2001 BACKSTREET BOYS VALENTINE KIT Valentine's Day cards BSB holographic RARE

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Seller: sidewaysstairsco ✉️ (1,180) 100%, Location: Santa Ana, California, US, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 204168293213 2001 BACKSTREET BOYS VALENTINE KIT Valentine's Day cards BSB holographic RARE. (wikipedia.org). The Monkees had a career as a rock and pop band after their songs from the TV series were released as successful records. — The Hollywood Reporter[5]. In September 1998, Dorough's sister, Caroline Dorough-Cochran, died of lupus. Check out our other new and used items>>>>>HERE! (click me) FOR SALE: A vintage pack of valentines featuring the best boy band ever! 2001 BACKSTREET BOYS VALENTINE'S DAY GREETING CARDS KIT DETAILS: "Backstreet's back, alright! " Show "Everyboooody, yeeeeeeah!" or a special someone the shape of your heart with an official Backstreet Boys valentine. Each beautiful BSB member has their own valentine card design surrounded by an amazing holographic sparkle border. Also includes 2 group photo valentine card designs with the same awesome holo border. Kit Includes: 32 valentines and 32 white paper envelopes. Features 8 card designs; 4 of each design. A rare and vintage BSB product! This pack of Backstreet Boys valentines was manufactured by Mello Smello in 2001 and was retired following the 2001 Valentine's Day season. It's been over 20 years since these valentine cards were made, few exist and they are now very hard to find, especially in new condition - making them collectible. Mello Smello was the fun brand responsible for some great Scratch and Smell (or Scratch N' Smell) stickers through the '80s and '90s. CONDITION: New; new old stock. Packaging may have light storage wear. Please see photos. *To ensure safe delivery all items are carefully packaged before shipping out* THANK YOU FOR LOOKING. QUESTIONS? JUST ASK. *ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF SIDEWAYS STAIRS CO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.* "The Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB)[3] is an American vocal group[4] consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The group rose to fame with their international debut album, Backstreet Boys (1996). In the following year, they released their second international album Backstreet's Back (1997), along with their self-titled U.S. debut album, Backstreet Boys (1997), which continued the group's success worldwide. They rose to superstardom with their third studio album Millennium (1999) and its follow-up album, Black & Blue (2000). They also released a greatest hits album, The Hits - Chapter One (2001), with a new single, "Drowning." After a two-year hiatus, they regrouped and released a comeback album, Never Gone (2005). After the conclusion of the Never Gone Tour in 2006, Richardson left the group to pursue other interests.[5] The group then released two albums as a quartet: Unbreakable (2007) and This Is Us (2009). Richardson permanently rejoined the group in 2012.[6] In the following year, they celebrated their 20th anniversary and released their first independent album, In a World Like This. Their follow-up album DNA (2019) debuted at number one, more than two decades after the group formed and 19 years after they last topped in 2000. They also became the first boy band to top the U.S. album charts in three different decades.[7] The Backstreet Boys have sold over 100 million records worldwide,[8] making them the best-selling boy band of all time, and one of the world's best-selling music artists. They are the first group since Led Zeppelin to have their first ten albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200,[7] and the only boy band to do so. The albums Backstreet Boys and Millennium were both certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making them one of the few bands to have multiple diamond albums.[9] The group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 22, 2013.[10] They also released their first documentary movie, titled Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of in January 2015.[11] In March 2017, the group began a residency in Las Vegas that lasted two years, titled Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life.... History 1993–1995: Formation and early years Howie Dorough and AJ McLean were natives of Orlando, Florida, who met each other through a mutual vocal coach and later discovered Nick Carter through auditions.[12] The three, realizing that they could harmonize together, decided to form a trio.[12] Cousins Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell, both from Lexington, Kentucky, sang in local church choirs and festivals when they were children.[12] Richardson moved to Orlando in 1990, where he worked at Walt Disney World and concentrated on music at night.[12] In 1992, Lou Pearlman placed an ad in the Orlando Sentinel to compose a vocal group with a "New Kids on the Block" look with a "Boyz II Men Sound".[13] McLean, who was the first to audition for Pearlman in his living room, became the group's first member.[13] Between late 1992 and March 1993, Pearlman held open casting calls and hundreds of young performers auditioned at his blimp hangar in Kissimmee.[14][13] Ultimately, Carter, Dorough, and Richardson were selected after meeting Pearlman's expectations.[15] Littrell flew from Kentucky to Orlando to formally join the group on April 20, 1993, a day after receiving a phone call from Richardson about it. Thus, April 20 became their anniversary date.[16] Pearlman decided to call them Backstreet Boys, after Orlando's Backstreet Market, an outdoor flea market near International Drive which was also a teen hangout.[13][17] The Backstreet Boys had their first performance at SeaWorld Orlando on May 8, 1993.[18] The group then continued to perform in various venues during summer 1993, from shopping malls, restaurants, to a high-profile charity gala in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[19] With a change in management in the fall, they began to tour schools across the U.S. (including Littrell's former school, Tates Creek High School), building a fan base while trying to get a record deal. Mercury Records nearly signed them in 1993, but the deal fell through at the last minute because longtime Mercury recording artist John Mellencamp threatened to leave the label if they got into the boy band business.[20] However, in February 1994, Jeff Fenster (then senior VP A&R Zomba/JIVE Records) and David Renzer (then senior VP/GM of Zomba Music Publishing) saw the group performing at a high school in Cleveland and signed them to their first record deal.[21] At the end of December 1994, the group flew to Sweden to record some songs with Max Martin and Denniz PoP, including "We've Got It Goin' On," which ended up being their first single and completed their work in January 1995.[22] "We've Got It Goin' On" was sent to radio in August 1995 and released as a physical single on September 5, 1995. In North America, Mix 96 in Montreal broke the group after the programmers heard it on the radio in Europe.[23] The song was a minor success in the U.S., peaking at only No. 69 by December 1995,[24] but it entered the top 5 in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, and the Netherlands.[25][26] European success sent them there on a summer tour and shifted their promotion to being mostly done in Europe. 1996–1997: Debut, worldwide success, and Backstreet's Back The group finished recording their first album Backstreet Boys in the spring of 1996, and it was released internationally on May 6, 1996,[27] excluding U.S. and Canada; however, it was later released in Canada in October 1996.[28] Their popularity grew in Europe. "I'll Never Break Your Heart" reached a Gold status in Germany for selling 250,000 copies[29] and they were voted the No. 1 international group there in 1996. They also earned their first platinum record in Germany in 1996 for selling 500,000 copies of their debut album. Shortly after that, they began touring Asia and Canada.[29] They also became one of the most successful debut artists in the world, collecting awards such as Durchstarter (Best Newcomers) in Germany's Viva Comet Awards in 1996.[30] "Anywhere for You" was released as the last single from their international debut album on February 17, 1997.[31] "Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)", originally released in Europe as their fourth single in October 1996, was released in the U.S. in May 1997 for their upcoming self-titled U.S. debut album, Backstreet Boys (1997). It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually earning them a platinum award for selling over one million copies.[32][33] The group began working on their second album, Backstreet's Back, in October 1996. They also recorded the song "If You Stay" for the Booty Call soundtrack in the same year, which was released in February 1997. Backstreet's Back was released internationally (except in the U.S.) on August 11, 1997. Their self-titled U.S. debut album, Backstreet Boys (1997), which consisted of songs from their 1996 international debut album and Backstreet's Back, was released in the U.S. a day later on August 12, 1997.[34] The U.S. self-titled debut peaked at No. 4 on the U.S. album chart and eventually sold 14 million copies.[35] Meanwhile, the second international release, Backstreet's Back, peaked at No. 1 in Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria,[36][37] selling well over five million copies in Europe alone.[38] The most successful singles from Backstreet's Back and the U.S. debut album were "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" and "As Long As You Love Me". The two self-titled albums, the international debut and the U.S. debut sold more than 28 million copies worldwide.[39] In November 1997, doctors discovered that a congenital hole in Littrell's heart had enlarged to dangerous proportions.[40] Littrell postponed the open-heart surgery twice to meet touring obligations, and he finally underwent the surgery on May 8, 1998, in the middle of the Backstreet's Back Tour. The group postponed the tour until July 1998 to give Littrell time to recover.[40] 1998–1999: Millennium and superstardom Littrell brought in a lawsuit against Lou Pearlman and Trans Continental in 1998, claiming that Pearlman had not been truthful about the earnings made by the group.[41] From 1993 to 1997, Pearlman and his company took about $10 million in revenue while the band only got $300,000.[42] In the following year, McLean, Richardson, and Dorough joined the lawsuit which eventually resulted in a number of settlements.[43] On Valentine's Day 1998, the group debuted in Latin America at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile. Later that year, on October 7, 1998, the group received the keys to the city from the mayor of Orlando in honor of the tornado relief concert the group headlined in March that raised over $250,000. The day was also declared Backstreet Boys Day in Orlando.[44] They also began recording their third studio album, Millennium, at the beginning of that month while in the middle of a lawsuit.[45] The worldwide hit single "I Want It That Way" which topped the single-charts in over 25 countries made anticipation for Millennium high.[24][25][46][47] Millennium was released on May 18, 1999, on which day the Backstreet Boys made a heavily publicized appearance on MTV's Total Request Live.[48] The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 and sold 1,134,000 copies in its first week of release.[49][50] Four singles were released from Millennium: "I Want It That Way", which is widely regarded as one of the greatest pop songs of all time, "Larger than Life", "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely", and "The One". Millennium became the best-selling album of 1999 in the U.S., selling 9,445,732 copies.[51][52] It also holds the record for most shipments in one year, with 11 million shipments.[53] Millennium remained on the Billboard chart for 93 weeks, eventually selling over 12 million copies in the United States and being certified 13 times platinum.[54][55] As of January 2013, the album stands as the fourth best selling album in the U.S. of the SoundScan era.[56] On June 2, 1999, the Backstreet Boys embarked on the Into the Millennium Tour, which comprised 115 sold-out shows in 84 cities, with some additional dates put due to high demand.[57] The second leg, which was sponsored by Sears, was sold out on August 14 on its sale date and broke sales records.[58][59] The concert at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, was the 5th most attended concert in American history and the most attended concert by a pop artist.[60] By October 1999, the Backstreet Boys faced new problems declaring their current JIVE contract null and void, soon striking one of the largest record deals ever valued at $60 million with JIVE.[61] 2000–2001: Black and Blue and The Hits – Chapter One The group members made a trip to the Bahamas in May 2000 to write songs for their fourth album.[62] They began recording the album on July 1, 2000, in Stockholm, Sweden, and wrapped up the recording sessions in September.[63][64][65] A song completed during the July recording sessions, "It's True", was released on August 28, 2000, in a compilation album sold exclusively at Burger King restaurants, titled For the Fans.[66] The album, Black & Blue, was released on November 21, 2000.[67] To promote its release, they traveled around the world in 100 hours, visiting Stockholm, Tokyo, Sydney, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, and New York City. Fifty-five hours were spent traveling, and 45 were spent making public appearances.[68] A DVD of the short tour, as well as a board game, was released in 2001, titled Around the World. The album itself recorded the best international sales in a week for an album in history by selling over 5 million copies in its first week of sales.[69][70] In the United States, it sold 1.6 million discs in the first week making them the first artist since The Beatles to achieve back-to-back million plus first week sales.[71] Three singles were released from Black & Blue: "Shape of My Heart", "The Call", and "More than That". On January 28, 2001, the Backstreet Boys performed the American national anthem at the Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa, Florida.[72] A week earlier, the group began the "Black & Blue Tour", which featured shows in five continents. The tour was put on hold in July when it was reported that McLean had entered rehab to battle alcoholism and depression after Richardson held an intervention for him at a Boston hotel.[73] The tour resumed in August and concluded in November. Shortly after returning to the Black and Blue Tour, the group faced a severe loss with the occurrence of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. On the night of September 10, the band had completed a sold-out show in Boston, Massachusetts. The following morning Littrell's wife Leighanne had planned on catching a flight back to Los Angeles aboard American Airlines Flight 11, along with set carpenter Daniel Lee, who was returning home to Los Angeles to see his wife, who was due to give birth to their second child. That night, however, Leighanne canceled her flight after deciding to spend more time with her husband. Tragically, Lee was among 92 people killed when the hijacked plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.[74] The next day, during a concert on the next leg of their tour in Toronto, Littrell gave a brief speech on Lee and led the audience in a moment of silence for Lee and all the victims of the attacks.[75] The Hits – Chapter One, their first compilation album, was released on October 23, 2001.[76] It also included a previously unreleased song, "Drowning".[77] The album entered the top 5 in the U.S.,[49] UK,[78] Germany,[36] and Canada,[79] and the top 10 in Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.[80] In the U.S., The Hits: Chapter One was certified platinum for selling over one million copies.[81] It was also certified platinum by IFPI for selling over one million copies in Europe.[82] "Drowning" reached top 10 in many countries and as of 2002, the album had sold almost six million worldwide.[83] 2002–2004: Hiatus In 2002, the group expressed a strong desire to leave their management company, The Firm.[83] However, Carter chose to remain with The Firm to manage his solo career. Shortly afterward, the rest of the group began recording their next album without him.[83] The relationship with JIVE Records worsened when the Backstreet Boys filed a $75–100 million lawsuit against Zomba Music Group (JIVE's parent company), claiming breach of contract.[84] They claimed that the label promoted Carter's solo album Now or Never at the expense of the group. In November 2003, McLean appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to talk about his addiction to alcohol and drugs and his struggles in rising to fame for the first time in public.[85] The rest of the group surprised him by appearing in person to give him support, marking the first time the Backstreet Boys had appeared together in public in almost two years.[85] The group began to reform and reconcile their differences, planning to start recording a comeback album at the beginning of the following year.[86] 2004–2006: Never Gone and Richardson's departure Backstreet Boys at KISS FM Jingle Bell Bash 8. The Backstreet Boys entered the studios in January 2004 to start recording the new album.[87] They also started performing together to promote their return to the music scene. They started a small Asian tour in September, visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Manila, performing some new material. Based on the success of this tour, they announced a Mexican tour, visiting Mexico City and Monterrey. The album's first single, "Incomplete," was released to radio stations on March 28, 2005. Following the release of the single, they embarked on their Up Close & Personal Tour in March, which served as a pre-album release tour. "Incomplete" peaked at number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and charted within the top 10 in 13 countries. In addition, it debuted at number one in Australia, becoming their first number-one hit in the country. After recording for more than a year, the Backstreet Boys finally released their comeback album Never Gone on June 14, 2005. The album debuted at No. 3 on the U.S. chart with first-week sales of 291,000 copies. However, the drastic style change drew negative criticism from Rolling Stone.[88][89] Never Gone was certified platinum in the U.S. and four singles were released from the album. The second single, "Just Want You to Know," hit the top 10 in the UK. The third singles were "Crawling Back to You" for the U.S. and "I Still..." for the rest of the world. Never Gone has sold approximately 3 million copies worldwide.[90][91] The Backstreet Boys began the first leg of their Never Gone Tour on July 22, 2005, in West Palm Beach, Florida. After that, the first leg ran until November 2005 in Europe, and in January 2006, the second leg started in Tokyo, Japan. Finally, the tour concluded on February 2, 2006, in Melbourne, Australia. On June 23, 2006, it was announced that Richardson had left the Backstreet Boys to pursue other interests.[92] Both Richardson and the rest of the group issued a statement on their official site, stating that he departed amicably and the door was always open for him to return.[93] Following Richardson's departure, the group was suggested to change their name to Backstreet, but they decided against it.[94] They also turned down an offer to star in a reality show to find a new member[94] and musicians who had expressed interest in replacing Richardson, such as Sam Licata[95][96] and former NSYNC members Lance Bass and Joey Fatone,[97] stating that they were not planning to replace him. 2006–2011: Unbreakable and This Is Us Backstreet Boys performing without Richardson on Unbreakable Tour. Two days after Richardson's departure announcement, the Backstreet Boys entered the studio to record their sixth album. The album titled Unbreakable was released on October 30, 2007. It received positive reviews and opened at number seven on the Billboard 200, selling 81,000 copies in its first week of release.[98] It performed well in Japan, debuting at No. 1 on the Japanese Oricon weekly album charts and staying there for another week. They released two singles from the album, "Inconsolable" and "Helpless When She Smiles." The group went on a world tour to promote Unbreakable, starting in Tokyo, Japan, on February 16, 2008. The tour included shows in Australia, Japan, Mexico, the UK, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States. The show in London's The O2 Arena was filmed and is available to watch online on MSN's website.[99] Richardson rejoined the rest of the group on stage at the Palladium in Hollywood, Los Angeles on November 23, 2008, for the last North American stop of the tour.[100] On October 6, 2009, the group released their next album, This Is Us.[101] On this album, their sound went back to their original dance-pop beats and contains a more R&B sound.[102] The album debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, selling 42,000 copies in its first week of release.[103] It peaked at No. 2 in Japan and was certified Platinum for shipments of 250,000 copies.[104] Two singles were released from this album: "Straight Through My Heart" and "Bigger". A few days after promoting the new album and filming the music video for "Bigger" in Japan, Littrell contracted swine flu, causing the group to cancel a signing at Hard Rock Café in New York for the NYC Pinktober event on October 5, 2009.[105] The rest of the group were prescribed Tamiflu by a doctor, even though they weren't showing any symptom of the flu.[106] The group subsequently canceled a scheduled CBS Early Show performance the next day on October 6, 2009, which was also the release day of their new album, This Is Us.[107] In late October 2009, the group embarked on the This Is Us Tour, which lasted over a year and consisted of 123 shows. The Backstreet Boys, including Richardson, filmed a segment for The Oprah Winfrey Show on October 22, 2010. Richardson also performed with the group in the show's studio later that day, making it the second time he had performed with the group since his departure.[108] 2011–2012: NKOTBSB and Richardson's return In May 2011, the group announced that they had left their longtime label JIVE Records.[109] In the same month, they embarked on a joint tour with New Kids on the Block as NKOTBSB.[110] Prior to the tour, they released a compilation album of their biggest hits, also titled NKOTBSB, which also includes a mash-up and two new songs.[111] At the conclusion of 2011, the tour placed 17th on Billboard's annual "Top 25 Tours", earning over $40 million with 51 shows.[112] The tour lasted until June 2012, comprising 80 shows in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. During the show in Staples Center, LA, in July 2011, Richardson once again joined the group on stage.[113] As he had announced before on On Air with Ryan Seacrest in October 2011, Richardson hosted a beach party, part of the group's second annual cruise, in the Bahamas on December 3, 2011, where he performed with them. On Seacrest's radio show, he also stated that he would love to "perform with the group again on a more regular basis."[114] The statement, along with his appearance at the cruise event, prompted speculations that he might rejoin the group for good,[115] but both he and the group remained quiet on the matter.     I think it was the right decision. I think for us to maximize the ability that we have as five to move forward, it wouldn't be with another group, it would just be on our own. --Brian Littrell[116] The Backstreet Boys finally announced that Richardson had rejoined them permanently during a show in London on April 29, 2012.[117] A few days later, McLean and Littrell revealed on separate occasions that Richardson had returned since 2010, before NKOTBSB Tour started. He had been in talks to join the tour but ultimately decided not to. They supported his decision and kept his return a secret until the tour was over.[116][118] The group spoke positively about Richardson's return, stating that they couldn't be happier to have him back. Richardson himself was thrilled to be back with his old bandmates, saying that they have a chemistry and a bond.[119][120] The Backstreet Boys moved into a house together all by themselves in July 2012 as they started working on their new album with producer Martin Terefe in London.[121] On August 31, 2012, they closed out Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series in Central Park, in New York. It was their first performance as a fivesome since Richardson rejoined the group. During the show, they announced they would have their third cruise in October 2013. It was the first cruise to feature all five members.[122] The first single featuring Richardson's vocals in six years, a Christmas song titled "It's Christmas Time Again", was premiered on AOL Music on November 5, 2012,[123] and officially released a day later.[124] The song reached No. 1 on Billboard's Holiday Digital Songs chart.[125] 2013–2015: 20th anniversary, In a World Like This, and documentary film The Backstreet Boys celebrated their 20th anniversary, which was on April 20, 2013, with a fan celebration event in Hollywood that day.[126][127] They received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame two days later, and had the day, April 22, 2013, declared as Backstreet Boys Day in Hollywood.[10] In May 2013, the group embarked on their 20th-anniversary tour, officially titled as In a World Like This Tour.[128] The tour lasted over two years, comprising over 170 shows in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. The tour was the 44th highest-grossing worldwide tour in 2014 with a total gross of $32.8 million and ticket sales of 607,407,[129] not including its 2013 and 2015 dates. "In a World Like This," the lead single from their eighth studio album, also titled In a World Like This, was released digitally on June 25, 2013, and to the radio on July 22, 2013. The album was released in the US on July 30, 2013, and in other countries sometime later. It is the group's first independent album, released under their own label, K-BAHN. It reached the top 5 in the US, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Taiwan, and Japan,[7][130][131] and had sold 800,000 copies as of January 2015.[132][133][134] They released a second single from the album, "Show 'Em (What You're Made Of)" in November 2013.[135] The group made a cameo in the 2013 movie This Is the End as a fictional version of themselves, performing their song "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," [136] which earned them an award for "Best Musical Moment" at 2014 MTV Movie Awards.