The Backstreet Boys aim for the Super Bowl: “We would bring Britney”

Having previously opted out of performing at the Super Bowl halftime show and instead chosen to sing the national anthem, the Backstreet Boys now appear determined as they aim to grab the halftime slot at next year’s American football championship game.

In the midst of its residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, the boyband is already looking at the next big goal and AJ McLean tells “People” exclusively:

“I just started an online petition on behalf of the band to have us do halftime in 2027. You should definitely vote yes for us, especially because next year it’s going to be in Los Angeles, at SoFi. It’s mine and Kevin Richardson’s house, so that would be really cool.”

He was then echoed by Nick Carter, who stated that the Backstreet Boys’ performance at the Super Bowl would be a real “pop explosion”, with other musical icons of the 90s and early 2000s. And he said, “We’re going to bring back Britney Spears, we’re going to bring *NSYNC back.” He continued: “We’re going to bring back 98 Degrees, I don’t care. We’re going to be the headliners. We’re going to bring back all our pop friends – it would be something like that. We’re biased, because we really think that our era of music, the late ’90s, early 2000s, is probably one of the most nostalgic for people and makes you feel good. We’re part of a club of artists who, for a show like this, should all be brought back together.”

The “Toxic” pop star and *NSYNC performed at the Super Bowl XXXV Halftime Show in 2001, along with Aerosmith, Mary J. Blige and Nelly. At the time, the Backstreet Boys declined to participate in the show, choosing instead to sing the national anthem.

Should Backstreet Boys land the gig, Howie Dorough already has something in mind for the show and said he’d like to do “something like fly into the stadium” and would hope to bring in “the amazing creative team” they’ve been working with for the current residency. McLean explained: “I think it would be something incredible. They are visual artists, we are creative as a group. Everything we have done here at Sphere has been a collective effort. Obviously we have been a fundamental part of the creative process, from the initial idea to the first show. Bringing the whole dream team together again would definitely be an amazing sight.” Dorough concluded: “Every artist dreams, at some point, of having a commercial, singing the national anthem or doing the halftime show. This year we were lucky to have a commercial.”