facebook group about wanting to take this leap — and I found Kelsey.
Not only did I find someone to help me build my own brand for my new website design business, but I found someone that dug me out of some of the darkest times of my life. Our first friendship connection was, of course, our mutual love of the Backstreet Boys! We joked for months later that we should find a way to go to a show together, even though we were literally on opposite ends of the country.
And, little did we know…. That’s exactly what would happen. 🙂
Our Story
So, over a year and a half after first connecting online, we decided to start a business together and thought, “We deserve to meet in person, right?!” ???? In March of 2017, it finally happened. Britt flew from Cleveland to San Diego and we road tripped to Vegas for our first #BSBVegas experience. Right before she boarded her plane, Britt revealed that she’d gotten us VIP M&G tickets. (!!!)
So, we finally hugged each other for the first time one day, then hugged all five Backstreet Boys for the first time the next day. Needless to say, this was a BIG deal for both of us. Since then, we’ve been to 2 more shows together (another in Vegas, and DNA in Chicago!) and have literally built our friendship (and honestly, even our business!) on the foundation that is BSB. They’ve become an integral part of our brand—people know us as the designers who love the Backstreet Boys. They’ve become incorporated into our business goals (financial goals = M&G money). They keep us going, they motivate us, make us laugh, distract us when we need it, and best of all—they have connected us with not only each other, but so many other wonderful people we’ve met through this fandom!
If you’re still reading, thanks for sticking around and reliving this journey with us. We’re SO excited to bring our fangirl status to the next level on this blog with you all! Stay tuned for our decade recap of the boys’ best looks + music videos!
xoxo,
Britt + Kelsey