[137] In December 2013, the Backstreet Boys performed their two original Christmas songs as marquee performers in the annual "Christmas in Washington" TV special which was also attended by the President of the United States Barack Obama and his family.[138] The Backstreet Boys members were due in court on March 24, 2014, over a claim they filed against their former manager Lou Pearlman. The group alleged that Pearlman still owed them $3,451,456.04, and they asked for $87,728.58 in legal fees for having to fight him in court for years.[139] But earlier that month the group stated that they have a scheduling conflict and discussed postponing the hearing by 90 days.[140] On October 21, 2014, the group received a settlement of $99,000 in cash, 34 audio tape reels, 26 CDs, seven studio mastering audio tapes, six sealed posters, three audio cassettes, and one VHS tape. The recordings include some unreleased mixes, demos, and original materials.[141] The seven master recordings they received included "I'll Never Break Your Heart" and a few lesser-known songs.[142] Their documentary movie, titled Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of, was released in theaters and online on January 30, 2015, in the U.S., on February 26, 2015, in UK and Europe, and on March 28 worldwide.[11][143] The movie chronicles their entire career journey up to the making of their 2013 album In A World Like This.[11] On April 10, 2015, band members Richardson and Littrell were inducted into Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.[144] 2015–2020: Dead 7 film, Las Vegas residency, and DNA In August 2015, band members Carter, Dorough, and McLean filmed a movie that Carter wrote entitled Dead 7. The film centers around a ragtag band of gunslingers operating during a post-apocalyptic zombie plague.[145] The movie premiered on April 1, 2016, on Syfy channel. A free copy of the theme song "In the End" was released on March 28, performed by band members Nick Carter, AJ McLean and Howie Dorough; Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick from NSYNC; Jeff Timmons from 98 Degrees; and Erik-Michael Estrada from O-Town.[146] The official physical DVD was released on June 7, 2016.[147] In October 2015, McLean revealed that the group was working on their ninth studio album. McLean said the band is working with producer Jacob Kasher, who has worked with Maroon 5 and Britney Spears. The band hoped to finish the album before the next Backstreet Boys cruise in May 2016.[148] On January 29, 2016, the Backstreet Boys were the musical guests in the series finale of NBC comedy series Undateable.[149] On April 1, 2016, Carter told Entertainment Tonight the group signed a deal with Live Nation for a nine-show "test residency" in Las Vegas.[150] McLean confirmed the deal, telling Us Magazine that the residency would begin in January 2017.[151] In July 2016, the group appeared and performed on ABC's Greatest Hits.[152] On August 19, 2016, the group released "God, Your Mama, and Me", with country duo Florida Georgia Line, which was taken from their third studio album Dig Your Roots.[153] The song entered the Hot 100 at No. 92 for the chart dated March 18, 2017, which was the group's first return to the chart since 2007.[154] On September 15, 2016, McLean and Carter confirmed that the band would be done with the album the following year, along with a new headlining tour.[155] On September 23, the Backstreet Boys confirmed their Vegas residency show happening in 2017, titled Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life.[156][157] The residency played 80 shows between March 1, 2017, and April 27, 2019. The Backstreet Boys released their new song titled "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" on May 17, 2018, as their lead single for their new album.[158] The album is co-produced under RCA Records and the group's own label, K-BAHN, and distributed by RCA's parent company, Sony Music. On November 9, they released the single "Chances" and announced the title of their ninth studio album, DNA, which was released on January 25, 2019. On January 4, 2019, DNA's third single, "No Place", was released. The Backstreet Boys embarked on the DNA World Tour in support of the album on May 11, 2019.[159] Unfortunately, the group had to postpone the tour on March 15, 2020, due to .[160] They initially rescheduled the remaining dates for 2021,[161] but eventually had to reschedule again for 2022.[162] On April 8, 2019, the band released their exhibit at the Grammy Museum before it was opened to the public two days later, showcasing tour outfits and memorabilia from their childhoods.[163][164] That same month, the group announced that they would be releasing their first Christmas album.[165] At their Las Vegas residency, they received keys to the Vegas strip as the mayor declared the 10th Backstreet Boys Day, and during the 20th anniversary of "I Want It That Way",[166] the group participated in a handprint ceremony to commemorate the ending of their two-year residency at Planet Hollywood and were also presented with a check donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada.[167] On February 9, 2020, the band announced the second North America leg of the DNA World Tour on social media and Good Morning America.[168] During an interview, Littrell confirmed that they're going to sign for another Las Vegas residency soon as the DNA tour is over in 2022.[169] In December 2020 it was announced that the group is about to be featured on a track called "Matches" on the reissue of American recording and labelmate Britney Spears's Glory album.[170] 2021–present: DNA World Tour and A Very Backstreet Christmas With their tour postponed due to the pandemic, the Backstreet Boys started working on their first Christmas album in March 2021.[171] On July 12, they officially announced their return to Las Vegas for a holiday residency scheduled for November and December 2021.[172][173] On August 14, Carter revealed that they had finished recording the album and had done photo shoot for the album cover.[174] Unfortunately, due to the pandemic the album failed to meet the deadline to finish production,[175] forcing them to reschedule the album release to late 2022 and cancel their 2021 holiday residency.[176] The Backstreet Boys resumed their DNA tour in June 2022 in North America, and will finish in March 2023 in New Zealand.[177] On February 23, 2022, the group announced their return to Las Vegas with four shows to kickoff the DNA world tour.[178] On June 17, 2022, before the concert in Rogers, Arkansas, during their DNA tour, an advertisement for their upcoming Christmas album was shown on screen, with a link to pre-order the album on their website.[179] Since that show, the advertisement has always been shown on every concert date. The album, A Very Backstreet Christmas, was released on October 14, 2022.[180] On June 24, 2022, American luxury carmaker Lincoln teamed up with Backstreet Boys to hold a virtual concert from Philadelphia to WeChat (Weixin) users mostly in China, which was broadcast by Tencent's WeChat channel. A total of 44.2 million viewers watched the live broadcast, and 25.5 million cheers were received during the performance, according to Tencent. This marked the third-highest attendance for live-stream concerts on the WeChat channel and the highest audience record for such by international artists. The day after the show aired, the online hashtag of the group's 1997 hit As Long As You Love Me trended No. 1 on China's Twitter-like platform Weibo.[181] On July 27, the band took part in Dave & Jimmy's Celebrity Softball Classic in Columbus, Ohio, for charity benefitting On Our Sleeves, the movement for children’s mental health, powered by behavioral health experts at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.[182] Artistry and legacy The Backstreet Boys have prided themselves as a vocal harmony group, not a boy band.[4] In order to fight the boy band stereotype and the backlash from New Kids on the Block's lip-sync scandal in the beginning, they would sing a cappella every chance they could get.[183] The ad they answered in 1993 was for a singing group with "New Kids on the Block look with a Boyz II Men sound", and they aimed to have a white version of Boyz II Men.[184] "We were fans of New Kids, but were we really modeled after them? No. We looked at ourselves as Shai, Jodeci, and Boyz II Men, the true vocal groups. That's who we listened to and who we really wanted to be like," Littrell stated in 2011.[185] The Backstreet Boys often employ polyphonic harmony, which sets them apart from many other singing groups. Littrell, Carter, and McLean usually sing the melody in choruses, with Dorough harmonizing above the melody and Richardson covering the bass parts.[186][187] During Richardson's absence, McLean and Carter together covered his part in choruses[188] while Dorough took his solo parts, although McLean sang Richardson's verse in "Drowning".[189] The Backstreet Boys' 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.[190] With Millennium and Black & Blue, they started to abandon R&B and shift more toward pop and pop rock, as demonstrated on songs like "I Want It That Way", "Shape of My Heart", "Larger than Life", and "Not For Me". The group drastically changed their style in 2005 with their comeback album Never Gone, an adult contemporary record featuring only live instruments, a departure from their previous pop sound that features a lot of synthesizers.[191][192] Compared to their previous albums, Never Gone is "more organic, more stripped-down, less harmonies, more instrumentation".[193] Their first album without Richardson, Unbreakable, is similar to Never Gone. It leans toward adult contemporary and contemporary pop music and features interwoven choral harmonies, piano, strings, guitar, and drums,[194] with a little bit of hip-hop and reggae elements on some tracks, such as "One in a Million".[195] With their seventh studio album, This Is Us, they went back to their original dance-pop beats combined with electropop. It also contains a more R&B sound compared to Unbreakable.[102] The group's first independent album, In a World Like This, which is also their first album back with Richardson, is a mixture of modern pop, adult contemporary, and dance music, with a hint of singer-songwriter genre as demonstrated on "Try", "Madeleine", and "Trust Me".[196] On DNA, they combined their harmony-driven contemporary pop sound with R&B, country, funk, and EDM.[197][198][199] Partnerships and other ventures The second leg of Into the Millennium Tour, which was also the first North American leg, was sponsored by Sears and was officially titled "Sears Presents Backstreet Boys Into The Millennium." The sponsorship was a part of Sears' new integrated marketing campaign that exclusively featured the Backstreet Boys. The campaign included a 30-second advertisement featuring the group, which was aired from August 1 to 15, 1999. The advertising promoted back-to-school sweepstakes, which gave each of the five fans the chance to win a $2,000 Sears shopping spree with their favorite Backstreet Boys member and a trip for four to the group's concert on December 1, 1999, in Tampa, Florida.[200] Carter, who was a comic fan, met comic book writer Stan Lee through his manager from The Firm in February 2000. Carter subsequently told Lee about his original concept of a six-issue series of comic books featuring members of the Backstreet Boys as superheroes called "Cyber Crusaders." Lee was interested in the concept; however, they ultimately decided to make it into only one issue.[201] The comic book, titled Backstreet Project, was released in 2000 and was available for purchase at their concerts and online stores in 2000–2001. In addition to the book, a series of flash-based webisodes was also published in 2000.[202] In January 2000, the Backstreet Boys signed a deal with Burger King. The deal included an exclusive compilation set available only at Burger King restaurants.[66] The compilation consisted of three CDs featuring a new song called "It's True," live songs from the group's previous tours, and a VHS tape featuring backstage footage and interviews.[203] In August 2000, it was announced that the deal would also include three TV commercials featuring the Backstreet Boys, and a promotion, which was the inclusion of an exclusive Backstreet Project Cyber Crusader toy in each Burger King Big Kids Meal and Kids Meal.[204] In August 2012, it was revealed that the Backstreet Boys would be starring in an Old Navy commercial.[205] The commercial featuring the group started airing on September 19, 2012. "It was a great way to show people that we're back," Richardson said regarding the commercial. The group also performed at an Old Navy event "Fit For Fall Fashion Show for All" in Bryant Park, New York on September 14, 2012.[206] On March 12, 2014, the group filmed a series of commercials for Swedish warehouse company NetOnNet in Sweden while the group was on tour in Europe. The commercials started airing in May 2014.[207] For the purpose of these commercials, the group recorded a song called "Lager Than Life", which is a remake of their song "Larger Than Life" with different instrumentation.[208] The song was also released as a single on iTunes by the company in several countries.[209] Band members     AJ McLean – (producer, vocal arrangements, songwriter, lead, harmony, and background vocals; baritone) (1993–present)     Howie Dorough – (songwriter, producer, background, harmony, and lead vocals; countertenor) (1993–present)     Nick Carter – (producer, songwriter, vocal arrangements, lead, harmony, and background vocals; second tenor/baritone) (1993–present)     Kevin Richardson – (producer, songwriter, occasional instrumentalist, background, harmony, and lead vocals; bass/baritone) (1993–2006; 2012–present)     Brian Littrell – (producer, songwriter, vocal arrangements, lead, harmony, and background vocals; first tenor) (1993–present) Discography Main article: Backstreet Boys discography     Backstreet Boys (1996)     Backstreet's Back (1997)     Millennium (1999)     Black & Blue (2000)     Never Gone (2005)     Unbreakable (2007)     This Is Us (2009)     In a World Like This (2013)     DNA (2019)     A Very Backstreet Christmas (2022) Filmography Year     Title     Role     Notes 1997 1998 2005     The View     Themselves     Performance 1998 2010     The Oprah Winfrey Show     Themselves[210][211]     Performance/Interview 1998     Sabrina The Teenage Witch[212]     Cameo appearance     Episode: "The Band Episode" 1997 1998     Live With Regis and Kathie Lee     Themselves[213][214]     Performance 1999     Saturday Night Live     Themselves     Season 24, Episode 19 1998 1999 2000 2001     The Rosie O'Donnell Show     Themselves[215][216][217][218]     Performance 1998-1999     All That     Themselves     2001 2005     Otro Rollo     Themselves     Performance, Special Guests 2002     Arthur[219]     Themselves     Episode: "Arthur: It's Only Rock 'N' Roll" 2002     Sesame Street     Themselves     Performance, Special Guests 2003     The Oprah Winfrey Show[220]     Themselves     The boys surprised A.J. McLean as he was talking about his drug addiction 2005 2007     Live With Regis and Kelly     Themselves[221]     Performance, Guests at Disneyland[222] 2009     El Hormiguero     Themselves, Guests     Musical Guest With The Backstreet Boys This Is Us 2012     The View     Themselves     2013     This Is the End[223]     Cameo appearance     Appear at the end of the film performing "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" with the cast. 2013     El Hormiguero     Themselves, Guests     Talk Show New Disco 2015     Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of[224]     Themselves     Documentary 2016     Undateable[225]     Themselves     Episode: Backstreet Boys Walk Into a bar 2017     Drop the Mic     Themselves     Episode: "Nicole Scherzinger vs. Lil Rel Howery / Charlie Puth vs. Backstreet Boys" 2018     The Voice     Themselves     Season 15 Performance 2019     Live With Kelly and Ryan     Themselves     Performance 2020     Good Morning America[226][168]     Themselves     Performance 2020     Watch What Happens Live[227][228]     Themselves     Episode 16, season 17 1999     Disney Channel In Concert     Themselves     Special 2022     Kelly Clarkson Show     Themselves     2005 2017 2018     Ellen     Themselves/Performance/with Florida Georgia Line     Awards Main article: List of awards received by Backstreet Boys The group has received nine Grammy Award nominations as of 2019, including four nominations in 2000. The group has also received two American Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, a Juno Award, and many others.[229] Charity The group has supported multiple charities over the years including Children's Miracle Network, City of Hope, Kids Wish, Live Together, and Lupus LA.[230] On April 6, 2022, they surprised Kelly Clarkson and young band First Day of School (band) with a donation of $25,000 to the FDOS charities including Toys for Tots and Heal the Bay.[231] Individually they have given to charities, for example, Nick Carter hosted a sing-a-long holiday dinner for Home for the Holidays.[232] Tours Headlining     We Wanna Be With You Tour (1995–1996)     Backstreet Boys: Live In Concert Tour (1996–1997)     Backstreet's Back Tour (1997–1998)     Into the Millennium Tour (1999–2000)     Black & Blue World Tour (2001)     Never Gone Tour (2005–2006)     Unbreakable Tour (2008–2009)     This Is Us Tour (2009–2011)     In a World Like This Tour (2013–2015)     DNA World Tour (2019–2023) Co-headlining     NKOTBSB Tour (with New Kids on the Block) (2011–2012) Promotional     Round the World in 100 Hours (2000)     Up Close & Personal Tour (2005) Collaboration     Smooth Tour (with Florida Georgia Line, Nelly and Chris Lane) (2017, select dates) Residency     Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life (2017–2019) Cruises     Cruise 2010 (9–13 December)     Cruise 2011 (2–5 December) Nassau, Bahamas     Cruise 2013 (25–28 October) 20th Anniversary Cruise     Cruise 2014 (24–27 October) Miami to Half Moon Cay     Cruise 2016 (10–14 May) European Cruise: Barcelona, Italy, and Cannes     Cruise 2018 (3–7 May) 25th Anniversary Cruise Miami to Grand Turk" (wikipedia.org) "A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation,[1] singing love songs marketed towards girls. Many boy bands dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. K-pop groups usually also have designated rappers. Some such bands are formed on their own, often evolving out of church choral or gospel music groups. In contrast, others are created by talent managers or record producers who hold auditions. Being vocal groups, most boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on-stage. They are similar in concept to their counterparts known as girl groups. The popularity of boy bands has peaked three times: first in the 1960s to 70s (e.g., with the Jackson 5 and the Osmonds); the second time it peaked during the late 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s, when acts such as New Kids on the Block, Take That, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Boyzone, A1, O-Zone and Westlife dominated global pop charts; and last time in the 2010s up to the present, with the emergence of groups such as One Direction, The Wanted, Big Time Rush, The Vamps, Ballinciaga and K-pop acts such as BTS and Exo.... History Early history The earliest forerunner of boy band music began in the late 19th century as a cappella barbershop quartets.[2] They were usually a group of males and sang in four-part harmonies. Barbershop quartets were popular into the earlier part of the 20th century. A revival of the male vocal group took place in the late 1940s and 1950s with the use of doo-wop music. Doo-wop bands sang about topics such as love and other themes used in pop music. The earliest traces of boy bands were in the mid-1950s although the term boy band was not used. African American vocal group The Ink Spots was one of the first of what would now be called boy bands. The term boy band was not established until the late 1980s as before that they were called male vocal groups or "hep harmony singing groups".[3] Although generally described as a rock band, the highest-selling band in history The Beatles have been described by some journalists as "the first" or "the original" boyband, "before anyone had thought of the term", exclusively due to the enthusiastic response they received from their young female audience.[4]     The Liverpool quartet known as The Beatles were not only the quintessential rock band, but many considered John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Star [sic] to be the original boy band – especially in the early 1960s when young girls would scream at the top of their lungs and pass out upon first sight of the "Fab Four".     — The Hollywood Reporter[5] Other critics, however, have pointed out that this assessment of The Beatles as a "boy band" could be applied to all other bands of the 1960s, saying, "if they were a (boy band), so was everyone else"[6] and is countered by others, including Ringo Starr,[7] who point out that, from the beginning, The Beatles wrote and exercised creative control over their own music, played their own instruments, were not manufactured by a record label, and did not feature the choreographed dance moves that later came to be associated with boy bands.[6] The Beatles did, however, inspire the production of the 1966 television series The Monkees,[8] which featured a music group of the same name, created for the show, that consisted of the four starring actors. The Monkees had a career as a rock and pop band after their songs from the TV series were released as successful records.[5] Late 1960s and 1970s: The Jackson 5 and the Osmonds The Osmonds Although the term "boy band" was not commonly used then, the earliest predecessors of this format were groups such as the Jackson 5 and the Osmonds which helped form the template for boy bands.[9][8] The Jackson 5 were a siblings group that established many musical conventions that boy bands follow. For instance, their music featured close harmonies from soul music and catchy pop hooks influenced as much as they were by Motown and acts like the Supremes. The group also incorporated choreographed dance moves to their performances. All members of the band sang, which is a common convention of a boy band, as opposed to having a front man and the rest on instruments; thus, no one person dominated the stage.[citation needed] Also a siblings group, The Osmonds first started singing barbershop music for local audiences, before being hired to perform at Disneyland early in their career. Their appearance in a televised Disney special earned them additional TV spots, such as The Andy Williams Show and The Jerry Lewis Show.[5] Late 1970s and 1980s: Menudo, New Edition, and New Kids on the Block Other antecedents (apart from those already mentioned) exist throughout the history of pop music. The genre has been copied into languages and cultures other than the Anglo-American. The Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, appealing to young Latina audiences, was founded in 1977. Menudo had a convention unique among boy bands: when a member turned 16, became too tall, or their voice changed, they were replaced. The members of Menudo were generally aged 12–16. The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop band who were most popular in the mid-1970s. The British Hit Singles & Albums noted that they were "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh", and were "the first of many acts heralded as the 'Biggest Group since The Beatles' and one of the most screamed-at teeny-bopper acts of the 1970s".[10] For a fairly brief but fervent period (nicknamed "Rollermania"), they were worldwide teen idols. The group were one of the first bands, like The Monkees before them, to take the formula shown by The Beatles and apply it to a teen market. The group achieved the same amount of success but for a limited period of time. At the peak of their popularity in the UK, comparisons were being made to The Beatles. Also by this time, Bay City Roller fans had a completely distinctive style of dress, the main elements of which were ankle-length tartan trousers and tartan scarves, the group using the benefit of merchandise and promotion.[11] The German boy band The Teens [de] formed in West Berlin, 1976, and had a couple of hits targeting young females, selling more than 5 million albums worldwide. The band dissolved in 1982.[12] New Kids on the Block in concert, November 2008 In the US, the Cleveland-based power pop group Raspberries was generally interpreted as a "teen act", although all the band members played their own music. Vocalist Eric Carmen later commented, "It was not hip for people to like us, because their little sister liked us."[13] Boston group New Edition was formed in 1978 and reached their height of popularity in the 1980s, meaning they are often credited for starting the boy-band trend, even though the term "boy band" did not exist until the 1990s. Maurice Starr was influenced by New Edition and popularized it with his protégé New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), the first commercially successful modern boy band, which formed in 1984 and found international success in 1988. Starr's idea was to take the traditional template from the R&B genre (in this case his teenage band New Edition) and apply it to a pop genre. Bros (abbreviation of the word "brothers") were a British boy band active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, consisting of twin brothers Matt and Luke Goss along with Craig Logan. Formed in 1986, they scored multiple top 10 hits between 1987 and 1989 and in 1988 became the first modern era–style boy band to have a multiple platinum-selling album in the UK, with Push, still one of the most successful boy-band albums in the UK. Other big boy bands in Britain during the late 1980s were Big Fun and Brother Beyond. 