The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group formed in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. They rose to fame with their self-titled debut album and subsequent albums. Though they took a two year break, they reunited and released more albums. They have sold over 130 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling boy band in history. Their musical style has evolved over the years from R&B and dance pop to incorporate more pop rock and adult contemporary elements. They have maintained their target audience of teenage girls and celebrated their 20th anniversary with a world tour.

1. Progression of the Star Image

2. BACKSTREET BOYS
Danel and Ksenia

3. • Backstreet boys are an American
vocal group, formed in Orlando,
Florida in 1993.
• The group rose to fame with their
debut album BACKSTREET BOYS.
In the following year they released
their second international album
BACKSTREET’S BACK.
• They decayed for two years, they
regrouped and released a comeback
album NEVER GONE.
• Richardson left the group to pursue
other interests, but in 2012 her joined
them permanently.

4. • They have sold about 130 million records
worldwide, making them best-selling boy band in
history and one of the world’s best-selling music
artists.

5. • Lou Pearlman placed an ad ro
compose a vocal group. McLean
became the group’s first
member. Others joined later.
• Pearlman decided to call them
BACKSTREET BOYS after the
Backstreet market in Orlando,
near International Drive which
was also a teen hangout.
• Their first performance was at
SeaWorld Orlando on May 8,
1993.

6. • They have celebrated their 20th
anniversary in 2013 with a fan
celebration event in Hollywood
that date.
• The tour lasted for 2 years,
comprising over 170 shows
around the world.
• The tour was the 44th highest
grossing worldwide tour in 2014
with total gross of $32. million.

7. • The have always called themselves as a vocal harmony
group and not a boy band.
• To fight the boy band stereotype they sing a cappella every
chance they get.
• The Backstreet Boys often employ polyphonic harmony,
which sets them apart from many other singing groups.
• Aimed to have a white version of Boyz II Men.

8. • The Backstreet Boy’s musical style has evolved
over the years.
• On their debut and second album, they sang a
hybrid of R&B and dance club pop mixed with
new jack balladry and hip-hop.

9. • With Millennium and Black&Blue,
they started to abandon R&B and
continued with pop and pop rock as
demonstrated on songs like «I want
it that way».
• They changed their style in 2005
with their comeback album NEVER
GONE, which was a contemporary
record featuring only on live
instruments, whereas there previous
songs were done on synthesizers.

10. • Their first without the one
member of the group
,Richardson, UNBREAKABLE
which is similar to NEVER
GONE. It leans mostly to adult
contemporary and
contemporary pop music and
features piano, strings, guitar
and drums with a little bit of hip
hop and reggae elements.

11. • With their 7th album THIS IS
US, they went back to dance-
pop combined with
electropop. It also contains a
more R&B.
• Their first independent album,
which is called IN A WORLD
LIKE THIS, contains a mixture
of modern pop, adult
contemporary and dance music.

12. • Their target audience was the teenage girls, and
still appears to be the same.
• They had their own movie called THIS IS THE
END, and another one is going to be released in
2015.

13. • I looked at their music video I WANT IT THAT WAY. The
video looks quite ordinary as they dressed in a usual casual
clothes. Only one of them looks a bit different from the
others. This may suggest that all of them are presented as
individuals.

14. • I think that they are the mix of organic
and synthetic image, as they look like
they are individuals which can be seen
from their clothes. One of them were
completely different clothes from others,
which suggests that he is an individual.
At the same time, they keep the image of
good innocent boys in their music videos,
presented to the girls, so they make
them their idol.
• However, on their photos hoots they are
stylized like cool guys, usually in black or
white.

15. As we can see,
in 2014 they
wear brighter
clothes,
however, they
are still very
stylish. And
probably still
keep their own
individual zest.
The fact that he is the only one
who wears black proves the idea
of being an individual and at the
same time may suggest that
there is a bad side of them as
well.
They have reunited again, so they
are all together now.

16. Kiss

17. Kiss
• Is an American hard rock band
formed in New York City in
January 1973 by Paul Stanley and
Gene Simmons.
• Before arriving at their current
lineup, the band went through
some changes with Stanley and
Simmons the last two members of
the original band.
• The band has been awarded 28
gold albums, has sold more than
40 million albums in the US,
making them one of the world’s
best-selling bands of all time.

18. • With their makeup and
costumes, they took on the
personas of comic book-
style characters: Starchild,
The Demon, Spaceman
and Catman.
• Since 1973 until 1983 their
makeup and costumes
remained the same.
• However, in 1983 the band officially appeared in public without
makeup for the first time, which coincided with the release of the new
album «Lick it Up».
• After that, the whole concept of the group changed and in their new
tour the showed off unmasked.
• During these non-make-up years, Kiss struggled with their identity
and fan base.

19. • In 1996 the original Kiss lineup
(in full makeup and Love Gun-
era stage outfits) reunited
showing themselves as we
remembered them at the
Grammys.

20. Musical style
• Kiss Have typically been
classified under the genres
of hard rock and heavy
metal throughout most of
their existence.
• However, with the removal
of their trademark makeup,
the band began
incorporating elements of
glam metal into their sound
and visual image. The albums «Lick it up» and
«Asylum» where the band
changed their image showing
themselves without masques.

21. • After all the changes that
were made, the group finally
decided to came back with
their original make-up and
costumes like they were in
1973.
• Moreover, in 2014 the
band went to the 40th
Anniversary World Tour
trying to replicate
themselves 30 years
before.

23. • Overall, if some bands needed a change to stay
popular and had millions of fans, Kiss didn't need it.
• After taking off the masks and changing their typical
look that the fans got used to, their popularity rapidly
fell down.

24. • So, it is clear that not for
every band changes to
attract more audience are
working.
• Some bands need to
remain the same, one of
them is «Kiss».
• The fans still love them
and their concerts are still
very popular and attract
many people.
• Fans like the ‘old’ band
and they tried to make it
come true.