This week, child music stars is all about the Backstreet Boys.

The Backstreet boys are Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Litterell, AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson. The band was formed in 1995 and their first album titled 'Backstreet Boys' was released the very next year. Their next album, 'Backstreet's Back' was released in 1997 followed two years later by 'Millennium' and 'Christmas Album'. Their latest release is 'Black and Blue'.

The Band has won so many awards that it is almost impossible to list them all. They have sold tens of millions of albums to their scores of loyal fans worldwide. Their concerts are said to be stunning performances.

AJ started out working for Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. His move into music shows his creative diversity. AJ also writes poetry and songs along with some experience with puppeteering and ventriloquism.

AJ is an only child so his three dogs are probably like surrogate siblings. He has a dachshund named Toby and two Yorkshire Terriers named Jack D and Vegas. AJ has loads of hobbies; he likes dancing, billiards and bowling along with his love for music.

When Nick was four, his family moved to Florida where Nick soon discovered his love for the ocean. He even learned to scuba dive. Nick is definitely the joker of the group, often playing practical jokes on the others.

Nick's career started early with a part in the film 'Edward Scissorhands' although he was so far in the background that you would hardly know he was there at all.

Nick's younger brother Aaron, is also in the music business but as a soloist. Not only does Nick have a big family but he also has lots of pets, three cats and three dogs to be precise.

Nick is a big sports fan and plays a bit of basketball, football and baseball along with fishing, scuba diving and boating.

Howie is from a big family, his mother is Puerto Rican and his father is of Irish descent. He has four brothers and sisters. Coming from Florida, Howie loves swimming a water skiing but he also likes weight lifting and racquetball.

Howie started entertaining at a very young age. When he was three, he woke his grandparents by jumping on their bed and singing 'Baby Face'. He moved on to singing at his school and church choirs and then he joined local theatre groups. In his spare time, Howie performs hip hop routines in clubs throughout Orlando, one of which he owns.

Howie likes to listen to Soul and Rn'B, his favourite artists are Bobby Brown and John Sedaca. He owns a cat called Christopher and a dog called Oscar.

Howie made appearances in the films 'Parenthood' and 'Cop and a Half' as well as several Disney World Commercials.

Kevin lived on a farm until he was nine years old. He was a keen sportsman playing football in both little league and high school and he rode horses and dirt bikes. He enjoys water skiing, swimming, surfing, snowboarding and flying. Kevin is also a Latin and Ballroom dance instructor.

Kevin started playing piano when he was nine and got his first keyboard when he was a freshman in high school. He also contributed to the school drama club and chorus. Before he joined the Backstreet Boys he worked in theatre and for a time at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

Kevin is a keen environmentalist and is currently putting a lot of effort into launching his own environmental foundation called 'Just Within Reach'.

Brian is Kevin's cousin and they both grew up together in Kentucky. Brian is a sports lover, his favourite is basketball but he is also a keen golfer. He was always the class clown at school and a real performer from a young age. One of his early shows was a school production of 'Grease'.

Brian's favourite thing is his king-size water bed which only cost him $50. Even though he is on the road he tries to sleep in it as often as he can.

He learned how to sing at church and he sometimes performed at weddings. In early 1998, Brian had minor heart surgery to correct a minor disorder; he was born with a heart murmur and two holes in his heart. It was a simple procedure and he came through it with flying colours.