1990s: Boyz II Men, Take That, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Westlife, Seo Taiji and Boys and the birth of modern K-pop Take That performing "Rule the World" at the 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony in London The ongoing international success of New Kids on the Block inspired music managers in Europe to create their own acts, beginning with Nigel Martin-Smith's Take That in the UK (formed in 1990) and followed by Tom Watkins, who had success with Bros in the late 1980s and formed East 17 in 1991. East 17 were marketed and pitted against Take That as "rivals" with a rougher or harsher attitude, style and sound. Take That reformed in 2006 after a decade-long hiatus and became one of the most successful groups in British music chart history, with renewed chart success internationally, especially in Europe. Irish music manager Louis Walsh, who had witnessed the impact of these British boy bands, put out an advert for an "Irish Take That", thereby creating Boyzone in 1993. Let Loose (formed in 1993), MN8 and 911 (formed in 1995), and Damage (formed in 1996) were also successful boy bands in Britain; however, by the late 1990s all these bands had run their course and split up. All these artists were very successful on both the singles and albums charts domestically and internationally; however, with the emergence of Britpop and the commercial co-option of indie rock, many boy bands were ridiculed by the British music press as having no artistic credibility, although some, such as East 17 and Take That, did write most of their own material. The media attention was then placed on the "Battle of Britpop", and the bands Oasis and Blur replaced the importance and rivalry of Take That and East 17 as the two new biggest bands in Britain. However, boy bands continued to find success in the late 1990s, such as Five, Another Level, Point Break and Westlife. In 1995 successful German music manager Frank Farian, who had been manager of Boney M and Milli Vanilli, put together Latin American band No Mercy who scored a few worldwide hits during the mid-90s. Although being American and the sons of Tito Jackson, a member of The Jackson 5, 3T had several hits singles across Europe in the mid-1990s, despite limited success in the US, and finished the second biggest selling act of 1996 in Europe behind the Spice Girls.[14] With the success of North American boy bands like New Kids on the Block in East Asia, Japanese entertainment company Johnny & Associates formed SMAP in 1992. The group enjoyed tremendous success, selling over 35 million records.[15] It paved the way for more Asian boy bands such as Arashi. In 1992, after the disbandment of the heavy metal band Sinawe, in which he had a brief stint, Seo Taiji formed the boy band Seo Taiji and Boys (Korean: 서태지와 아이들) together with dancers Lee Juno and Yang Hyun-suk, which went on to become highly successful and created a craze at the time. Seo Taiji and Boys is credited with changing the South Korean music industry by pioneering the incorporation of rap and breakdance as well as the fusion of Korean music and various popular Western music genres in Korean popular music, and in turn creating the prototype for the modern hybrid K-pop genre or "rap-dance", as it was called at the time, and K-pop groups. They also left a lasting impact by explicitly putting social criticism at the forefront of their music, as well as paving the way for artistic freedom in South Korea by challenging censorship laws and the television networks hegemony over the music market. In 1995 the Korean Broadband is not 6 ft to a particular location casting Ethics Committee demanded that Seo Taiji and Boys change the lyrics for "Regret of the Times". As a result, Seo decided to release the song as a purely instrumental track. This incited protests and resulted in the abolishment of music pre-censorship in Korea. Seo Taiji also did not have to rely on television networks due to the fact that he owned his own studio. This autonomy allowed Seo to bring subcultures in Korea, such as heavy metal, to the forefront of popular culture and challenge pervasive social norms. The band's independent success diminished the power of the television networks to dictate which artists appeared on shows, and gave rise to the influence of record labels and talent agencies.[16][17] In 1996, Seo Taiji and Boys disbanded. In April 1996, Billboard reported that the band's first three albums had each sold over 1.6 million copies, with the fourth nearing two million,[18] making all four some of the best-selling albums of all time in South Korea to this day. Lee Jun o and Yang Hyun-suk went on to establish record labels right after. Yang Hyun-suk was successful in founding YG Entertainment, one of the three biggest record companies in the country which gave birth to many successful acts such as Sechskies, Jinusean, 1TYM, BIGBANG, 2NE1, AKMU and BLACKPINK. Seo Taiji returned to music two years later with a successful solo career as a rock artist; he rose to become one of the most prominent and influential cultural icons in South Korea and was dubbed "the President of culture".[19][20] In 2017, Seo Taiji released a 25th Anniversary album with his greatest hits and remakes by prominent Korean artists, including the group BTS. He also held a joint celebratory concert with the latter, in which he acknowledged them as his spiritual successors in K-pop due to the socially conscious thematic similarities in their music as well their shared hip hop leanings, and metaphorically passed the torch, saying "This is your generation now".[21] Backstreet Boys sold over 100 million records.[22] In the early 1990s in North America, with New Kids on the Block's continued success and Color Me Badd also having success, boy bands became a continued staple of the Billboard charts. Continuing this success in the mid-1990s, most prominent boy bands were African American and had R&B and gospel elements, such as the groups All-4-One (formed in 1993) and Boyz II Men (formed in 1988). Boyz II Men are also the most successful boy band act on the U.S. Hot 100 as well as the Australian Singles Chart. Although they had success on the Billboard charts, they were not marketed towards youth but more towards adults. It was not until 1997 and the change to pop-oriented groups such as Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, NSYNC, The Moffatts, and Hanson that boy bands exploded commercially and dominated the market in the United States. This late 1990s marked the height of boy band popularity in North America, which has not been seen since. Arguably the most successful boy band manager from the U.S. was Lou Pearlman, who founded commercially successful acts such as the Backstreet Boys in 1993, NSYNC and LFO in 1995, O-Town in 2000, and US5 in 2005. Backstreet Boys and NSYNC became the two biggest boy bands in the late 1990s until the early 2000s, and Backstreet Boys went on to become the best-selling boy band in history with over 100 million records sold.[22] I In the late 1990s in the UK, producer Simon Cowell (noted in the U.S. for the American Idol/X Factor franchise) is also known for having managed British boyband Five (formed in 1997) and Irish boyband Westlife (formed in 1998). Westlife was created by Irishman Louis Walsh as a replacement for Boyzone[23] and was initially managed by a former member of the band Ronan Keating. Westlife would eventually overtake Take That in number one's tally in the UK although Take That's overall UK sales are still higher. In 2012, the Official Charts Company revealed the biggest selling singles artists in British music chart history with Take That placed 15th overall and the highest selling boyband act (9.3 million), followed by Boyzone at 29 (7.1 million) and Westlife at 34 (6.8 million).[24][25][26] Even though Cowell is known to have managed several successful boy bands, he is also infamous for passing on signing two of the biggest boybands to emerge from the 1990s and 2000s, Take That and Busted.[27] 2000s: Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Westlife, Jonas Brothers and F4 Jonas Brothers are described as a pop boy band With the continued success of Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, American and British groups like 98 Degrees, Westlife, O-Town, A1, Blue, and Busted gained quick popularity both domestically and internationally. International boy bands would also occasionally spring up, such as the Moldovan band O-Zone (better known today as an Internet meme), and Overground. American Christian boy band Plus One also enjoyed brief remarkable success during this time. At the height of boy band popularity in North America, MTV created their own parody boyband, 2gether. Like the Monkees in the 1960s, they were a manufactured act composed of actors. 2gether played off of the idea that every successful boy band must have five distinct personality types: the bad boy, the shy one, the young one, the older brother type, and a heart throb. Since 2001, the dominance of traditional boy bands on pop charts began to fade in the western hemisphere, although Gil Kaufman of MTV has described "new boy bands" that are "more likely to resemble My Chemical Romance, Sum 41, and Simple Plan.[28] In 2001, Taiwanese boy band F4 (called JVKV since 2007)[29] blew up big as a result of the success of their TV drama Meteor Garden. According to Forbes, F4 has sold 3.5 million copies of their first two albums all over Asia as of July 2003.[30] With their success, many other Taiwanese boy bands emerged around this time, such as 5566 and Fahrenheit. In South Korea, Shinhwa also spread hallyu wave throughout Asia such as Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. Also in 2001, a new all-male pop band and dance group boyband hailing from Japan called Exile debuted under Avex Group's label Rhythm Zone with 14 members, putting them on par with Super Junior, a South Korean boy band, who at the time, had had 13 members at its peak.[31] Japanese boy band Arashi has sold over 30 million copies of their records since their first release in 1999.[32] They had the yearly best-selling single in Japan in 2008[33] and 2009.[34] In 2003 SMAP released the single "Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana" that has become the third best-selling single ever in Japan, with over 3 million copies sold.[35] In North America, the Jonas Brothers rose to fame from promotion on the Disney Channel in 2008. Other boy bands like JLS and Mindless Behavior also emerged and experienced remarkable success around this time. However, apart from them, boy bands have not seen the commercial boom experienced in the genre from the mid to late nineties in North America. The mid 2000s, especially the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, saw the continued longevity of nineties boy bands such as Backstreet Boys and Westlife (before they disbanded in 2012), and the successful comeback of Take That in 2005, Boyzone in 2007, and New Kids on the Block in 2008. Some sections of the press have referred to these acts, particularly those who have reformed after a previous split, such as Take That, Boyzone, and 98 Degrees, as 'man bands'.[36] 2010s and the first half of the 2020s: Big Time Rush, One Direction and rise of K-pop One Direction rose to fame in 2011. In the early 2010s, there was somewhat of a resurgence of boy band popularity in countries where the trend had not maintained, with the emergence of new boy bands like Big Time Rush, The Wanted, and One Direction and the formation of supergroup NKOTBSB which comprised members of New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys.[37] NKOTBSB's success inspired boy bands who were fairly popular during the 1990s and 2000s to make a comeback, such as A1, Blue, 98 Degrees, Five, 911, and O-Town. Like 2gether and The Monkees, Big Time Rush was a manufactured act created for a television show. One Direction were often credited as sparking a resurgence in the popularity and interest boy bands alongside being credited with forming part of a new "British Invasion" in the United States.[38][39] Their Where We Are Tour was the highest-grossing tour by a vocal group in history[40] and after the release of their fourth album, Four, they became the only group in the 58-year history of the Billboard 200 to have their first four albums debut at number one.[41] In Southeast Asia, local boy bands also emerged as a result of the continued success of Korean and Japanese boy bands such as SMAP, Sechs Kies, Shinhwa, TVXQ!, Arashi, Exile, Super Junior, Big Bang, SHINee, Exo, and BTS. One of the boy bands who emerged as a result of Hallyu (Korean wave) is Indonesia's SM*SH who enjoyed prominent success domestically. In the Philippines, a major boy band has been formed by bringing the first reality boy band search of the country called Pinoy Boyband Superstar which held mid 2016, after all the series of auditions, rigorous training and competition, the winners formed as a group called Boyband PH.[42] After the debut of the Philippines supergroup SB19 in 2018, the group became the household name in the Philippines Pinoy pop industry. SB19 appeared at number six on Billboard Year-End Social 50 chart, making them the first Southeast Asian act to reach the top 10 of the magazine's annual chart.[43] In South Korea, boy bands have been commercially successful. On the Gaon Music Chart year-end albums chart of 2016, nine of the top 10 and 17 of the top 20 albums are by boy bands or by subunits/members of boy bands.[44] BTS'sMap of the Soul: 7 is the best-selling album of all time in South Korea, with more than 4.4 million copies sold, and Exo's XOXO became the first album released since 2001 to sell more than 1 million copies.[45][46] As of 2021, boy bands such as Seventeen, NCT and NCT 127 have also become regular million-sellers.[45] In 2013 Billboard started covering music releases in K-pop, though K-pop had been entering the charts as early as 2009, signifying the growth of the hallyu wave in America.[47] By 2017, BTS crossed into the international music market, furthering the Korean Wave in the United States and becoming the first Korean group to receive a certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with their single "Mic Drop". The band is the first Korean act to top the U.S. Billboard 200 with their studio album Love Yourself: Tear (2018) and have since hit the top of the U.S. charts with their albums Love Yourself: Answer (2018), Map of the Soul: Persona (2019), Map of the Soul: 7 (2020) and Be (2020).[48] Love Yourself: Answer also broke South Korea's Gaon Album Chart's all-time monthly record previously set by Love Yourself: Tear and became the first Korean album certified Gold in the United States.[49] SuperM later became the first K-pop group to debut at No. 1 in the U.S. Billboard 200.[50] In Japan, Arashi continue to be very successful, being the best-selling music artist in Japan from 2013 through 2017[51] by value of sales and also having the yearly best-selling album in the country in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016.[52][53][54][55][56] Other successful Japanese boy bands in this decade include Sandaime J Soul Brothers, the second best-selling music artist of 2016 in the country and Kanjani Eight, the fifth best-selling music artist of that year in Japan.[57] In Norway, the boy band Ballinciaga gained commercial success in 2022 with dance and party songs like "Dans På Bordet" and "Beklager (Guttaklubben)". The group is also known for keeping their identities anonymous by wearing pink-colored masks in the public.[58] Key factors of the concept     This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Seen as important to a "boy band" group's commercial success is the group's image, carefully controlled by managing all aspects of the group's attire, promotional materials (which are frequently supplied to teen magazines), and music videos. The key factor of a boy band is being trendy. This means that the band conforms to the most recent fashion and musical trends in the popular music scene. Typically, each member of the group will have some distinguishing feature and be portrayed as having a particular personality stereotype, such as "the baby", "the bad boy", or "the shy one". While managing the portrayal of popular musicians is as old as popular music, the particular pigeonholing of band members is a defining characteristic of boy and girl bands. In K-pop, officially designated positions within the group are common, such as "leader", "maknae" (Korean: 막내, English: "the youngest"), "visual", "center" "vocalist", "rapper" and "dancer". The latter three are based on the members' specialized skills and are further divided into "main-", "lead-" and "sub-" (vocalist/rapper/dancer) positions, with the members occupying the "main" positions often being considered the most skilled and having the most parts in songs or being highlighted during solo dance parts. The "leader" is the spokesperson who represents the group in public, and is in charge of mediating between group members, as well as between the group and the label.[59] In most cases, their music is written, arranged and produced by a producer who works with the band at all times and controls the group's sound – if necessary, to the point of hiring session singers to record guide vocals for each member of the group to sing individually if the members cannot harmonize well together. However, for clarity of each voice, recording each voice individually is most commonly the norm with most modern vocal groups. In recent years, auto-tune has become a popular tool in vocal producing, some boy bands have come under fire for that reason. Some have also come under fire for lip syncing in their performances as well, for example New Kids on the Block.[60] A typical boy band performance features elaborately choreographed dancing, with the members taking turns singing and/or rapping. Boy bands generally do not compose or produce their own material, unless the members lobby hard enough for creative control. However, some bands were created around the talent of a songwriter within the group like Gary Barlow of Take That or Tony Mortimer of East 17. It is not uncommon to find extra songs on an album written by one or more of the band members; however, their producers rarely use these as singles. Since the 21st century, however, boy bands have been expected to write or at least contribute in some part lyrically to songs. Apart from the groups mentioned above who all had at least one primary songwriter from their beginning, other groups soon caught up. At the close of the nineties, groups like Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC who had previously used writers like Max Martin during their early albums began writing their own songs.[61][62] Newer groups from late 2000s such as JLS have all made a point from early interviews that they write their own songs and hold their own image as this is an important part of marketing. Some bands like The Wanted have even spent time learning the craft of songwriting.[63] There has also been a rising trend of so-called "songwriter-" or "producer idols" (Korean: Hangul 작곡돌, rev. Rom. jakgok-dol) in K-pop since the early 2000s. Nowadays, it's not uncommon for groups to have at least one member who is heavily involved in the songwriting and producing of the groups' music.[64] In many cases, these members are the rappers in the group, who have often gained songwriting and producing experience while being active as amateur or underground rappers before joining the group. There is also a higher expectation for rappers to write their own lyrics due to self-expression being a core value of the hip-hop genre.[65] There are cases of "producer idols" writing or producing for other artists outside of their solo or respective group work as well, such as BIGBANG's G-Dragon, SHINee's Jonghyeon, Block B's Zico, BTS' RM and Suga, or AB6IX' Lee Daehwi.[66][67] Individuals can also go on to achieve greater success as a solo artist coming out of a boy band having used the groups popularity to build on. Usually this signals the end of the group until potential future reunions. Examples of this include Michael Jackson from The Jackson 5, Donny Osmond from The Osmonds, Ricky Martin from Menudo, Justin Timberlake from *NSYNC, and Ronan Keating from Boyzone. Sometimes the most successful solo star from a band is not the most popular member such as Robbie Williams as opposed to lead singer Gary Barlow from Take That. Some boy band members have gone on to successful careers elsewhere in the media. Michael Dolenz of The Monkees went on to become a successful television producer, working for ITV franchises such as LWT and Television South. In K-pop, it is expected and common practice for members to embark on solo endeavors as musical artists or in other entertainment sectors, such as acting, or as variety personalities, alongside their group career after a few years. At the latest, this happens around the time the eldest member reaches the age of 28 (in exceptional cases 30) and is drafted for mandatory military service, forcing the group into a temporary hiatus of at least 18 months. The other members then often go on to pursue solo endeavors and reconvene as a group while no member is serving, or after all members have completed their service, BTS and EXO being recent examples.[68] Music genres Although most boy bands consist of R&B or pop influences, other music genres, most notably country music and folk music, are also represented. South 65 and Marshall Dyllon, for example, were both country music boy bands. Il Divo, created by Simon Cowell in 2004, are a vocal group that performs operatic pop in several (mainly Italian) languages. Since then operatic/classical boy bands have become quite popular and common, especially in the UK. Since 2001 there has been some crossover with power pop and pop punk from bands that play live instruments. Just recently some boy bands decided to go back to their original doo-wop roots, most notably, The Overtones. Controversy Since the 2000s, groups such as Backstreet Boys and LFO have disliked the term "boy band" and have preferred to be known as a "male vocal group".[69][70] Being categorized among boy bands was also the main reason the Moffatts split up.[71] Boy bands have been accused by the music press of emphasizing the appearance and marketing of the group above the quality of music, deliberately trying to appeal to a preteen audience and for conforming to trends instead of being original. Such criticisms can become extremely scathing. Boy bands are often seen as being short lived,[72] although some acts such as The Jackson 5, Backstreet Boys, Human Nature, New Edition, SMAP, Shinhwa[73] and Westlife (before they split up in 2012) have sustained lasting careers. Best-selling boy bands The following is a list of the best-selling boy bands based on claimed sales figures of over 40 million records: Name     Nationality     Number of members     Years active     Genre     Studio albums     Claimed sales Backstreet Boys     United States     5 → 4 → 5     1993–present (29 years)     Pop     10     130 million[22] The Jackson 5     United States     5 → 6 → 4     1964–1990, 2001, 2012–present (59 years)     Pop/R&B     18     100 million[74] The Osmonds     United States     5     1958–1980 (22 years)     Pop     22     77 million[75] New Kids on the Block     United States     5 → 4 → 5     1984–1994, 2008–present (37 years)     Pop     6     70 million[76] *NSYNC     United States     5     1995–2002 (7 years)     Pop     4     70 million[77] One Direction     United Kingdom/Ireland     5 → 4     2010–2016 (6 years; on hiatus)     Pop     5     70 million[78] Bay City Rollers     United Kingdom     5     1966–1981 (15 years)     Pop     16     70 million[79] Boyz II Men     United States     5 → 4 → 3     1988–present (31 years)     R&B     11     60 million[80] Take That     United Kingdom     5 → 4 → 5 → 3     1990–1996, 2005–present (31 years)     Pop     8     45 million[81][82] Westlife     Ireland     5 → 4     1998–2012; 2018–present (23 years)     Pop     11     45 million" (wikipedia.org)  Singles Awareness Day (or Singles Appreciation Day) is celebrated on February 15 each year.[1] It is an unofficial holiday celebrated by single people. It serves as a complement to Valentine's Day for people who are single, and not married or in a romantic relationship. It is a celebration of love in all forms recognizing the love between friends, family and loving yourself.[2] Some people who observe Singles Awareness Day do so out of spite for Valentine's Day, as a Hallmark holiday, or for other reasons.[3] Singles awareness day is also referred to as an antithesis of Valentine's Day, especially when celebrated on February 14.[3][4] The United Kingdom has two 'days' attributed to highlighting single status. Since Single Awareness Day spells SAD and a group of dating experts wanted to highlight a more positive tone, creating National Singles Day. It is celebrated on 11 March with the aim to empower those who identify themselves as single.[5] It is unclear who is behind SAD in the UK.[4][6] On Singles Awareness Day, single people gather to celebrate or to commiserate in their single status. Some want to remind romantic couples that they don't need to be in a relationship to celebrate life." (wikipedia.org) "Nickolas Gene Carter (born January 28, 1980) is an American singer and a member of the vocal group Backstreet Boys. As of 2015, Carter has released three solo albums, Now or Never, I'm Taking Off and All American, during breaks between Backstreet Boys schedules, and a collaboration with Jordan Knight titled Nick & Knight. He has made occasional television appearances and starred in his own reality shows, House of Carters and I (Heart) Nick Carter.... Early life Carter was born in Jamestown, New York, where his parents, Jane Elizabeth (née Spaulding, previously Carter) and Robert Carter,[2] owned a bar called the Yankee Rebel in Westfield, New York.[3] He has English, Welsh, Irish, and German ancestry.[4][5] Several years later, when Carter was four, the family moved to Ruskin, Florida, near Tampa, and managed the Garden Villa Retirement Home, where they added to the family.[6] Carter's siblings include Leslie Carter (1986–2012) and Aaron Carter (1987–2022).[7] Career     This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. Find sources: "Nick Carter" singer – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Growing up, Carter began his acting and singing career at a young age when his mother heard him outside and enrolled him in voice lessons with a voice teacher named Marianne Prinkey. She later got him dance lessons in ballet, tap and hip hop at Karl and DiMarco's School of Theatre and Dance when he was 10.[8] He also did several commercials, such as the Florida State Lottery and The Money Store, talent shows, and the Florida State Fair, auditioned for several acting roles in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and performed around Tampa Bay, FL.[9] As a kid, he described himself as the weird kid, whose friends were the elderly, and was consistently picked on a lot until fourth grade, after his family moved to Apollo Beach, Florida. His first role was the lead role in the fourth-grade production of Phantom of the Opera at Miles Elementary School. His performance was so energetic that he received a standing ovation, with people crying in the audience at how wonderful the boy's voice projected.[10] He also did an educational video called "Reach For a Book," a show called "The Klub" and performed at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers home games for two years.