Over the past ten years, Nick has been doing research on where his father’s family is originally from. Nick has stated that his father, Robert, was adopted. With websites such as Ancestry, My Heritage, and others, Nick was able to find out that he has Italian roots.
You may recall back when the Backstreet Boys released their DNA album in 2019 they did a DNA test through My Heritage. At the time, Nick’s results listed he was 9.2% Italian. You can watch that video on the Backstreet Boys’ YouTube here. It’s been two years since then and Nick has revealed in an interview that he’s 20% Italian. The percentage increases when there is more data.
On December 17, Grazia Italia spoke with Nick live on Instagram, where he shared details on what he has learned about his Italian heritage.
Since beginning his research, Nick has met his father’s half-brother, who never knew about Nick’s father. Robert didn’t know who his biological father was. Nick learned that his biological grandfather was 100% Italian and from Sicily. His last name was Maisano but changed to Mason when they arrived in the U.S. at Ellis Island.
After all these years of being a fan, you never would have guessed that your favorite BSB is Italian just like you. It was great to hear Nick share all of this.
You can watch Nick’s interview with Grazia Italia below or if you’re in Italy the interview is featured in the January 2022 issue of Grazia.