TheBackstreetBoys(alsoknownastheBSBs)areaGrammy-nominatedAmericanvocalgroup.TheywerelaunchedbyboybandproducerLouPearlman,andhavebeentogethersince1993.Theyhave14Top40hitsontheBillboardHot100andhavesoldover100millionalbumsworldwide,makingthemoneofthebiggestsellingartistsofalltime,[2][3]andbestsellingboyband/vocalgroup.AccordingtoUSBillboard200,theBackstreetBoysarethefirstartistsinceSadetohavetheirfirstsevenalbumsreachtop10onthechart.[4]Theirearliersongsstillremainverypopularamongyoungeraudiences.Whentheyreturnedtothepopscenein2005,theirsoundhadchangeddrastically,incorporatingonlyliveinstruments(someofwhichtheyplaythemselves)andamoreguitarandpianodrivenpop-rocksound.Afterthe2005-2006tour,originalmemberKevinRichardsonleftthegrouponJune23,2006,tostartafamily,[5]butthefour-piecerefusedtoruleoutapossiblereturnforthesinger.[6]Thenowfour-membergroupconsistsofNickCarter,HowieDorough,BrianLittrellandA.J.McLean.Thequartethassincereleasedtwoalbums,themostrecentonOctober6,2009,titledThisIsUs,whichwentbacktopopmusic,althoughisstillconsiderablydifferentfromtheirclassicsound,withThisIsUsbeingmoreR&B.

　　In2009,thegroupbeganworkingonanewalbumthatwasreleasedonOctober6,2009[29]andareconfirmedtobeworkingwithMaxMartin,[30],OneRepublicsingerRyanTedder,RedOne,Ne-Yo,BrianKennedy,JazzePha,Pitbull,ClaudeKelly,JimJonsin,EddieGalan,T-Pain,RamiYacoub,KristianLundin,manyothers.[31]

　　InaninterviewwithExtraTVtheBackstreetBoysconfirmedthetitleoftheirseventhalbumtobeThisIsUs.[32]TheBackstreetBoysformallyannouncedthedatesfortheEuropeanlegofthenewtourforthealbum.ThisIsUsTourstartedonOctober30.