[11] He also made an appearance in the 1990 Tim Burton film Edward Scissorhands as a child playing on a Slip 'N Slide. He stated, "It would be going too far to say I was actually in Edward Scissorhands because I was so far in the background that you can't tell it's me. It would be better to say I was on the set of the film... I was in the scene when Edward looks out of a window to the neighborhood. For a split second, he sees some kids playing - one of them was me. I was sliding on a yellow piece of plastic we used to call a Slip n' Slide. They were long flat sheets with water coming out of holes and were popular with kids at the time. I had to slide on one in the background of a shot. It was great fun being on the set but it was really cold and they made us do it a lot of times".[12] One of his dance teachers, Sandy, placed him in his first group called "Nick and the Angels." Between 1989 and 1993, Carter covered a various number of popular songs by other artists, including "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" and "Uptown Girl" and a few original songs that he would perform at events. These recordings ended up on an unofficial release called Before the Backstreet Boys 1989–1993 by Dynamic Discs, Inc., released in October 2002.[13] It was revealed that through several auditions, Carter met AJ McLean and Howie Dorough and they became friends. He and his siblings grew up in an unconventional, dysfunctional family. He had a rough childhood due to his parents constantly fighting and screaming violently at each other. The friends that he had growing up were either dead, drug addicts, or in prison, and eventually, performing was Carter's most giant escape from his problems.[14] At age 12, he put in a winning performance on the 1992 New Original Amateur Hour. Backstreet Boys Main article: Backstreet Boys Carter with the Backstreet Boys in 2006 Carter with the Backstreet Boys in 2008 At 12 years old, Carter auditioned for Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club and the Backstreet Boys. He was asked to join the group and was given the choice of either joining The Mickey Mouse Club with a $50,000 contract or this new music group. Carter chose to go with the group rather than the Mickey Mouse Club. After he joined the group, he had his own personal tutor on tour. In 2013 or 2014, Carter received his GED as shown on I Heart Nick Carter.[6] At 13 years old, Carter, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, and Kevin Richardson formed the vocal group the Backstreet Boys on April 20, 1993. Carter is the youngest member. The Backstreet Boys have recorded several albums, beginning in the mid-1990s, the latest being 2019's DNA. In March 2016, the group announced that they would begin an exclusive headlining residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas called Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life.[15] Solo career In 2002, when the Backstreet Boys expressed a strong desire to leave their management company, The Firm, Carter was the first member of the group to choose to remain with them to manage his solo career and work on a solo album. Around then, Carter started writing songs and recording during his downtime when Jive asked him to do a solo album. As the group began recording their new album without him, he started working on his first solo album.[16] In September 2002, Carter released the first single from his solo album, "Help Me" which did well on radio countdowns landing at #1 on various stations including New York City's Z100 and achieved considerable worldwide success while the other single, "I Got You" was a minor hit in Europe. On October 29, 2002, his first solo album Now Or Never was released and sold over 500,000 copies in the first week. It reached No. 17 on the Billboard 200 charts and was certified gold, both in the United States and Canada. The album made the charts in many countries as well. He also launched a worldwide tour in support of the album. He was No. 9 of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2000 and was voted by readers of teen magazine Cosmogirl's "Sexiest Man in the World" in their October 2002 issue,[17] beating out such competition as actor Brad Pitt and rival pop star Justin Timberlake for the title, launching a media-hyped "rivalry" between Timberlake and Carter, culminating in an amicable 2009 meeting off-camera on the set of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon where Carter defeated Timberlake in an arm-wrestling match.[18] He was also featured on the cover of the magazine.[which?] Carter went on tour in early 2003, where he performed at smaller venues like clubs. Much smaller venues than what he had been used to with Backstreet Boys. That same year Carter started working on his second solo album, but that was put on hold when the Backstreet Boys returned to the studio to record a new album in 2004. One of the tracks from the earlier recording sessions was used as the theme song to the television series House of Carters in 2006. "Let It Go" was written by Carter, Matthew Gerrard, and Bridget Louise Benenate.[19] It would be 8 years before Carter finally focused on another solo album. Carter started to work on the album in 2008, but most of the recording of his second solo album, "I'm Taking Off," took place during any downtime he had in between Backstreet Boys touring in 2010. "I'm Taking Off" was first released on February 2, 2011, in Japan and later released in the U.S. on May 24, 2011, on iTunes only. The album was later released in other countries on different dates. It was Carter's first solo album without the help of a major label. He co-wrote every song released except a bonus track in Japan. In Germany, the album was released by Glor, Canada 305 Records, and in Japan, AMEX. Carter recorded a duet with pop singer Jennifer Paige called "Beautiful Lie" in 2009. In 2010, Carter started recording new songs for his second solo album, working with Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk, Toby Gad, Josh Hoge, and Claude Kelly, among many others. Carter's new album titled I'm Taking Off was released on February 2, 2011, in Japan, in Germany on June 3, 2011, and in the USA via iTunes on May 24. As of June 2011, Carter's second solo album reached No. 8 in Japan, selling over 20,000 copies. In January 2014, Carter recorded a duet album with Jordan Knight from fellow boy band New Kids on the Block. They both worked on a duet album and called their collaboration Nick & Knight, which debuted at #24 on the US Billboard 200 and #14 in Canada. The tour to support the album ran from September–November 2014. They announced their album and tour on April 30 on Good Morning America. The self-titled album was released on September 2, 2014. Fans were able to get a taste of the album when they pre-ordered it by receiving a download of the song "Just the Two of Us." The first single, "One More Time," was released on July 15, 2014. The album features a few tracks written by Carter and Jordan. In 2015, Carter announced he would be working on a third solo album for release later that year. The album was called All American and was released digitally on November 25 via iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play. The CD release was delayed until February 2016 and released in Japan that same month. For most of the album, he worked with Dan Muckala, Natasha Bedingfield, and others. This album would see Carter returning to a pop/rock sound like Now or Never. Some tracks on the album also sound like the 1950s and 1960s. The first single from his new album, entitled "I Will Wait", was released on October 1, 2015, on Vevo and is an acoustic ballad.[20] The new CD All American, was released on November 25, 2015.[21] In support of the album, Carter toured in February and March 2016. Canadian pop/rock singer Avril Lavigne is also featured on Carter's album. She sings with him in the song "Get Over Me". During the Carter announced that he would be releasing new solo projects.[22] Acting career Carter also did some acting appearing on various TV shows, including the NBC show American Dreams in 2002 and ABC's 8 Simple Rules in 2003. In October 2004, he even starred as a High School football player Brody in the ABC Family Halloween special, The Hollow, opposite Kevin Zegers.[12] The film first premiered on ABC Family during their 13 Nights of Halloween in October 2004. The film was edited for TV and younger audiences. It was initially a rated R film. The rated-R movie was later released on DVD. But it would be a few years before Carter did any acting again as the Backstreet Boys worked on their return to music in 2004. In 2007, Carter filmed the independent movie Kill Speed with Brandon Quinn, Andrew Keegan, Natalia Cigliuti, Greg Grunberg, and Reno Wilson, where he played a character named Foreman.[23] The movie was originally scheduled for release in 2008, but due to issues with the release (some say with distribution), it would years before it was eventually released on DVD. In the US, its release was on June 12, 2012. While in the UK, its release was in 2010, along with some other countries. On May 8, 2012, he made a guest appearance on CW's 90210 and played himself. He's currently trying to do more acting. Carter made his big-screen debut in 2013, appearing in the comedy This Is the End along with the rest of the Backstreet Boys. Carter has gotten into writing screenplays and filming/directing movies. The first film he directed was a movie he had written called The Pendant in 2010. It was a short 15-minute film and can be purchased on his official website. Unfortunately, the only public viewing of the film was at the Royal Theater in Toronto on August 13, 2010. However, fans could see the film by buying tickets through his official site. He also directed another movie in 2012, but no word when that will be released. Carter in 2011 In July 2013, Carter launched a campaign on Indiegogo.com, a crowdfunding site, to raise money for his movie "Evil Blessings." The goal was to raise $85,000. Instead, the campaign raised $156,214. Carter has said he'll use his money and the money raised to fund the movie. In return for the donations, multiple perks depended on how much you donated. They included chats with Carter on Skype, your name in the movie credits and/or website, movie merchandise (t-shirt, poster, DVD, etc.), acting roles, tickets to the premiere, tickets to BSB concerts, an online concert, and much more. Carter wrote the screenplay for the film. Due to a few setbacks, the film was delayed and put on hold. In July 2013, the director of the movie died. The film was said to start filming in June 2014, but the success of the Backstreet Boys' In a World Like This Tour delayed filming and was pushed back to January 2015. That gave Carter some more time to rework the screenplay. In October 2014, Carter announced that this film would be postponed due to the director's death. Instead, he'll film a new movie called "Dead West" in January 2015. The money donated to "Evil Blessings" will be used for this film. Carter hired the production company, the Asylum (the company that produced Sharknado), to help. In July 2015, Carter announced that the movie was renamed "Dead 7" to give it a more global appeal. "Dead 7" includes various members of different boy bands. At Comic-Con 2015 in San Diego, Carter revealed his plans to film a movie he had written and would be directing and starring in. Entitled Dead 7, the film focuses on a ragtag band of gunslingers operating during a post-apocalyptic zombie plague. The film also stars Carter's wife, Lauren, and his bandmates Howie D. and AJ McLean. Besides NSYNC's Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, O-Town's Erik-Michael Estrada, Jacob Underwood, and Trevor Penick, and 98 Degrees' Jeff Timmons will also star in the movie. The film also includes Jon Secada, Geraldo (a rapper remembered for the song Rico Suave), Art Alexakis (Everclear), and Debra Wilson (MadTV cast member), plus many more. The movie was filmed in Butte, Montana, in August 2015 and finished in early September, and the movie aired on the SyFy network on April 1, 2016. Reality TV career In 2006, Carter and his siblings starred in their reality television show, House of Carters, which premiered on October 2, 2006, on E!. The series features all five Carter siblings reuniting to live in the same house together in Los Angeles to try to reconnect as a family and get their lives together, as well as in-depth moments of their ups and downs. Their father, Robert Carter, and stepmother, Ginger, also appeared on the show. The series lasted one season, and eight episodes were aired.[24] In 2014, Carter returned to reality TV, and he and his wife (then fiancée at the time), Lauren Kitt, starred in their VH1 reality show, I Heart Nick Carter, which centered around the planning of their April 2014 wedding and premiered on September 10, 2014, on VH1.[25] The show only had eight episodes and documented Carter's life as he prepared to get married. This included Carter trying to set the wedding date between Backstreet Boys touring, as well as footage of Carter working. Recording a new album with New Kids on the Block member Jordan Knight, various events such as a book signing, charity event, touring with Backstreet Boys in Europe (other group members also appeared on the show), his bachelor party, and much more. The wedding aired in a one-hour season finale. Carter announced on Twitter that VH1 did not renew the show for a second season. On August 26, 2015, it was revealed that Carter would be taking part in the 21st season of Dancing with the Stars which began on September 14, 2015.[26] He was paired with professional dancer Sharna Burgess. Carter and Burgess made the finals of the show and came in second place, behind Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough. He performed "I Will Wait" off his All American album live at the finale. Week #     Dance/Song     Judges' score     Result In June 2017, Carter appeared alongside Emma Bunton and Timbaland as a judge on a new singing competition show called Boy Band.[27] In 2020, Carter competed as the "Crocodile" on the fourth season of The Masked Singer, finishing in third place.[28] Week #     Song     Judges' guesses     Result Charity work Carter started Oceans Campaign in 2001 to help raise awareness about the ocean. It was a part of the Just Within Reach foundation that fellow group member Kevin Richardson founded. He was announced as the new United Nations Special Ambassador for the Year of the Dolphin (YoD) on May 17, 2007, representing the United Nations Environment Program, the Convention on Migratory Species, and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. The Year of the Dolphin campaign aimed to raise awareness of dolphins in the wild, the threats they faced to their survival, and actions that could help their wild conservation. He was to record a new song and video with all proceeds going to this project, make a public service announcement and appear at local schools.[29] Carter has stated that he has a passion for the environment and its oceans. He has worked with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). He also has lobbied for these causes at Capitol Hill.[30] In 2016, Carter sold two of his paintings on eBay, where a portion of the proceeds went to the St. Jude Children's Hospital. Carter has also auctioned various items over the years for charities. Personal life Relationships Carter has been reported to have dated Debra Lafave, Willa Ford, and Paris Hilton.[31][32] Carter met Lauren Michelle Kitt, a fitness trainer, in 2008.[33][34] They married in Santa Barbara, California, in 2014. Their wedding was featured in an issue of In Touch Weekly and was filmed for Carter's reality show, I Heart Nick Carter. They have three children; a son born in 2016 and two daughters, born in 2019 and 2021.[35][36][37] In September 2018, Carter revealed that Kitt had a miscarriage. They had been expecting a girl.[38] Carter told People magazine that even though he loves performing on tour, he had to miss his daughter's third birthday to go to Europe.[39] Power boat racing In 2002, Carter got into power boat racing and started his own team, Nick Carter Racing,[40] which won the National Championship in its first year.[41] Legal issues On January 2, 2002, Carter was arrested at Pop City nightclub in Tampa, Florida, and charged with a misdemeanor count of resisting/opposing a law enforcement officer without violence.[42] In 2003 or 2004, Carter got his first DUI after refusing to comply with the police.[43] On March 5, 2005, Carter was arrested in Huntington Beach, California, and charged with one count of driving under the influence and one count of driving with a blood-alcohol level above 0.08, the legal limit. Carter pled guilty to the charges and was ordered to pay $1,200 in fines, was placed on three years of informal probation, had his driving privileges restricted for 90 days, and was required to complete a three-month alcohol education program.[44] Carter's 2005 mugshot On January 13, 2016, Carter was arrested at Hog's Breath Saloon in Key West, Florida after he was refused service at the bar due to "high levels of intoxication." Carter was asked to leave by management and, after getting into a physical altercation with the bar's bouncers, was charged with misdemeanor battery.[45] In September 2019, Carter was granted a temporary restraining order against his younger brother Aaron after alleging he threatened to kill his then-pregnant wife.[46] On November 20, the judge made the decision the day after one of Carter's sisters was granted a domestic violence restraining order, and Carter's brother-in-law was granted a harassment restraining order until November 2020.[47][48][49][50][51][52] On February 18, 2022, in a class-action lawsuit filed against the cryptocurrency company SafeMoon that alleged the company is a pump and dump scheme, Carter was named as a defendant along with Youtuber and professional boxer Jake Paul, rappers Soulja Boy and Lil Yachty, and social media personality Ben Phillips for promoting the SafeMoon token on their social media accounts with misleading information.[53][54] On the same day, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a lawsuit against Bitconnect that the Securities Act of 1933 extends to targeted solicitation using social media.[55] Substance abuse Carter has acknowledged ongoing struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. He revealed that he started drinking when he was just two years old and again at nine.[56] He says that he became sober after being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and realized that he could die if he did not make major lifestyle changes.[57] The singer credits fellow Backstreet Boys member Kevin Richardson for helping him turn his life around by giving him Norman Vincent Peale's book Why Some Positive Thinkers Get Powerful Results.[58] After reading that book he started a healthier lifestyle, saying "Working out definitely helped my self-esteem, and it helped to kind of push it all aside. I just started replacing drinking and the parties... with healthier things like sports, video games."[59] Carter also appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on February 19, 2009, to talk about his past with drug and alcohol addictions.[60] In December 2011, Carter again appeared on TV to talk about his struggle with drugs and alcohol, this time on The Dr. Phil Show's "Second Chances" special. This segment led to his first book deal with Bird Street Books. In 2013, he published the memoir titled Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It.[61][62] Discography Main articles: Nick Carter discography and Backstreet Boys discography Solo albums     Now or Never (2002)     I'm Taking Off (2011)     All American (2015) Collaborative albums     Nick & Knight (2014) (with Jordan Knight) Awards and nominations Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Backstreet Boys Filmography TV series & Movies Year     Film     Role     Notes 1998     Sabrina The Teenage Witch     Himself     Episode: "Battle of the Bands" 1998–1999     Saturday Night Live     Himself and Musical Guest     "Julianne Moore/Backstreet Boys" (Season 23, episode 16) "Sarah Michelle Gellar/Backstreet Boys" (Season 24, episode 19) 2002     American Dreams     Jay Black     Episode: "Soldier Boy" 2002     Arthur     Himself     Guest Voice, episode: "Arthur, It's Only Rock and Roll" 2002     All That     Himself     Sketch Performance 2002     Sesame Street     Himself     Appeared with Aaron Carter 2002     Sesame Street     Himself     Appeared with the Backstreet Boys 2002     Star Search     Himself     Appeared with Aaron Carter 2003     8 Simple Rules     Ben Hatcher     Season 1, episodes 17 & 18 2003     American Juniors     Himself     Guest Judge 2003     Punk'd     Himself     Season 2 2004     The Hollow     Brody     ABC TV Movie 2005     The Ellen DeGeneres Show     Himself     Musical Guest With the Backstreet Boys 2006     House of Carters     Himself     Reality show 2009     El Hormiguero     Himself     Musical Guest with the Backstreet Boys 2010     Kill Speed     Foreman     Direct-to-video 2010     The Pendant     Barrett     Actor and Director 2011     Dr. Phil     Himself     Interview and performance of "Burning Up" 2012     90210     Himself     Special Guest 2012     Late Night with Jimmy Fallon     Himself     Musical Guest with the Backstreet Boys 2013     El Hormiguero     Himself     Musical Guest with the Backstreet Boys 2013     This Is the End     Nick Carter     With the Backstreet Boys, performing "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" 2014     I (Heart) Nick Carter     Himself     Main Cast 2015 2017     Dancing with the Stars     Himself     Contestant on season 21 Guest judge for week 6 on season 24 2016     Dead 7     Jack     Feature Film Executive Producer/ Actor 2017     Boy Band     Himself     Judge 2020     The Masked Singer     Crocodile     Contestant (season 4) " (wikipedia.org) "Howard Dwaine Dorough (born August 22, 1973)[1] is an American singer. He is a member of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys.... Early life Dorough was born August 22, 1973, in Orlando, Florida,[1] where he met his friend and bandmate A.J. McLean through a mutual vocal coach at the Latin carnival in 1989.[2][3] His mother Paula Flores-Dorough, a school worker, is Puerto Rican, and his father, Hoke Dwaine Dorough (1938–2008), a police officer, former army soldier, real estate developer[4] and bank security,[5] was Irish American.[6] He is the youngest by 10 years of five siblings. His sister, Pollyanna, is also a singer.[7] Another sister, Caroline, died from lupus in September 1998.[7] Career Early career Dorough's love and passion for entertainment started when he was three years old, singing "Babyface" with his little guitar.[8] He started performing around age six or seven, thanks to his sister Polyanna, singing during mass in the church choir and having his first role in the musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz as a singer and actor.[9] Throughout elementary school, his mother enrolled him in children's community theaters and performed in many community theater productions of top musicals, among them "Sound Of Music", "Showboat" and "Camelot"[10] and got him in singing/voice and acting lessons by putting him in a performing arts academy where he also took dance lessons in classical ballet, tap, and jazz. He even was in an all-boy ballet troupe. He did Little League once before switching to the arts. During junior high to high school, Dorough also did some singing in the choir, even qualified for All-State Chorus, talent shows, and joining drama club and acting school productions, as well as a school TV show called "Macho & Camacho". He got discovered by an acting agent when he was 14 and also managed to land roles in movies, such as Parenthood starring comedian Steve Martin at 15 and Cop and a Half starring Burt Reynolds, Nickelodeon TV production pilot "Welcome Freshman" and star in a commercial for Disney World under the stage name, Tony Donetti.[11] He didn't particularly like this, but his agent thought he was Italian and believed it would help him to get discovered.[12] Although he enjoyed it his entire life, like his bandmates AJ and Nick, he too was a victim of bullying as a child for his lack of Spanish language, his falsetto vocal range when he was 12 and his weight.[13][14][15][16] Dorough was asked by his choir teacher to perform the National Anthem at his high school basketball game. He agreed but forgot the words when it was time to sing.[17] Despite the extreme embarrassment, he got right back on his horse and began performing again when he sang 'Unchained Melody' at his school talent show, and got a standing ovation when he hit the high note. Girls had tears in their eyes and boys looked on in envy. Dorough was note-perfect and, this time, he was word perfect too. His national anthem mess was forgotten as the screams filled the auditorium and everyone jumped to their feet.[18] He also auditioned for a Latin boy band Menudo, but he did not make it.[19] He was also involved in a peer counseling group called Friends, where he talked to other kids about living "a clean life, having fun, going to school, avoiding drugs."[20][21] When he's not working in the spotlight, he works as a tour guide in Universal Orlando[22] and worked with his sister at Zarro's Bread Basket one summer in New York when he was 14.[23] He was selected 'Most Talented' and graduated from Edgewater High School in 1991 the Top 10 of his class.[24] After high school, Dorough auditioned for Backstreet Boys under his stage name, but they lost his headshot and contact info; however, after six months, they were able to track him down, thanks to AJ, and was already in the group.[25] He got a scholarship, and attended both University of Central Florida and Valencia College with an Associate of Arts Degree with *NSYNC member, Chris Kirkpatrick.[26] Backstreet Boys Main article: Backstreet Boys Dorough (left) and Nick Carter with the Backstreet Boys, 2005 Lou Pearlman created the Backstreet Boys in 1993, selecting Howie Dorough along with AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, and Kevin Richardson. They were then booked to perform at many venues such as high schools and shopping malls and eventually managed to sign a contract with Jive Records in 1994. They slowly became popular in European countries, starting with Germany, and embarked on a tour supporting their debut album. The album slowly climbed up to the top ten slots in most countries and was on its way to selling more than 8 million copies. As their second album, Backstreet's Back was being released in Europe, they released their first album in the United States which was a compilation of both their international debut and Backstreet's Back. The album climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 14 million copies. Meanwhile, Backstreet's Back became an even more significant success than their debut album, opening at the number one spot in many countries. Dorough is most known for his infamous fart, which was recorded and used as a part of the beat for the song "The Call" from the Backstreet Boys' fourth album, Black And Blue.[Billboard 1] They started recording Millennium in 1998 and released it in May 1999. It became one of the biggest selling albums of all time taking the number one place in many countries. Their first single from Millennium's follow-up album, Black & Blue, Shape Of My Heart was released to radio on October 3. Black and Blue recorded first-week sales of 1.59 million copies in the US, making the Backstreet Boys the first artists to back-to-back million-plus sales of albums. After releasing their greatest hits album they went on hiatus and regrouped in 2003. They released their next album, Never Gone in 2005. While it was negatively reviewed by critics it enjoyed a lot of commercial success. They released their next album, Unbreakable in 2007 and the follow-up This Is Us, in 2009. Their eighth album In a World Like This was released on July 30, 2013. Their ninth album DNA was released on January 25, 2019, with a new headlining tour to follow in May of the same year. All in all, they have become one of the biggest selling artists of all time with record sales exceeding 135 million worldwide. Solo projects Dorough worked as a producer for singer/songwriter George Nozuka and Katelyn Tarver as part of his management partnership with former 3deep member CJ Huyer, called HC Entertainment formed in 2004. Since 2010 he's also managing a Canadian band Neverest, which was under Dorough's company, 3 Street Management. In 2006, he started work on his first solo album. The album would include Spanish/Latin songs as well as American. But he eventually changed his mind on the style of the album. Noting that his Spanish was not the best and did not want to be something he is not. Around 2010, he started to work on an album that was more pop/r&b style. Dorough's first solo album Back to Me was eventually released on November 15, 2011. The album featured many songs that Dorough co-wrote himself. The first single of the album, "100", was released in the summer of 2011 and received moderate airplay primarily in Canada.[27] Also in November 2011, Dorough joined Britney Spears for her Femme Fatale Tour in South America.[28] In 2015, while Howie had not announced that he was working on a second solo album some producers mentioned working with Howie on a new album that is said to be released the same year. On May 9, 2019, he announced on Twitter and Instagram that his new solo album, "Which One Am I" will be released on July 12, 2019.[29][30] TV and film appearances While in the Backstreet Boys, Dorough has done some acting over the years. Appearing in Roswell, ABC's television series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch in the episode "The Big Head" as an egotistic rock star named Strum, and voiced Santa Claus on the Nickelodeon preschool animated series Dora the Explorer in the Christmas episode "A Present for Santa" and did a skit on Saturday Night Live on May 15, 1999. In September 2002, Dorough and the rest of The Backstreet Boys made special guest appearances on the children's cartoon Arthur. In 2013, Dorough made his motion picture debut by appearing in the comedy This Is the End along with the rest of the Backstreet Boys. On February 5, 2021, Dorough appeared on Long Island Medium: There in Spirit to receive a psychic reading from Theresa Caputo about his father and sister.[31][32] On February 1, 2022, Dorough competed in a dance competition for Dirty Dancing on Fox.[33][34] Other ventures Dorough also founded a company called Sweet D, Inc. with his older brother John.[35] The company specializes in real estate development and consulting and has built numerous condominiums, hotels, and waterfront properties.[4] He's also founded and held the positions of CEO, chairman, and director in several other companies, most notably Dorough Lupus Foundation and Howiedoit Productions, Inc.[36][37] Early in 2020, Dorough starred in a musical loosely based on his life called Howie D: Back in the Day at The Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska.[38] In the show, Dorough's sister, Pollyanna, was played by Natalie Hanson and his Mother was played by Christina Maria. Personal life In September 1998, Dorough's sister, Caroline Dorough-Cochran, died of lupus.[39] After her death, Dorough established the Dorough Lupus Foundation (DLF) in her honor to help raise money for lupus research. Howie did many charity events for the foundation including concerts, auctions, and some annual cruises. The foundation helps raise awareness about the disease, provides financial support for those who cannot afford treatment, and raises money for research.[40] According to the band's YouTube page, he has Scandinavian, African, Iberian, Native American, Central and South American, Scottish, Welsh, Balkan, and Middle Eastern ancestry.[41][42] Relationships Dorough has been private about his romantic connections. According to "Entertainment Tonight", he dated his singing partner Jennifer during his final year of high school, but they broke up due to his career in 1994, leaving him heartbroken.[43] While touring Europe in 1995 or 1996, he briefly dated a woman named Sabina[44] and then dated a Canadian model named Claudia Opdenkelder. He stated, "I had come out of a relationship, so I wasn't looking for anything serious."[45] On December 6, 2000, Dorough met Leigh Anne Boniello, a film executive producer for Warner Brothers and Dreamworks, who was working as the webmaster for the official Backstreet Boys website at the time.[45] Howie and Leigh dated for six years and in 2006 he proposed to her in front of her family on New Year's.[46] A year later, on December 8, 2007, they married in a traditional Catholic ceremony at St. James Cathedral, where he was baptized and sang choir at in Orlando, Florida.[47][48] They have two sons together.[49][50] Dorough and his wife help recently launch her first line of ecofriendly handbags called Eslla, a luxury company she designed and founded with her friend of more than a decade, Charlotte Wienckoski.[51] Discography See also: Backstreet Boys discography Albums Title     Year     Peak positions JPN [52] Back to Me         Released: November 9, 2011 (Japan)     Released: November 15, 2011 (United States)     Label: avex trax (JP), RCA (US)     Formats: CD, digital download     56 Live from Toronto         Released: March 13, 2012     Format: Digital download     Which One Am I         Released: July 12, 2019     Label:     Formats: Digital Download, CD     Singles Year     Single     Album 2011     100     Back to Me Lie to Me 2012     Going Going Gone 2019     No Hablo Español     Which One Am I The Me I'm Meant to Be Monsters In My Head Collaborations     "Every Minute, Every Hour" (co-writer) (2gether)     "Show Me What You Got" (Bratz featuring BoA and Howie Dorough)     "I'll Be There" (Howie Dorough featuring Sarah Geronimo)     "It Still Matters ~愛は眠らない(Ai wa Nemuranai)~" (The Gospellers featuring Howie Dorough)     "I Like It" (co-writer) (So Real, Mandy Moore)     "If I Say" (Howie Dorough featuring U)     "Worth Fighting For" (Howie Dorough featuring U)     "New Tomorrow" (featuring Howie D) (A Friend in London feat Howie Dorough)" (wikipedia.org) "Alexander James McLean (born January 9, 1978)[1] is an American singer, dancer, actor and a member of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys.... Early life McLean was born on January 9, 1978, in West Palm Beach, Florida, to Denise (née Fernandez, now Solis) and Bob McLean. Denise is of Cuban-Puerto Rican and German ancestry and Bob is of Scots-Irish and English descent. A DNA test described his genetic ancestry as Iberian, Central and South American, North, West and East European, North African, Nigerian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Middle Eastern.[2][3] He is an only child.[4][5] He was raised solely by his mother and grandparents (Ursula and Adolph) as his parents divorced when he was two years old.[4]: 13  He rarely saw his father. They saw one another when he was ten and again at age 12. McLean reunited with his father in 1997. His father had been following him throughout his career. They have since kept in regular contact following their 17-year estrangement,[6]: 12  and again after a previous recent fall out before he got married when he went to rehab for the second or third time.[7] Career Early career As a child, McLean had a speech impediment, which gave him a lisp and a tendency to stutter.[citation needed] He discovered his love for performing and started to pursue a career in acting, Dancing, and singing. When he was four, McLean began to focus on his love mfor dance. His mother signed him up for dance lessons every day for two hours. He took ballet for four years, jazz, tap, hip hop, rhythm tap, rhythm hip-hop, contemporary, ballroom, salsa, merengue, and gymnastics. His mother got him into modeling when he was around five years old, and he was featured in J.C. Penney catalogs and runways. Aside from that, he took up fencing. His grandmother taught him piano and took him to auditions while growing up.[8][9] At age six, McLean was part of a school play, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in which he played Dopey, at Unity of Delray Beach church and school. He also appeared in more traditional musicals such as The Nutcracker, The King and I, and Fiddler on the Roof before the age of 11. By age 12, he had performed in 27 classic school plays. In addition to singing and acting, he was a serious dance student learning everything from jazz to ballet to hip hop.[4] He stated in interviews that, "Dancing was really my thing in the early days. I wanted to be a dancer way above an actor or a singer."[6]: 15  When he was 12, he started his first dance troupe and would go to dance competitions, which was a valuable experience even though they didn't win.[6]: 17  In January 1986, at eight years old, McLean acted in his first role as Little Mike in the 1986 film Truth or Dare?.[10] In 1990, McLean, his mother, and grandparents moved to Kissimmee, Florida to pursue his acting and singing career. He attended a private acting school, the Florida Academy of Dramatic Arts, for four years, acted in the drama club and small plays, and modeled periodically. In 1991, McLean landed a role in the Nickelodeon comedy series Hi Honey, I'm Home! as Skunk. However, after the pilot, he was cut from the show due to being too tall. In 1989 at age 11, he saw an ad in the newspaper for a Latin festival. Since his grandfather had Latin roots, he decided to audition. He won first place and a $1,000 prize. The festival's producer hired him to perform a 45-minute one-person show and did a puppet show, showcasing his singing, acting, and dancing. At the Latin festival, he met a young 16-year-old Howie Dorough (Tony Donetti at the time) through a mutual vocal coach.[11][6] When he was 13 years old, McLean tried out for Star Search, but never received a call back from the show. In junior high, McLean won a part in Nickelodeon's series Welcome Freshmen, which began his ongoing work relationship with Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. He also appeared on the Nickelodeon show GUTS and a Muppets commercial. It was during one of his auditions for the former that he met Howie D. and Nick Carter, lacing together the roots of the group that was to become Backstreet Boys. Due to his love of performing and not participating in the same sports as his peers, he was bullied, called names, and given a hard time.[6]: 15  He described himself at this young age as a weirdo[12] and "wacky."[6]: 15  He remarked that being made fun of had been very upsetting for him but he felt it stemmed from others' jealousy of his talents and the subsequent attention that gave him.[6]: 15–17  Backstreet Boys Main article: Backstreet Boys McLean performing in 2009 In March 1992, an ad was placed in a local newspaper seeking young men between the ages of 16-19 for an audition for a new music group. Despite being 14 years old, he auditioned for the group. By April 1992, McLean was officially the group's first member to become the Backstreet Boys. After six months at Osceola High School, he finished the remaining three years of high school through correspondence courses with a tutor on the road after joining the Backstreet Boys.[6] McLean, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson, and Kevin's cousin Brian Littrell formed the vocal group Backstreet Boys in 1993. The group became very successful in the late 90s-early 2000s. In 2013, they celebrated their 20th anniversary and released a new album called In a World Like This. In 2018, they released Don't Go Breaking My Heart and in 2019, their tenth album, DNA. Solo ventures Johnny No Name (2000) McLean created a character, whom he named "Johnny No Name," to use as his alter ego. He uses this as his name when not performing with other members of the Backstreet Boys.[13] The character has similarities to McLean; for instance, both had single mothers and lived with their grandparents from a young age. There are also differences – Johnny has been to prison[14] whereas McLean has not. McLean has occasionally performed in rock/metal clubs around New York as Johnny No Name. He established the JNN Foundation to raise funds for diabetes research and other causes like keeping music programs in schools. McLean also performed a nine-city tour to support VH1 Save the Music as Johnny No Name. A source said he would release a solo album as Johnny No Name, but it never happened. Originally McLean's alter ego was named Johnny Suede. This shared a name with a character played by Brad Pitt, and when the studio threatened to sue McLean, he changed the name to Johnny No Name.[15][16] Have It All (2010) It was not until March 2008 when McLean finally started to perform his first two solo shows, at the Anaheim House of Blues and The Roxy in Los Angeles. The show consisted of his solo material and a solo version of the Backstreet Boys hit, "Incomplete." The solo tour continued through Europe in May and June, in parallel to Backstreet Boys tour. His solo album Have It All was released on January 20, 2010. It was said on the Backstreet Boys cruise in December 2010 that the US version would be released on February 8, 2011, but since then has not been released.[17] While creating his solo project, McLean worked with the OneRepublic vocalist Ryan Tedder, producers Dan Muckala and Kristian Lundin, as well as former NSYNC member JC Chasez. The album was a mix of pop, rock, and some r&b. The first and only single from the album, "Teenage Wildlife," was co-written by Chasez. The album featured his co-written ten songs, including a personal song about his father, "Sincerely Yours." In 2011, McLean had said he would release the album in 2012 in the US, featuring songs from his first solo album, but he eventually scrapped the idea. In June 2012, McLean was working on a second solo album of original. He also posted two new songs on Socialcam on July 23, 2012, "Peach" and "P.L.A.R.S." The album was announced for release in 2012 but was pushed back. Around early 2015, McLean said he was working on a new solo album with Jordan Omley of The Jam, who worked on several Backstreet Boys songs on the albums This Is Us and In A World Like This. The first single, "Live Together," was named for a charitable foundation started by McLean and Omley; a music video was filmed to help raise money for Marshall Fundamental School in Pasadena, California, who had had their musical instruments stolen. McLean, along with singers Becky G, Omley, and Blake Lewis, visited, and some even performed at the school. "Live Together" premiered on People.com on May 12, 2015, and the video was released on October 5, 2015. Meanwhile, the album experienced delays, partly due to McLean recording new tracks and the Backstreet Boys' preparation and promotion for their 2017 Las Vegas residency. Collaborations (2013) On May 22, 2013, a Finnish rapper Redrama released a single, "Clouds," featuring McLean. It peaked at No. 4 in Finland.[18] Naked (2016) A second solo album titled Naked was set to be released in September 2016 but was delayed.[19] "Live Together" was released as the lead single on September 4, 2015, on iTunes.[20] Upcoming second solo album (2018–2019) On April 15, 2018, at the 53rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards, during an interview with Billboard, McLean discussed his plans to "disrupt country music" for his next solo project. He also said that the Backstreet Boys' collaboration on Florida Georgia Line's "God, Your Mama, and Me" inspired him to make a country album.[21] On June 4, 2018, McLean released the single "Back Porch Bottle Service" from an upcoming album.[22] McLean continued his foray into country-pop releasing the ballad "Boy And A Man" in March 2019 as a single from an upcoming album Long Road.[23] The video was directed by René Elizondo Jr., best known for his work with Janet Jackson. Solo album and single During the pandemic, McLean has released "Love Song Love" on April 27, 2021, which showcased his support for the LGBT community[24][25] and then recently put out a new single "Smoke" on July 15, 2022, that he recorded with his group ATCK and is set to release his second solo album, in 12 years since his first, Have It All (A. J. McLean album) called Sex and Bodies.[26] Non-music works On July 22, 2015, McLean launched Skulleeroz Vapor, a line of liquids for use with electronic cigarettes.[27] In 2020, McLean announced his nail polish line Ava Dean Beauty, which launched on November 30, 2020. He was inspired by his daughters, Ava and Lyric.[28] Television and film appearances In 1992, McLean was a contestant on the kids' game show Nickelodeon Guts. In April 2002, he made a guest appearance in the second-season episode of Static Shock titled "Duped".[29] McLean also appeared and performed with the Backstreet Boys on Arthur, Sesame Street, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Saturday Night Live. The Backstreet Boys, including McLean, made their film debut by appearing in the 2013 comedy This Is the End. In September 2018, McLean provided the voice of the golden mole Kuchimba on an episode of Disney's The Lion Guard. In 2016, McLean appeared in bandmate Nick Carter's music video for "19 in 99" as a pizza delivery man. In 2019, he voiced the character Lucy the Fairy in the episode "Cedric & the Fairies" of The Bravest Knight.[30] On November 16, 2021, McLean announced he was to be the host for the second season of Fashion Hero, filming in South Africa in 2022.[31][32] Dancing with the Stars In August 2020, McLean was announced as one of the celebrities competing on season 29 of Dancing with the Stars.[33] RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race McLean was revealed as a contestant on RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race as Poppy Love.[34] On September 30, 2022, during the season finale of RSCDR, Poppy Love was crowned the winner. Due to his win, Trans Lifeline would be the recipient of a $100,000 award. Personal life After McLean's grandmother died in 2001, he struggled with alcohol addiction.[35][36] On June 7, 2021, McLean's stepfather Tony Solis died.[37] Relationships After joining the Backstreet Boys in 1992, McLean began dating Marissa Jackson, daughter of former manager Donna Wright and stepdaughter of Johnny Wright; their relationship lasted for six years.[4]: 80  She is seen in the music video for "We've Got It Goin' On". After their breakup, she wrote the book Loving A.J.: My 6-Year Romance with a Backstreet Boy. McLean dated Amanda Latona of Innosense for two years,[38] and was engaged to singer Sarah Martin in 2002 but they split up.[39][40] McLean met model and makeup artist/hairstylist Rochelle Deanna Karidis in October 2001,[41][42] and the two began dating in 2006.[43] On his birthday in 2010, McLean proposed to Karidis. He credits her with motivating him to get sober and overcome his years long struggle with drug addiction.[44] The couple got married on December 17, 2011, at the Beverly Hills Hotel with the rest of the Backstreet Boys in attendance.[45][46][47] They have two daughters together.[48] Substance abuse At the height of his Backstreet Boys career, McLean suffered from drug and alcohol addiction. He stated the first time he used cocaine was on the set of the video for "The Call" in 2000. His bandmate Richardson confronted him in July 2001. McLean threatened to quit the band but later broke down and arranged rehab for drug and alcohol abuse. On July 9, 2001, a press release was sent out, stating that the remainder of the dates in Boston would be canceled due to Nick Carter injuring his hand. The rest of the group appeared on MTV's Total Request Live to announce McLean was going into rehab for one month, after which the group resumed their Black & Blue tour.[49][50] He entered rehab once again in 2002.[51][52] On January 10, 2011, he checked into rehab for the third time stating it was for personal reasons.[53] In preparation for the NKOTB and Backstreet Boys tour, McLean said, "I want to be healthy and perform and sing for people at my very best and happiest." His time in rehab did not affect the tour.[54] He said he wanted to be healthy and sober before getting married. He originally planned on getting married in June 2011 but had pushed back the date because of the NKOTBSB tour. During an interview with New Zealand radio station ZM, McLean described addiction as the hardest thing he has ever had to go through, stating it is something he battles every day.[55] McLean admitted in 2020 that he had relapsed at the end of 2019, but was working to stay sober to be a better husband and father.[56] In 2020, before his appearance on Dancing with the Stars, McLean stated he was completely sober and following a strict diet; grain-free, gluten-free, plant-based and sugar-free.[57] Two years later, he reported success in losing excess weight, keeping a trim body because of no alcohol and no fast food.[58] Discography See also: Backstreet Boys discography Albums Year     Title     Peak positions JAP Have It All         Released: January 20, 2010     Label: Avex     Formats: CD, digital download     31 Sex and Bodies         Released: October 2022     Label: Avex     Formats: CD, digital download     Singles As main artist Year     Single     Album 2010     "Teenage Wildlife"     Have It All 2015     "Live Together"     Non-album singles 2018     "Night Visions" 2019     "Boy and a Man" 2021     "Love Song Love" 2022     "Smoke"     Sex and Bodies Promotional singles Year     Single     Album 2015     "You"     Non-album singles 2018     "Back Porch Bottle Service" 2019     "Give You Away" 2020     "Love on the Brain" Duets Year     Single     Peak chart position     Album FIN 2013     "Clouds" with Redrama     4     Reflection" (wikipedia.org) "Statistics: Private Company Incorporated: 1980 as Mello Smello Employees: 700 Sales: $136.5 million (1996) SICs: 5199 Nondurable Goods, Not Elsewhere Classified; 2752 Commercial Printing, Lithographic; 7336 Commercial Art & Graphic Design Company Perspectives: The success of The Miner Group International is based on our commitment to building strategic partnerships with our customers, helping them to meet their objectives. We provide a seamless, one-stop production resource. Company History: Calling The Miner Group International a printing business really fails to capture the essence of this company. It is true that most of the operations that make up The Miner Group are engaged primarily in printing, from the multicolor web heatset presses of its NorthPrint International subsidiary to the high-tech sheet-fed equipment at another subsidiary, Olympic, just to name a couple. Add to that, however, the company's ability to develop marketing strategies, produce state-of-the-art graphics, publish nationwide magazines, and make sophisticated plastic packages, and you have a much clearer picture of the Miner empire's scope, and the sophisticated way in which its various elements are integrated. The Miner Group is a collection of 15 separate companies, employing 700 workers at 28 locations, primarily in Minnesota. Through strategic acquisitions and startups, The Miner Group has positioned itself as a one-stop, fully integrated marketing/printing/graphics concern capable of seeing complex projects through from start to finish. All of the Miner companies are linked together by a sophisticated voice/data communications network, enabling each company to tap into the resources of the others as necessary. The Miner Group was launched in 1980 by the husband and wife team of John and Leah Miner. After a brief banking career at First National Bank, where the Miners met, Jon Miner bought into a printing company called Impressions Inc. in 1968. Over the next dozen years, he became an expert in the printing industry, before a disagreement with his business partner led Miner to sell out his share. In the aftermath of that falling out, the Miners bought a small gift and novelty manufacturing company in 1980. Among the company's products at the time they acquired it--along with the inevitable candles and wind chimes--was a modest line of children's stickers that featured the "scratch-and-smell" concept developed by 3M Corporation. Scratch-and-smell involves coating a surface with an odor that is released when it is scratched. Scratched (and Sniffed) Way to Rapid Growth The line of scratch-and-smell stickers proved to be so popular that the Miners decided to buy the license for the scratch-and-smell technology, known as microencapsulation, from 3M and make it the cornerstone of their business. Dubbing their new company Mello Smello, they began applying a wide array of smells to a huge assortment of new products for kids. The Miners stoked demand for their aromatic products with a successful marketing strategy that turned wacky stickers into sought-after collectible items. As Mello Smello's scratch-and-smell products grew in popularity, the company sought to expand the ways in which the technology could be applied. From simple stickers, the products began taking on more complex forms, such as puzzles, games, Holiday theme items, and the like. The early success of Mello Smello created a need for greater printing and marketing capabilities. The Miners met these needs both by building new facilities and by going on a shopping spree. The company began gobbling up smaller operations that supported its core business. According to Jon Miner, there was no master plan to the way the company grew over the next several years. "One thing led to another ... we're evolving, we move forward," he was quoted as saying in the Minnesota business journal Format. Most of that evolution was in the direction of printing, the industry of which The Miner Group is generally considered a part. As the company built up and acquired new printing capabilities, new business opportunities that relied on that capability soon presented themselves. Soon Miner was printing children-oriented products for a number of large corporations. Among the company's first customers for this type of work were several national fast-food chains, for whom Miner began printing animated kid's meal boxes, bags, placemats, tray liners, and other related items. Broadened Focus Through the 1980s The next step in the evolution of The Miner Group again involved licensing agreements. The company began licensing such child-friendly images as Batman, Disney characters, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for use on its products. Some of them were scented with the company's licensed scratch-and-smell coating, while others were left to sell on their own merits. Meanwhile the list of big companies for whom Miner provided specialty products continued to grow, as the company added products such as cereal box prizes for Kellogg Company and General Mills to the work it was already doing for the likes of McDonald's and Taco Bell. Once it was well established as a diverse force in the printing business, Miner went on to expand into fields that came into contact with printing on several different sides. Rather than merely print marketing materials that have been conceived by a second firm, to be used by yet another company, Miner saw an opportunity to cut out the extraneous middle man by providing its own marketing services. This notion led to the creation of InterNatural Designs Inc. (IDI), a marketing strategy subsidiary closely tied to the company's flagship Mello Smello operation. Now Miner was able to see many projects through from start to finish. For example, the company could help a fast-food chain develop a promotional project for a particular target market; conceive a set of products--game cards, bags, tray liners, etc.&mdashø support the promotional effort; and print all of those products at one of its growing list of printing facilities. At the other end of the spectrum, Miner added binding and sophisticated graphics and prepress support facilities, and soon the company was in the contract publishing business. From its modest beginnings putting out small puzzle and game magazines aimed at children, the company evolved into a full-blown publisher of all sorts of materials. In particular, Miner became heavily involved in sports magazines, churning out several national and regional hockey and golf journals. Among the successful magazines produced by Miner's publishing subsidiary, The Publishing Group (TPG), were USA Hockey InLine, American Hockey Magazine, Minnesota Golfer, and Virginia Golfer. So successful were the company's sports magazines, that in 1997 the division that produced them was spun off as TPG Sports, a new subsidiary specializing in sports publishing and marketing. Other Miner publications have included a national children's magazine and in-flight magazines for Delta Airlines. Throughout, however, Mello Smello, the seed from which the Miner empire sprouted, remained the company's biggest money generator. By the middle of the 1990s, Mello Smello was operating through different divisions on several distinct fronts. The Retail division continued to churn out a wide range of children's products featuring licensed images from the most popular family movies of the day. The Schools division specialized in products for fundraising programs and special events at schools. Late 1980s Bring New Plants In 1989 Jon Miner was informed that NorthPrint Company, a nearly century-old printing firm in his home town of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, was filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy and was close to folding. Always active in community affairs around Grand Rapids--he already owned the nearby resort that his parents used to run--Miner bought the plant and saved the 25 jobs that it provided. Rather than make NorthPrint a charity case, however, Miner invested several million dollars in the facility, turning it into an important and productive part of the Miner system. Although the original intention was to use NorthPrint primarily for jobs within the Group, it soon began printing for outside clients as well, and within five years its employee roster had quadrupled to nearly 100 workers. NorthPrint's specialties included catalogs and direct-mail inserts, as well as such Miner standbys as food tray liners and printed bags. NorthPrint was not the only crumbling Grand Rapids institution bailed out by Jon Miner. He also restored and opened to the public the Grand Rapids home in which entertainer Judy Garland was born. An adjacent Judy Garland Children's Museum was planned for the site as well. While most of the Miner operations remained based in the Twin Cities area, the company expanded its geographic scope by adding the Tempe, Arizona-based SouthPrint International as a sister printing company to NorthPrint. This southwestern presence enabled Miner to serve customers in that region with the same quick turnaround times it was able to offer its clients in the North. Other printing companies added along the way included Advanced Web Technologies, a flexographic printer; Print Technologies, Inc., specialists in one- and two-color demand printing; and Olympic, a high-tech prepress and sheet fed printer. As the printing industry continued to incorporate advances in computer graphics, Miner sought out ways to keep toward the front of the pack. Digital Marketing, Inc., a state-of-the-art company specializing in customized printing using the latest digital and electronic equipment, was added in the 1990s, allowing Miner to compete effectively in the market for short-run projects requiring frequent changes. Another subsidiary, the Photography Group, put Miner among the leaders in digital photographic processing. With so many printing facilities doing work for each other, it eventually became apparent that having its own internal trucking company would save the company the expense and headaches associated with contracting transportation services from an outsider. With the creation of Miner Group Express, the company had the means for a smooth flow of materials between its various subsidiary printers and processors. Although most of the building blocks that have gone into the building of The Miner Group have connected directly to the company's core printing business, there are exceptions. The most obvious was the company's 1988 investment in EZ Gard, developer of a line of athletic mouth guards. Created by 21-year-old wunderkind Jon Kittleson, the EZ Gard mouthpiece provided better mouth and jaw protection than older models. It was quickly embraced by many professional athletes, and became popular in both the National Football League and National Hockey League. EZ Gard later came up with the "Shock Doctor," a customized mouthpiece that keeps the jaw fixed in what the company calls the "power position," a slight separation between upper and lower jaws. Research suggests, according to company claims, that by keeping the jaw from clenching tightly shut the Shock Doctor can actually increase strength and improve sports performance dramatically. Major boosters of EZ Gard have included Olympic wrestler Dennis Koslowski and former Minnesota Viking star Chris Doleman. Always on the lookout for potential links between its subsidiaries, Miner has embarked on many sports safety programs for children, combining the resources of EZ Gard, Mello Smello, and other members of team Miner. New Directions for the High-Tech 1990s By 1994 The Miner Group had well in excess of $100 in revenue. In June 1996, Leah Miner, who had been serving as president of the company's Mello Smello division, died of cancer. Cofounder Jon Miner continued to run the Group as a solo act--albeit with a supporting cast of hundreds--after his wife's death. By that year, the company's annual revenue had grown to $136.5 million. During the summer of 1997, it appeared as if Miner would be purchased by the Minnesota-based Taylor Corp., one of the nation's largest printers of wedding cards. The transaction was never completed, however, and Miner forged ahead with its own plans. The second half of the 1990s has seen Miner working to remain at the technological forefront of the printing industry. Toward that end, the company began to devote substantial energy to internet/intranet operations. In particular, its Epic Media, Digital Marketing, and Landscape subsidiaries worked to develop interactive, on-line programs that allowed businesses to create sales materials delivered over the internet, customized for each recipient. Epic Media also designed an image databasing system securable by employee passwords. With these sorts of products in hand, and more of them in various stages of development, The Miner Group prepared to enter the 21st century with a firm handle on the present and future printing--and marketing, and publishing, and graphics, and mouth protection--needs of the clients it serves. " (company-histories.com) "MinMor Industries Story MinMor Industries, LLC (formerly known as Mello Smello) was established in 1980 when Jon and Leah Miner partnered with 3M to utilize a revolutionary new technology to create the original Mello Smello Scratch and Smell® stickers. Today, MinMor Industries, home of Mello Smello, continues to be a family-owned and operated company that is comprised of six unique divisions. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, MinMor’s products and innovative packaging are produced in our own domestic printing and production facilities or in worldwide facilities under the company’s direction. We are an innovative creators of everyday and seasonal celebration consumer products. Because we are experts in kids marketing and design trends, we have partnered with the nation’s largest retailers and specialty stores. Our talented in-house marketing and creative teams develop the concepts and artwork that keeps our products relevant in today’s quickly changing environment. This attention to innovation and trend design has led MinMor to be a valued partner to many retailers, including Walmart, Target, Kroger, Walgreens and CVS. We are also a leading developer of kids and family marketing programs to QSR, fast casual, and family dining restaurants. Some of our clients include Chick-Fil-A, Taco Bell, KFC, and In-N-Out Burger. Additionally, for over 35 years, MinMor has also provided health and nutrition educational promotions to over 20,000 schools nationwide through our Mission Nutrition division. We are full-service partners to schools that are dedicated and committed to child nutrition and wellness. We Live Out Our Core Values: Integrity, Passion, Teamwork, Gratitude and Continual Improvement. We believe in providing growth opportunities while sharing success with our team members and our community. Our Mission: Making People Smile! MinMor Industries is an integrated manufacturing and marketing company. We are an established leader in the printing, packaging, and promotions industries serving the largest and smallest organizations in the nation. " (minmor.com) "Brian Thomas Littrell (born February 20, 1975)[1] is an American singer and a member of the Backstreet Boys. He is also a contemporary Christian music artist, and released the solo album Welcome Home in 2006. He is the father of country singer Baylee Littrell.[2] In 2015, Littrell was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame along with his cousin and bandmate Kevin Richardson.... Early life Littrell was born in Lexington, Kentucky, to Jacqueline "Jackie" R. (née Fox), a dentist's secretary, and Harold Baker Littrell, Jr, an IBM employee.[4][5] He has an older brother Harold III, an actor and singer, and is the cousin of fellow Backstreet Boys member Kevin Richardson; His father, Harold, and Richardson's mother, Ann, are siblings.[6][7] Littrell was skilled at sports, and played in both Little League and the Babe Ruth League.[8] Growing up in a religious Baptist family, he sang his first solo in Porter Memorial Baptist Church at age 7, and was voted President of the Youth Chorus by his peers one year. At 16, he began performing at weddings after Barry Turner, his choir teacher at Tates Creek High School, suggested he could make money singing at social events.[9][10] Littrell also performed in school plays including a production of Grease,[11][12][13][14] and worked at fast food chain Long John Silver's.[15] At 15, Littrell had aspirations to become a basketball player, but at 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) he struggled with his height, and was seldom selected for high school tournaments.[16][17][18] He aspired to become a music minister,[5] but in April 1993 during a history class at Tates Creek, Littrell's cousin and future bandmate Kevin Richardson called him out of an American History class and informed him of an audition for a fifth member of the Backstreet Boys. Littrell flew to Orlando the next day and finished high school via correspondence, graduating in 1994.[16] Career Backstreet Boys Main article: Backstreet Boys Littrell (left) with the Backstreet Boys in 2008 In 1997, Littrell was instrumental in bringing a lawsuit against the group's creator Lou Pearlman, claiming Pearlman had concealed information regarding the group's earnings. Bandmates AJ McLean, Richardson and Howie Dorough joined the lawsuit which eventually resulted in a number of settlements, details of which were not disclosed.[19][20] In 2000, he was among Teen People's 25 Hottest People Under 25, tying with Justin Timberlake of rival band *NSYNC.[21] Christian music Littrell performing in 2005 Littrell longed to record Christian music, a genre he described as "pop positive".[22] In 2004, Littrell signed a solo deal with Reunion Records and released the solo album Welcome Home in 2005. Littrell co-wrote six of the songs on the album, which sold over 100,000 copies in the US and reached No. 74 on the Billboard 200 charts. On the Christian album charts, Welcome Home debuted at No. 3.[23] Four singles were released from the album – "In Christ Alone", "Wish", "Over My Head" and Welcome Home (You)", with the latter reaching No. 2 on the US Christian AC Charts. It was also No. 1 on Reach FM's Top 40 chart and on the US R&R Christian Inspirational charts for 3 weeks. In the summer of 2005, his solo single, "In Christ Alone", went to No. 1 on the Christian charts. Despite this change in his career, he remains a member of the Backstreet Boys. Littrell won a Dove Award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year ("In Christ Alone") in 2006 along with songwriters Don Koch and Shawn Craig, and another in 2008 for "By His Wounds" with Glory Revealed. He also won Special Event Album of the Year in 2008 for Glory Revealed which was a compilation album with many other Christian artists; and in 2010, Special Event Album of the Year for Glory Revealed II.[24] Littrell released two Christmas collections featuring his wife Leighanne and son Baylee, Brian Littrell's Family Christmas, released on December 6, 2010, and Christmas with the Littrells, released on December 6, 2011. TV and film appearances Littrell made appearances with the Backstreet Boys on Arthur, Sesame Street, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and he and bandmate McLean had cameos in Olive Juice, a film starring Littrell's wife Leighanne.[25] Littrell also performed with The Backstreet Boys on Saturday Night Live, in 1998 and 1999. In 2013, Littrell made an appearance in the film This Is the End with his bandmates. Other ventures During the band's hiatus, Littrell became committed to a number of other show business activities, most of them for charity. He has joined other celebrities in yearly NBA tours where he played basketball in every NBA city before a game, and has also played charity baseball games. Personal life During the release of the band's 2015 documentary Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of, Littrell shared some favorite moments of Kevin talking about Kevin's father, who died in August 1991 from colon cancer,[26] and said how both the song and album had a special meaning to the title.[27] During both the DNA Tour in Cincinnati, Ohio[28] and the band's Las Vegas kick off on April 8th,[29] Littrell volunteered to sing his cousin's part of "Show Me the Meaning Of Being Lonely"[30] when Kevin became emotional twice over the loss of his mother,[31] who had died in January 2022.[32] Relationships In June 1997, following the breakup of his relationship with girlfriend Samantha Stonebraker, Littrell met Leighanne Reena Wallace, an actress and model, on the "As Long as You Love Me" video set in which she was an extra.[33] Littrell stated in J-14 magazine about this relationship that he had been out of the dating game for a while and meeting Leighanne opened a whole new chapter for him. "I had just gotten out of a relationship with a high school sweetheart that didn't work out. I didn't really have my eyes or mind set on anybody. It was something that just happened. If I was looking, I wouldn't have been able to find her."[34] They dated for two years, and Littrell proposed on Christmas 1999; their engagement, along with the engagement of cousin and bandmate Kevin Richardson to Kristin Willits, was announced on MTV on February 15, 2000.[35] the couple got married in September 2000 at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta.[36][37][38] On November 26, 2002, they had their son Baylee Thomas Wylee Littrell, who is now pursuing a similar path in the entertainment industry. As of 2022, the family lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, near Atlanta, having been there since 2000 soon after Littrell and his wife got engaged.[39] Littrell stated during a show in Georgia on the DNA World Tour that his wife lost her mother from a heart condition in June 2022 and was a matriarch to him and the family.[40][41][42] Health issues Littrell was born with a congenital heart condition, making him susceptible to infections. He was diagnosed with a heart murmur at 6 weeks old. At 5 years old, he was hospitalized for two months due to a bacterial infection. Due to his hospitalization, Littrell was held back in school and had to repeat the first grade. In November 1997, doctors found his heart condition had caused his heart to enlarge considerably. Still, he underwent open-heart surgery on May 8, 1998 (which would be referenced by his scenes in the band's music video for "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely"). He later established the Brian Littrell Healthy Heart Club, a non-profit organization assisting children with heart conditions through medical, financial, and practical help.[43][44] In October 2009, Littrell became infected with swine flu, causing the cancellation of the Backstreet Boys This Is Us promotional tour.[45] In the 2015 documentary film, Littrell revealed his 2011 diagnosis of vocal tension dysphonia and dystonia. He continues to work with a therapist to help improve his condition.[46] Religious beliefs A devout Christian, Littrell has stated he believes it is the duty of Christians to be open about their faith, saying, "I think as Christians we need to join hands and mount up together and lift God up and talk about our faith publicly and talk about all of the things God has done for us in our life to touch other people."[47] Littrell, who has been born again since the age of 8,[48] has said that he attributes his success in life to God, and that his faith has always been "the utmost important thing" in his life.[49] Heritage In 2019, a DNA heritage test revealed Littrell's ancestry to be 90.1% British Isles (20.7% English and 70.1% Irish/Scottish/Welsh), plus 7.1% Finnish and 2.1% Scandinavian.[50] Filmography TV series & Movies Year     Film     Role     Notes 2000     Olive Juice     Carriage Driver 1998     Sabrina the Teenage Witch     Himself     Episode: "Battle of the bands" 1998–1999     Saturday Night Live     Himself and Musical guest     "Julianne Moore/Backstreet Boys" (Season 23: episode 16) "Sarah Michelle Gellar/Backstreet Boys" (Season 24: episode 19) 2002     Arthur     Himself     Episode: "Arthur, It's Only Rock and Roll" Guest Voice 2002     Sesame Street     Himself     2005     The Ellen DeGeneres Show     Himself     Musical Guest With The Backstreet Boys 2009     El Hormiguero     Himself     Musical Guest With The Backstreet Boys 2012     Late Night with Jimmy Fallon     Himself     Musical Guest with Backstreet Boys 2013     This Is the End     Himself     With the Backstreet Boys, performing "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" 2013     El Hormiguero         Musical Guest With The Backstreet Boys 2014     I Heart Nick Carter     Himself     minor 2021     Dynasty     Himself     Everybody Loves The Carringtons (Season 4,Episode 4) performing "I Want It That Way (Solo Acoustic)" 2006     700 Club     Himself     [51] Discography See also: Brian Littrell discography and Backstreet Boys discography Albums Year     Album details     Peak positions     Certifications (sales threshold) US     US Christian 2006     Welcome Home     Released: May 2, 2006     Label: Reunion     74     3     US sales: 100,000[23] 2010     Brian Littrell's Family Christmas     Released: December 6, 2010     Label: Reunion             2011     Christmas with the Littrells     Released: December 6, 2011     Label: Reunion             Singles Year     Single     Peak     Album US Christian 2005     "In Christ Alone"     1     Welcome Home 2006     "Welcome Home (You)"     2 "Wish"     20 2007     "Over My Head"     17 "By His Wounds" (with Mac Powell, Mark Hall and Steven Curtis Chapman)     8     Glory Revealed" (wikipedia.org) "Kevin Scott Richardson (born October 3, 1971)[1] is an American singer, best known as a member of the vocal group the Backstreet Boys. Richardson was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame with his cousin and bandmate Brian Littrell in 2015.... Early life Kevin Scott Richardson was born on October 3, 1971, in Lexington, Kentucky, the son of Ann (née Littrell) (1943-2022),[3] homemaker, and Jerald Richardson Sr., an outdoorsman, military veteran,[4] a construction worker, a fireman, a camp manager and handyman.[5] Growing up, Kevin lived on a 10-acre farm with his parents and two older brothers (Jerald Wayne Jr. and Tim), one of whom is a model, for 9 years, and later lived in a log cabin at Cathedral Domain Camp, a church-owned youth camp which his father ran, where he worked as a camp counselor, met his best friend Keith, singer and now bodyguard, and was a regular at the camp talent shows until he was 18.[6][7] In school he played little league baseball[8] and football, which led him to play football in high school and being captain of his team called the Estill Engineers. He also got the nickname Train because he ran through guys on the team like a train.[9][10] Along with the other Backstreet Boys, Richardson took a DNA test which revealed that he is 44.1% English, 36.2% North and West European, and 19.7% Irish, Scottish and Welsh.[11] At a young age, Richardson loved music and started learning how to play the piano by ear when he was nine years old.[12] He sang in his church's choir since he was a child and was a part of his community and high school theater. He got his first keyboard when he was a high school freshman. It was just a short time before he was entertaining in restaurants and at weddings in a band called Paradise, which did covers of Bobby Brown and Journey.[13] He also adored performing, participating in the school theater, was a member of the school's drama club, and sang in the chorus. The latter ultimately won out of his two loves, acting and music. He was also a member of the chess club, Spanish club and participated in various school plays such as Bye Bye Birdie and Barefoot in the Park at Estill County High School in Kentucky, where he was voted "Most Popular", "Best Dressed", "Best Dancer", "Best Look" and "Best Looking".[14][15][16] He also was in a lot of talent shows, one where he sang a duet with a female classmate and played in a band where he was on the drums and another where he sang a song he wrote with Keith called As Time Goes By.[17][18] His father Jerald Wayne Richardson died on August 26, 1991, after a two-year battle with cancer, when Kevin was 19.[18] Career Early career After graduating high school in 1989, Richardson spent the summer working at a Pizza Hut and tobacco farms, while helping out at the cathedral domain[19] and was torn between entering the Air Force to join the Air Force band, or following the lure of performing by attending the New York American Music and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan.[20] With encouragement from his father in 1990, Richardson quit his job, packed up and drove to Orlando, Florida with his best friend Jimmy, where he got a job as a cast member and performer at Walt Disney World. He played various characters, including Aladdin, one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Prince Eric, Tigger, and Sebastian the Crab in the Little Mermaid show. He was also a backstage tour guide at MGM studios. At night, he did dinner theater, playing an Italian gangster in a musical review performing various songs from the musical "Chicago," "Guys and Dolls," and "Cabaret."[14][21] In June 1991, Richardson got a call from his mother, telling him that his father had taken a turn for the worse with his colon cancer.[22] Richardson's father was diagnosed in October 1990, but his family did not tell Richardson so that he would not worry. After the phone call, Richardson moved back home to Kentucky and stayed with his family. On August 26, 1991, Richardson's father died.[23] Richardson stayed in Kentucky for almost a year, then after encouragement from his mother, he went back to Florida to follow his dreams of a music career. He continued to work at Disney while also earning a living as a model, writing music, performing in dinner clubs, teaching ballroom dancing as a certified Latin and ballroom dance instructor, and was an extra for the film "My Girl."[24] In Florida, He got a job with a friend who had written a musical, he gave him a part and helped him get back on his feet again.[25] Backstreet Boys Main article: Backstreet Boys Richardson performing in 2005 In March 1993, Richardson was going to auditions at MGM Studios when a friend told him about "Three guys who sang a capella all the time." Around the same time, he was working at a convention as an atmosphere dancer when he met a woman named Lisa Fischetti, whose husband was Lou Pearlman's right-hand man for 12 years.[24] After seeing an ad about the vocal group, called the Backstreet Boys, he went to check them out, auditioned, and joined the group. However, after joining, the group was still looking for one more member, so Richardson called Brian Littrell, who is Richardson's first cousin (Littrell's father and Richardson's mother are siblings), to ask him to audition for the group. Littrell was immediately accepted, and the next day, he joined the group. Richardson is the oldest member and is often known as the big brother of the group. In November 1999, he was named "People Magazine" 's Sexiest Pop Star, and the band signed a new $60 million deal with Jive Records.[9] Richardson was a part of the group until June 2006, when he announced his departure from the group to pursue other projects and to start a family and "move on with the next chapter of [his] life." He recorded five albums with the group in 13 years. On June 23, 2006, he issued the following statement on the band's official website:     After 13 years of what can only be described as a dream come true, I have decided that it is time to leave the Backstreet Boys. It was a very tough decision for me, but one that was necessary in order to move on with the next chapter of my life. Howie, Brian, A.J., and Nick will always be my little brothers and have my utmost love and support. I would like to thank the Backstreet fans for all the beautiful memories we have shared together and look forward to including you in the next phase of my life. I wish my brothers continued success and look forward to their new album.[26] On November 23, 2008, for the first time since leaving the group, Richardson rejoined his former bandmates on stage in Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, performing the encore, "Shape of My Heart" with the group.[27][28] The Backstreet Boys, including Richardson, appeared on the November 4, 2010, episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Richardson first appeared in a pre-taped segment in which they surprised a fan who thought she was merely being flown in to participate in a "Backstreet Boys' Biggest Fan" contest. Moments later, Richardson joined the group in the show's studio and performed "I Want It That Way" live with them.[29] On July 1, 2011, Richardson again joined the Backstreet Boys on stage at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, as part of the NKOTBSB Tour, performing "I Want It That Way" with the group and the mash-up at the end of the show along with NKOTB members.[30]     Being back with my brothers again feels great. I love these guys. We have gone through so much together. We just have a chemistry... a bond that will always be.     — Kevin Richardson, Rolling Stone On October 25, 2011, episode of "On Air with Ryan Seacrest," Richardson stated that he was going to be at a Backstreet Boys beach party in Nassau, Bahamas on December 3, 2011. The party is part of the group's second annual cruise. He also appeared during the group's annual cruise in December 2011. He attended the beach party and the cruise concert. In addition to being at the party, Richardson performed several songs with the group on the boat in the evening ("Drowning" and "I Still..."). In the announcement, he also stated that he would love to perform with the group again regularly.[31] The group had hinted at a possible return for Richardson during the beach party, but nothing was confirmed. Several months later, before the group's European tour with New Kids on the Block, Richardson had flown out to London with Nick and AJ in April 2012. Fans at the airport asked if he was back with the group and why he was with them. Richardson stated that he was only there to hang out with them. On April 29, 2012, during a live show in London, England, Backstreet Boys confirmed that Richardson was back permanently with the group and would be recording a new album with them in July 2012.[32][33] Richardson also appeared along with the group on Good Morning America on July 17, 2012, announcing his return, their new album, and their first performance as a five-piece group for the first time together since 2006 at the morning show's Summer Concert Series on August 31, 2012.[34] It was also his first TV appearance with the group since he returned. Regarding his return, Richardson gave the following statement about why he had left the group: "I'm a person that always follows my heart and follows my gut, and my heart said now's the time. It just felt right. I feel inspired to make music again with these guys, and you know, when I left, it had nothing at all to do with our relationship. It just had to do with me just needing to be inspired, so I had to step away for a while."[35][36] In an interview with "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" on July 24, 2012, Richardson explained that he returned to the group because he realized how much joy singing and music gave him. He cited his holiday show with Rob Gonzalez called "Home for the Holidays" (December 18, 2011, in Los Angeles), which helped him rediscover his love of music and how much he missed it.[37] Solo career Outside the group, Richardson completed various projects. He composed the soundtrack to the animated film "The Spirit Bear" in 2003, which was set to be released in 2010 after several years of delay.[38] In August 2003, Kevin joined forces with longtime friend Keith McGuffey and opened a Music Academy called The Music Workshop in Louisville, Kentucky. The academy opened to help others learn the 'tricks of the trade' of the music industry – studio technology, songwriting, and contract negotiations.[39] On December 18, 2011, Richardson headlined a Christmas concert titled "Home for the Holidays" with Rob Gonzalez. The concert was hosted by Montage Beverly Hills luxury hotel, benefiting the Angeles Clinic Foundation of Los Angeles.[40] In 2012, Richardson began working on his first solo album. During the 2013 Backstreet Boys cruise, when each member had their events, Richardson performed an event called Cover Story, where he performed various covers of songs. He had mentioned that he would release an album called "Cover Story." The album would include songs that have influenced him over the years. The album was supposed to be released in 2012[41] but was delayed as he returned as an active member of the Backstreet Boys the same year. On May 9, 2015, he posted on YouTube a new track he recorded from his "Cover Story" album that he planned to release in 2015. The song was "She's Got a Way," a cover of the Billy Joel song. As of 2022, the album has not been released. Modeling career Richardson has been a model for Versace.[42] He also modeled for Vogue and is a brand ambassador for TAG Heuer.[43] Acting career Along with the rest of the Backstreet Boys, Richardson has made appearances on Arthur, Sesame Street, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and This Is the End. During the Backstreet Boys' hiatus in 2003, Richardson went into acting. He played the role of smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn in the Broadway production of "Chicago." He was a part of the show in New York City (January 20 – March 9), Pittsburgh (July 26–27), San Francisco (August 6–24), and the West End of London (September 22 – November 1).[44] In 2003, he made an appearance on Punk'd where he got punk'd by Ashton Kutcher. Richardson, along with Howie D., appeared in Krystal Harris 's music video "Supergirl!", from "The Princess Diaries" soundtrack. After leaving the group, he returned to performing in "Chicago." On November 14, 2006, he returned to New York City with many "Chicago" alumni for the 10th anniversary of the show.[45] From late November to December 3, 2006, Richardson played the role of Billy Flynn in Toronto, and in Japan in February 2007. He returned to Japan with the show in September 2009 through early October and then in Louisville, Kentucky, from October 29 to November 1, 2009. Richardson also filmed some movies during his time away from the group. His first film was the 2009 Christian drama Love Takes Wing, based on a book by Janette Oke, playing the part of Cyrus in 2009.[46] Richardson filmed some small independent movies in 2010. He starred in The Bloody Indulgent, a vampire-themed musical film,[47] also starred opposite Susan Traylor, Daniela Sea, Pleasant Gehman, Garrett Swann and Michael Maize in Steve Balderson's feature film drama The Casserole Club.[48] Richardson had won an Independent Vision Award for Best Actor in the film at Vision Fest in New York City in 2011.[49][50] and a short film Unwound in 2011.[51] It is an entry for Producers Guild of America premiere Weekend Shorts Event contest to benefit the Debra Hill Foundation. The short film only took 51 hours from script to final cut.[52] In 2013, Richardson and the other Backstreet Boys appeared as fictional versions of themselves in the comedy film "This Is the End."[53] In 2015, Richardson filmed an independent film called "If I Could Tell You," a short movie about infertility, which was released in 2016, where he also talked about his struggle with having children.[54] Charity Just Within Reach (JWR) was formed by Richardson and started in honor of his father, Jerald Wayne Richardson. Richardson wanted to name the foundation after his father, whom he lost to cancer. Richardson formed the JWR foundation to provide environmental education and promote personal responsibility and accountability concerning the health of the Earth. The foundation was founded in January 2001. He also ran with the Olympic torch for the foundation in Los Angeles, California, on January 15, 2001, and did various events for the foundation. It has been many years since he has done anything with the foundation and reportedly closed it.[6][55] Personal life Richardson is a first cousin of fellow Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell and first cousin once removed of Baylee Littrell, son of Brian.[56] Richardson has been married to Kristin Kay Willits, a dancer, actress, photographer, and model, since 2000. They met when they both worked together at Disney World in June 1992.[57] Kristin was dancing in "Beauty and the Beast" as a jello-mold and a maid while playing the character of Snow White in "The Lion King" Show. She was also part of Radio City Rockettes in 1994.[58][59] Kristin was also featured in one of the Backstreet Boys' earliest videos, "I'll Never Break Your Heart", and as one of the dancers at the American Music Awards in 1999. they dated on and off for 7–8 years on the down low, breaking up in 1996 and getting back together in late 1997/early 1998.[60] He proposed to her over the holidays at the same place where they said "I love you," [61] and their engagement, along with bandmate and cousin Brian Littrell's to Leighanne Wallace, was announced on MTV on February 15, 2000.[62] The couple married on June 17, 2000, at the Cathedral Domain Camp and Conference Center in rural Lee County in eastern Kentucky. Together they have two sons.[63][64] Kristin was later in the 2015 documentary Pushing Motherhood, in which she speaks openly about her and Kevin's struggles with fertility." (wikipedia.org) " Saint Valentine Valentin Metzinger - Sv. Valentin.jpg The Triumph of Saint Valentine painted by Valentin Metzinger, early 18th century Bishop and Martyr Born    c. 226 Terni, Italia, Roman Empire Died    c. 269 (aged 42–43) Rome, Roman Empire Venerated in    Catholic Church Anglican Communion Eastern Orthodoxy Lutheranism Feast    February 14 (Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran Churches), July 6 and July 30 (Eastern Orthodox) Attributes    Birds; roses; bishop with a crippled person or a child with epilepsy at his feet; bishop with a rooster nearby; bishop refusing to adore an idol; bishop being beheaded; priest bearing a sword; priest holding a sun; priest giving sight to a blind girl[1] Patronage    Affianced couples, against fainting, beekeepers, happy marriages, love, mentally ill, plague, epilepsy,[1] Lesvos (for Catholics) Saint Valentine (Italian: San Valentino; Latin: Valentinus) was a 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern Orthodoxy on July 6. From the High Middle Ages, his Saints' Day has been associated with a tradition of courtly love. He is also a patron saint of Terni, asthma and beekeepers.[2][3] Saint Valentine was a clergyman – either a priest or a bishop – in the Roman Empire who ministered to persecuted Christians.[4] He was martyred and his body buried at a Christian cemetery on the Via Flaminia on February 14, which has been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine (Saint Valentine's Day) since at least the eighth century.[5] Relics of him were kept in the Church and Catacombs of San Valentino in Rome, which "remained an important pilgrim site throughout the Middle Ages until the relics of St. Valentine were transferred to the church of Santa Prassede during the pontificate of Nicholas IV".[6] His skull, crowned with flowers, is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. Other relics of him are in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church, Dublin, Ireland, a popular place of pilgrimage, especially on Saint Valentine's Day, for those seeking love.[7][8] At least two different Saint Valentines are mentioned in the early martyrologies.[9] For Saint Valentine of Rome, along with Saint Valentine of Terni, "abstracts of the acts of the two saints were in nearly every church and monastery of Europe", according to Professor Jack B. Oruch of the University of Kansas.[10] Saint Valentine is commemorated in the Anglican Communion[11] and the Lutheran Churches on February 14.[12] In the Eastern Orthodox Church, he is recognized on July 6; in addition, the Eastern Orthodox Church observes the feast of Hieromartyr Valentine, Bishop of Interamna, on July 30.[13][14] In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church removed his name from the General Roman Calendar, leaving his liturgical celebration to local calendars, though use of the pre-1970 liturgical calendar is also authorized under the conditions indicated in the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum of 2007.[15] The Roman Catholic Church continues to recognize him as a saint, listing him as such in the February 14 entry in the Roman Martyrology,[16] and authorizing liturgical veneration of him on February 14 in any place where that day is not devoted to some other obligatory celebration, in accordance with the rule that on such a day the Mass may be that of any saint listed in the Martyrology for that day.... Identification Saint Valentine does not occur in the earliest list of Roman martyrs, the Chronography of 354, although the patron of the Chronography's compilation was a wealthy Roman Christian named Valentinus.[18] However, it is found in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum,[19] which was compiled between 460 and 544 from earlier local sources. The feast of St. Valentine of February 14 was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among all those "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God." The Catholic Encyclopedia[9] and other hagiographical sources[20] speak of three Saints Valentine that appear in connection with February 14. One was a Roman priest, another the bishop of Interamna (modern Terni, Italy) both buried along the Via Flaminia outside Rome, at different distances from the city. The third was said to be a saint who suffered on the same day with a number of companions in the Roman province of Africa, of whom nothing else is known. Though the extant accounts of the martyrdoms of the first two listed saints are of a late date and contain legendary elements, "a common nucleus of fact" may underlie the two accounts and they may refer to "a single person".[21] According to the official biography of the Diocese of Terni, Bishop Valentine was born and lived in Interamna and while on a temporary stay in Rome he was imprisoned, tortured, and martyred there on February 14, 269. His body was hastily buried at a nearby cemetery and a few nights later his disciples retrieved his body and returned him home.[22] The Roman Martyrology, the Catholic Church's official list of recognized saints, for February 14 gives only one Saint Valentine: a martyr who died on the Via Flaminia.[23] The name "Valentine" derived from valens (worthy, strong, powerful), was popular in Late Antiquity. About eleven other saints having the name Valentine are commemorated in the Roman Catholic Church.[24] Some Eastern Churches of the Western rite may provide still other different lists of Saint Valentines.[25] The Roman martyrology lists only seven who died on days other than February 14: a priest from Viterbo (November 3); Valentine of Passau, papal missionary bishop to Raetia, among first patrons of Passau, and later hermit in Zenoburg, near Mais, South Tyrol, Italy, where he died in 475 (January 7); a 5th-century priest and hermit (July 4); a Spanish hermit who died in about 715 (October 25); Valentine Berrio Ochoa, martyred in 1861 (November 24); and Valentine Jaunzarás Gómez, martyred in 1936 (September 18). It also lists a virgin, Saint Valentina, who was martyred in 308 (July 25) in Caesarea, Palestine.[26] Hagiography and testimony Saint Valentine of Terni oversees the construction of his basilica at Terni, from a 14th-century French manuscript (BN, Mss fr. 185) The inconsistency in the identification of the saint is replicated in the various vitae that are ascribed to him. A common hagiography describes Saint Valentine as a priest of Rome or as the former Bishop of Terni, an important town of Umbria, in central Italy. While under house arrest of Judge Asterius, and discussing his faith with him, Valentinus (the Latin version of his name) was discussing the validity of Jesus. The judge put Valentinus to the test and brought to him the judge's adopted blind daughter. If Valentinus succeeded in restoring the girl's sight, Asterius would do whatever he asked. Valentinus, praying to God, laid his hands on her eyes and the child's vision was restored.[27] Immediately humbled, the judge asked Valentinus what he should do. Valentinus replied that all of the idols around the judge's house should be broken, and that the judge should fast for three days and then undergo the Christian sacrament of baptism. The judge obeyed and, as a result of his fasting and prayer, freed all the Christian inmates under his authority. The judge, his family, and his forty-four member household of adult family members and servants were baptized.[28] Valentinus was later arrested again for continuing to evangelize and was sent to the prefect of Rome, to the emperor Claudius Gothicus (Claudius II) himself. Claudius took a liking to him until Valentinus tried to convince Claudius to embrace Christianity, whereupon Claudius refused and condemned Valentinus to death, commanding that Valentinus either renounce his faith or he would be beaten with clubs and beheaded. Valentinus refused and Claudius' command was executed outside the Flaminian Gate February 14, 269.[29] Saint Valentine is said to have ministered to the faithful amidst the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire.[4] An embellishment to this account states that before his execution, Saint Valentine wrote a note to Asterius's daughter signed "from your Valentine", which is said to have "inspired today's romantic missives".[30] The Legenda Aurea of Jacobus de Voragine, compiled about 1260 and one of the most-read books of the High Middle Ages, gives sufficient details of the saints for each day of the liturgical year to inspire a homily on each occasion. The very brief vita of St Valentine states that he was executed for refusing to deny Christ by the order of the "Emperor Claudius"[31] in the year 269. Before his head was cut off, this Valentine restored sight and hearing to the daughter of his jailer. Jacobus makes a play with the etymology of "Valentine", "as containing valor". A popularly ascribed hagiographical identity appears in the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493). Alongside a woodcut portrait of Valentine, the text states that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius Gothicus. He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner. However, when Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor, he was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stones; when that failed to kill him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. Various dates are given for the martyrdom or martyrdoms: 269, 270, or 273.[32] There are many other legends behind Saint Valentine. One is that in the 3rd century AD[citation needed] it is said that Valentine, who was a priest, defied the order of the emperor Claudius and secretly performed Christian weddings for couples, allowing the husbands involved to escape conscription into the pagan army. This legend claims that soldiers were sparse at this time so this was a big inconvenience to the emperor.[33] The account mentions that in order "to remind these men of their vows and God’s love, Saint Valentine is said to have cut hearts from parchment", giving them to these persecuted Christians, a possible origin of the widespread use of hearts on St. Valentine's Day.[34] Churches named after Saint Valentine St Valentine Kneeling in Supplication (David Teniers III, 1600s) – Valentine kneels to receive a rosary from the Virgin Mary There are many churches dedicated to Saint Valentine in countries such as Italy. Saint Valentine was venerated no more than other Christian martyrs and saints.[35] A 5th- or 6th-century work called Passio Marii et Marthae made up a legend about Saint Valentine's Basilica being dedicated to Saint Valentine in Rome. A later Passio repeated the legend and added the adornment that Pope Julius I (357–352) had built the ancient basilica S. Valentini extra Portam on top of his sepulchre, in the Via Flaminia.[36] This church was really named after a 4th-century tribune called Valentino, who donated the land on which it is built.[36] It hosted the martyr's relics until the 13th century, when they were transferred to Santa Prassede, and the ancient basilica decayed.[37] Saint Valentine's Church in Rome, built in 1960 for the needs of the Olympic Village, continues as a modern, well-visited parish church. Saint Valentine's Day Main article: Saint Valentine's Day Saint Valentine of Rome was martyred on February 14 in AD 269.[38] The Feast of Saint Valentine, also known as Saint Valentine's Day, was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of the Christian martyr.[39] Shrine of Saint Valentine in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland February 14 is Saint Valentine's Day in the Lutheran calendar of saints.[12] The Church of England had him in its pre-Reformation calendars, and restored his mention as bishop and martyr in its 1661–62 Book of Common Prayer, and most provinces of the Anglican Communion celebrate his feast.[40][41] The Roman Catholic Church includes him in its official list of saints, the Roman Martyrology. He was also in the General Roman Calendar for celebration as a simple feast until 1955, when Pope Pius XII reduced all such feasts to just a commemoration within another celebration. The 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar removed even this mention leaving it for inclusion only in local calendars such as that of Balzan, Malta. His commemoration was still in the 1962 Roman Missal and is thus observed also by those who, in the circumstances indicated in Pope Benedict XVI's 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, use that edition. Valentine is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration on 14 February.[42] July 6 is the date on which the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the Roman presbyter Valentine; on July 30 it observes the feast of the hieromartyr Valentine, Bishop of Interamna.[13][14] Members of the Greek Orthodox Church named Valentinos (male) or Valentina (female) may observe their name day on the Western ecclesiastical calendar date of February 14.[43] English 18th-century antiquarians Alban Butler and Francis Douce, noting the obscurity of Saint Valentine's identity, suggested that Saint Valentine's Day was created as an attempt to supersede the pagan holiday of Lupercalia (mid-February in Rome). This idea has lately been dismissed by academics and researchers, such as Professor Jack B. Oruch of the University of Kansas, Henry Ansgar Kelly of the University of California, Los Angeles[44] and Associate Professor Michael Matthew Kaylor of the Masaryk University.[45] Many of the current legends that characterize Saint Valentine were invented in the 14th century in England, notably by Geoffrey Chaucer and his circle, when the feast day of February 14 first became associated with romantic love.[46] Oruch charges that the traditions associated with "Valentine's Day", documented in Geoffrey Chaucer's Parlement of Foules and set in the fictional context of an old tradition, did not exist before Chaucer.[47] He argues that the speculative explanation of sentimental customs, posing as historical fact, had their origins among 18th-century antiquaries, notably Alban Butler, the author of Butler's Lives of Saints, and have been perpetuated even by respectable modern scholars. In the French 14th-century manuscript illumination from a Vies des Saints (illustration above), Saint Valentine, bishop of Terni, oversees the construction of his basilica at Terni; there is no suggestion here that the bishop was a patron of lovers.[48] During the Middle Ages, it was believed that birds paired in mid-February. This was then associated with the romance of Valentine. Although these legends differ, Valentine's Day is widely recognized as a day for romance and devotion. Associated Christian relics Relic of Saint Valentine in the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome The flower-crowned alleged skull of St. Valentine is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. St. Valentine's remains are deposited in St Anton's Church, Madrid, where they have lain since the late 1700s. They were a present from the Pope to King Carlos IV, who entrusted them to the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (Piarists). The relics have been displayed publicly since 1984, in a foundation open to the public at all times in order to help people in need. Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church, Dublin, also houses some relics of St Valentine. On 27 December 1835 the Very Reverend Father John Spratt, Master of Sacred Theology to the Carmelite order in Dublin, was sent the partial remains of St Valentine by Cardinal Carlo Odescalchi, under the auspices of Pope Gregory XVI. The relics and the accompanying letter from Cardinal Odescalchi have remained in the church ever since.[49] The remains, which include "a small vessel tinged with his blood", were sent as a token of esteem following an eloquent sermon Fr Spratt had delivered in Rome.[50] On Saint Valentine's Day in Ireland, many individuals who seek true love make a Christian pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Valentine in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, which is said to house relics of Saint Valentine of Rome; they pray at the shrine in hope of finding romance.[51] There lies a book in which foreigners and locals have written their prayer requests for love.[7] Another relic was found in 2003 in Prague in Church of St Peter and Paul at Vyšehrad.[52] A silver reliquary containing a fragment of St. Valentine's skull is found in the parish church of St. Mary's Assumption in Chełmno, Poland.[53][54] Relics can also be found in Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos.[55] Another set of relics can also be found in Savona, in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.[56] Alleged relics of St. Valentine also lie at the reliquary of Roquemaure, Gard, France, in the St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, in Balzan in Malta and also in Blessed John Duns Scotus Church in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, Scotland. There is also a gold reliquary bearing the words "Corpus St. Valentin, M" (Body of St. Valentine, Martyr) at Birmingham Oratory, UK, in one of the side altars in the main church." (wikipedia.org) "Holography is a technique that enables a wavefront to be recorded and later re-constructed. Holography is best known as a method of generating three-dimensional images, but it also has a wide range of other applications. In principle, it is possible to make a hologram for any type of wave. A hologram is made by superimposing a second wavefront (normally called the reference beam) on the wavefront of interest, thereby generating an interference pattern which is recorded on a physical medium. When only the second wavefront illuminates the interference pattern, it is diffracted to recreate the original wavefront. Holograms can also be computer-generated by modelling the two wavefronts and adding them together digitally. The resulting digital image is then printed onto a suitable mask or film and illuminated by a suitable source to reconstruct the wavefront of interest. ...Overview and history The Hungarian-British physicist Dennis Gabor (in Hungarian: Gábor Dénes)[1][2] was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1971 "for his invention and development of the holographic method".[3] His work, done in the late 1940s, was built on pioneering work in the field of X-ray microscopy by other scientists including Mieczysław Wolfke in 1920 and William Lawrence Bragg in 1939.[4] This discovery was an unexpected result of research into improving electron microscopes at the British Thomson-Houston Company (BTH) in Rugby, England, and the company filed a patent in December 1947 (patent GB685286). The technique as originally invented is still used in electron microscopy, where it is known as electron holography, but optical holography did not really advance until the development of the laser in 1960. The word holography comes from the Greek words ὅλος (holos; "whole") and γραφή (graphē; "writing" or "drawing"). A hologram is a recording of an interference pattern which can reproduce a 3D light field using diffraction. The reproduced light field can generate an image which still has the depth, parallax, and other properties of the original scene.[5] A hologram is a photographic recording of a light field, rather than an image formed by a lens. The holographic medium, for example the object produced by a holographic process (which may be referred to as a hologram) is usually unintelligible when viewed under diffuse ambient light. It is an encoding of the light field as an interference pattern of variations in the opacity, density, or surface profile of the photographic medium. When suitably lit, the interference pattern diffracts the light into an accurate reproduction of the original light field, and the objects that were in it exhibit visual depth cues such as parallax and perspective that change realistically with the different angles of viewing. That is, the view of the image from different angles represents the subject viewed from similar angles. In this sense, holograms do not have just the illusion of depth but are truly three-dimensional images. Horizontal symmetric text, by Dieter Jung The development of the laser enabled the first practical optical holograms that recorded 3D objects to be made in 1962 by Yuri Denisyuk in the Soviet Union[6] and by Emmett Leith and Juris Upatnieks at the University of Michigan, USA.[7] Early holograms used silver halide photographic emulsions as the recording medium. They were not very efficient as the produced grating absorbed much of the incident light. Various methods of converting the variation in transmission to a variation in refractive index (known as "bleaching") were developed which enabled much more efficient holograms to be produced.[8][9][10] Optical holography needs a laser light to record the light field. In its early days, holography required high-power and expensive lasers, but currently, mass-produced low-cost laser diodes, such as those found on DVD recorders and used in other common applications, can be used to make holograms and have made holography much more accessible to low-budget researchers, artists and dedicated hobbyists. A microscopic level of detail throughout the recorded scene can be reproduced. The 3D image can, however, be viewed with non-laser light. In common practice, however, major image quality compromises are made to remove the need for laser illumination to view the hologram, and in some cases, to make it. Holographic portraiture often resorts to a non-holographic intermediate imaging procedure, to avoid the dangerous high-powered pulsed lasers which would be needed to optically "freeze" moving subjects as perfectly as the extremely motion-intolerant holographic recording process requires. Holograms can now also be entirely computer-generated to show objects or scenes that never existed. Most holograms produced are of static objects but systems for displaying changing scenes on a holographic volumetric display are now being developed.[11][12][13] Holography is also used with many other types of waves. Basics of holography Recording a hologram Reconstructing a hologram This is a photograph of a small part of an unbleached transmission hologram viewed through a microscope. The hologram recorded an images of a toy van and car. It is no more possible to discern the subject of the hologram from this pattern than it is to identify what music has been recorded by looking at a CD surface. The holographic information is recorded by the speckle pattern. Holography is a technique that enables a light field (which is generally the result of a light source scattered off objects) to be recorded and later reconstructed when the original light field is no longer present, due to the absence of the original objects.[14]: Section 1  Holography can be thought of as somewhat similar to sound recording, whereby a sound field created by vibrating matter like musical instruments or vocal cords, is encoded in such a way that it can be reproduced later, without the presence of the original vibrating matter.[15] However, it is even more similar to Ambisonic sound recording in which any listening angle of a sound field can be reproduced in the reproduction. Laser In laser holography, the hologram is recorded using a source of laser light, which is very pure in its color and orderly in its composition. Various setups may be used, and several types of holograms can be made, but all involve the interaction of light coming from different directions and producing a microscopic interference pattern which a plate, film, or other medium photographically records. In one common arrangement, the laser beam is split into two, one known as the object beam and the other as the reference beam. The object beam is expanded by passing it through a lens and used to illuminate the subject. The recording medium is located where this light, after being reflected or scattered by the subject, will strike it. The edges of the medium will ultimately serve as a window through which the subject is seen, so its location is chosen with that in mind. The reference beam is expanded and made to shine directly on the medium, where it interacts with the light coming from the subject to create the desired interference pattern. Like conventional photography, holography requires an appropriate exposure time to correctly affect the recording medium. Unlike conventional photography, during the exposure the light source, the optical elements, the recording medium, and the subject must all remain motionless relative to each other, to within about a quarter of the wavelength of the light, or the interference pattern will be blurred and the hologram spoiled. With living subjects and some unstable materials, that is only possible if a very intense and extremely brief pulse of laser light is used, a hazardous procedure which is rarely done outside of scientific and industrial laboratory settings. Exposures lasting several seconds to several minutes, using a much lower-powered continuously operating laser, are typical. Apparatus A hologram can be made by shining part of the light beam directly into the recording medium, and the other part onto the object in such a way that some of the scattered light falls onto the recording medium. A more flexible arrangement for recording a hologram requires the laser beam to be aimed through a series of elements that change it in different ways. The first element is a beam splitter that divides the beam into two identical beams, each aimed in different directions:     One beam (known as the 'illumination' or 'object beam') is spread using lenses and directed onto the scene using mirrors. Some of the light scattered (reflected) from the scene then falls onto the recording medium.     The second beam (known as the 'reference beam') is also spread through the use of lenses, but is directed so that it does not come in contact with the scene, and instead travels directly onto the recording medium. Several different materials can be used as the recording medium. One of the most common is a film very similar to photographic film (silver halide photographic emulsion), but with much smaller light-reactive grains (preferably with diameters less than 20 nm), making it capable of the much higher resolution that holograms require. A layer of this recording medium (e.g., silver halide) is attached to a transparent substrate, which is commonly glass, but may also be plastic. Process When the two laser beams reach the recording medium, their light waves intersect and interfere with each other. It is this interference pattern that is imprinted on the recording medium. The pattern itself is seemingly random, as it represents the way in which the scene's light interfered with the original light source – but not the original light source itself. The interference pattern can be considered an encoded version of the scene, requiring a particular key – the original light source – in order to view its contents. This missing key is provided later by shining a laser, identical to the one used to record the hologram, onto the developed film. When this beam illuminates the hologram, it is diffracted by the hologram's surface pattern. This produces a light field identical to the one originally produced by the scene and scattered onto the hologram. Comparison with photography Holography may be better understood via an examination of its differences from ordinary photography:     A hologram represents a recording of information regarding the light that came from the original scene as scattered in a range of directions rather than from only one direction, as in a photograph. This allows the scene to be viewed from a range of different angles, as if it were still present.     A photograph can be recorded using normal light sources (sunlight or electric lighting) whereas a laser is required to record a hologram.     A lens is required in photography to record the image, whereas in holography, the light from the object is scattered directly onto the recording medium.     A holographic recording requires a second light beam (the reference beam) to be directed onto the recording medium.     A photograph can be viewed in a wide range of lighting conditions, whereas holograms can only be viewed with very specific forms of illumination.     When a photograph is cut in half, each piece shows half of the scene. When a hologram is cut in half, the whole scene can still be seen in each piece. This is because, whereas each point in a photograph only represents light scattered from a single point in the scene, each point on a holographic recording includes information about light scattered from every point in the scene. It can be thought of as viewing a street outside a house through a 120 cm × 120 cm (4 ft × 4 ft) window, then through a 60 cm × 120 cm (2 ft × 4 ft) window. One can see all of the same things through the smaller window (by moving the head to change the viewing angle), but the viewer can see more at once through the 120 cm (4 ft) window.     A photograph is a two-dimensional representation that can only reproduce a rudimentary three-dimensional effect, whereas the reproduced viewing range of a hologram adds many more depth perception cues that were present in the original scene. These cues are recognized by the human brain and translated into the same perception of a three-dimensional image as when the original scene might have been viewed.     A photograph clearly maps out the light field of the original scene. The developed hologram's surface consists of a very fine, seemingly random pattern, which appears to bear no relationship to the scene it recorded. Physics of holography Main article: Physics of optical holography For a better understanding of the process, it is necessary to understand interference and diffraction. Interference occurs when one or more wavefronts are superimposed. Diffraction occurs when a wavefront encounters an object. The process of producing a holographic reconstruction is explained below purely in terms of interference and diffraction. It is somewhat simplified but is accurate enough to give an understanding of how the holographic process works. For those unfamiliar with these concepts, it is worthwhile to read those articles before reading further in this article. Plane wavefronts A diffraction grating is a structure with a repeating pattern. A simple example is a metal plate with slits cut at regular intervals. A light wave that is incident on a grating is split into several waves; the direction of these diffracted waves is determined by the grating spacing and the wavelength of the light. A simple hologram can be made by superimposing two plane waves from the same light source on a holographic recording medium. The two waves interfere, giving a straight-line fringe pattern whose intensity varies sinusoidally across the medium. The spacing of the fringe pattern is determined by the angle between the two waves, and by the wavelength of the light. The recorded light pattern is a diffraction grating. When it is illuminated by only one of the waves used to create it, it can be shown that one of the diffracted waves emerges at the same angle at which the second wave was originally incident, so that the second wave has been 'reconstructed'. Thus, the recorded light pattern is a holographic recording as defined above. Point sources Sinusoidal zone plate If the recording medium is illuminated with a point source and a normally incident plane wave, the resulting pattern is a sinusoidal zone plate, which acts as a negative Fresnel lens whose focal length is equal to the separation of the point source and the recording plane. When a plane wave-front illuminates a negative lens, it is expanded into a wave that appears to diverge from the focal point of the lens. Thus, when the recorded pattern is illuminated with the original plane wave, some of the light is diffracted into a diverging beam equivalent to the original spherical wave; a holographic recording of the point source has been created. When the plane wave is incident at a non-normal angle at the time of recording, the pattern formed is more complex, but still acts as a negative lens if it is illuminated at the original angle. Complex objects To record a hologram of a complex object, a laser beam is first split into two beams of light. One beam illuminates the object, which then scatters light onto the recording medium. According to diffraction theory, each point in the object acts as a point source of light so the recording medium can be considered to be illuminated by a set of point sources located at varying distances from the medium. The second (reference) beam illuminates the recording medium directly. Each point source wave interferes with the reference beam, giving rise to its own sinusoidal zone plate in the recording medium. The resulting pattern is the sum of all these 'zone plates', which combine to produce a random (speckle) pattern as in the photograph above. When the hologram is illuminated by the original reference beam, each of the individual zone plates reconstructs the object wave that produced it, and these individual wavefronts are combined to reconstruct the whole of the object beam. The viewer perceives a wavefront that is identical with the wavefront scattered from the object onto the recording medium, so that it appears that the object is still in place even if it has been removed. Applications Art Early on, artists saw the potential of holography as a medium and gained access to science laboratories to create their work. Holographic art is often the result of collaborations between scientists and artists, although some holographers would regard themselves as both an artist and a scientist. Salvador Dalí claimed to have been the first to employ holography artistically. He was certainly the first and best-known surrealist to do so, but the 1972 New York exhibit of Dalí holograms had been preceded by the holographic art exhibition that was held at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan in 1968 and by the one at the Finch College gallery in New York in 1970, which attracted national media attention.[16] In Great Britain, Margaret Benyon began using holography as an artistic medium in the late 1960s and had a solo exhibition at the University of Nottingham art gallery in 1969.[17] This was followed in 1970 by a solo show at the Lisson Gallery in London, which was billed as the "first London expo of holograms and stereoscopic paintings".[18] During the 1970s, a number of art studios and schools were established, each with their particular approach to holography. Notably, there was the San Francisco School of Holography established by Lloyd Cross, The Museum of Holography in New York founded by Rosemary (Posy) H. Jackson, the Royal College of Art in London and the Lake Forest College Symposiums organised by Tung Jeong.[19] None of these studios still exist; however, there is the Center for the Holographic Arts in New York[20] and the HOLOcenter in Seoul, which offers artists a place to create and exhibit work. During the 1980s, many artists who worked with holography helped the diffusion of this so-called "new medium" in the art world, such as Harriet Casdin-Silver of the United States, Dieter Jung of Germany, and Moysés Baumstein of Brazil, each one searching for a proper "language" to use with the three-dimensional work, avoiding the simple holographic reproduction of a sculpture or object. For instance, in Brazil, many concrete poets (Augusto de Campos, Décio Pignatari, Julio Plaza and José Wagner Garcia, associated with Moysés Baumstein) found in holography a way to express themselves and to renew Concrete Poetry. A small but active group of artists still integrate holographic elements into their work.[21] Some are associated with novel holographic techniques; for example, artist Matt Brand[22] employed computational mirror design to eliminate image distortion from specular holography. The MIT Museum[23] and Jonathan Ross[24] both have extensive collections of holography and on-line catalogues of art holograms. Data storage Main article: Holographic data storage      This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Holographic data storage is a technique that can store information at high density inside crystals or photopolymers. The ability to store large amounts of information in some kind of medium is of great importance, as many electronic products incorporate storage devices. As current storage techniques such as Blu-ray Disc reach the limit of possible data density (due to the diffraction-limited size of the writing beams), holographic storage has the potential to become the next generation of popular storage media. The advantage of this type of data storage is that the volume of the recording media is used instead of just the surface. Currently available SLMs can produce about 1000 different images a second at 1024×1024-bit resolution which would result in about one-gigabit-per-second writing speed.[25] In 2005, companies such as Optware and Maxell produced a 120 mm disc that uses a holographic layer to store data to a potential 3.9 TB, a format called Holographic Versatile Disc. As of September 2014, no commercial product has been released. Another company, InPhase Technologies, was developing a competing format, but went bankrupt in 2011 and all its assets were sold to Akonia Holographics, LLC. While many holographic data storage models have used "page-based" storage, where each recorded hologram holds a large amount of data, more recent research into using submicrometre-sized "microholograms" has resulted in several potential 3D optical data storage solutions. While this approach to data storage can not attain the high data rates of page-based storage, the tolerances, technological hurdles, and cost of producing a commercial product are significantly lower. Dynamic holography In static holography, recording, developing and reconstructing occur sequentially, and a permanent hologram is produced. There also exist holographic materials that do not need the developing process and can record a hologram in a very short time. This allows one to use holography to perform some simple operations in an all-optical way. Examples of applications of such real-time holograms include phase-conjugate mirrors ("time-reversal" of light), optical cache memories, image processing (pattern recognition of time-varying images), and optical computing. The amount of processed information can be very high (terabits/s), since the operation is performed in parallel on a whole image. This compensates for the fact that the recording time, which is in the order of a microsecond, is still very long compared to the processing time of an electronic computer. The optical processing performed by a dynamic hologram is also much less flexible than electronic processing. On one side, one has to perform the operation always on the whole image, and on the other side, the operation a hologram can perform is basically either a multiplication or a phase conjugation. In optics, addition and Fourier transform are already easily performed in linear materials, the latter simply by a lens. This enables some applications, such as a device that compares images in an optical way.[26] The search for novel nonlinear optical materials for dynamic holography is an active area of research. The most common materials are photorefractive crystals, but in semiconductors or semiconductor heterostructures (such as quantum wells), atomic vapors and gases, plasmas and even liquids, it was possible to generate holograms. A particularly promising application is optical phase conjugation. It allows the removal of the wavefront distortions a light beam receives when passing through an aberrating medium, by sending it back through the same aberrating medium with a conjugated phase. This is useful, for example, in free-space optical communications to compensate for atmospheric turbulence (the phenomenon that gives rise to the twinkling of starlight). Hobbyist use Peace Within Reach, a Denisyuk DCG hologram by amateur Dave Battin Since the beginning of holography, amateur experimenters have explored its uses. In 1971, Lloyd Cross opened the San Francisco School of Holography and taught amateurs how to make holograms using only a small (typically 5 mW) helium-neon laser and inexpensive home-made equipment. Holography had been supposed to require a very expensive metal optical table set-up to lock all the involved elements down in place and damp any vibrations that could blur the interference fringes and ruin the hologram. Cross's home-brew alternative was a sandbox made of a cinder block retaining wall on a plywood base, supported on stacks of old tires to isolate it from ground vibrations, and filled with sand that had been washed to remove dust. The laser was securely mounted atop the cinder block wall. The mirrors and simple lenses needed for directing, splitting and expanding the laser beam were affixed to short lengths of PVC pipe, which were stuck into the sand at the desired locations. The subject and the photographic plate holder were similarly supported within the sandbox. The holographer turned off the room light, blocked the laser beam near its source using a small relay-controlled shutter, loaded a plate into the holder in the dark, left the room, waited a few minutes to let everything settle, then made the exposure by remotely operating the laser shutter. Many of these holographers would go on to produce art holograms. In 1983, Fred Unterseher, a co-founder of the San Francisco School of Holography and a well-known holographic artist, published the Holography Handbook, an easy-to-read guide to making holograms at home. This brought in a new wave of holographers and provided simple methods for using the then-available AGFA silver halide recording materials. In 2000, Frank DeFreitas published the Shoebox Holography Book and introduced the use of inexpensive laser pointers to countless hobbyists. For many years, it had been assumed that certain characteristics of semiconductor laser diodes made them virtually useless for creating holograms, but when they were eventually put to the test of practical experiment, it was found that not only was this untrue, but that some actually provided a coherence length much greater than that of traditional helium-neon gas lasers. This was a very important development for amateurs, as the price of red laser diodes had dropped from hundreds of dollars in the early 1980s to about $5 after they entered the mass market as a component of DVD players in the late 1990s. Now, there are thousands of amateur holographers worldwide. By late 2000, holography kits with inexpensive laser pointer diodes entered the mainstream consumer market. These kits enabled students, teachers, and hobbyists to make several kinds of holograms without specialized equipment, and became popular gift items by 2005.[27] The introduction of holography kits with self-developing plates in 2003 made it possible for hobbyists to create holograms without the bother of wet chemical processing.[28] In 2006, a large number of surplus holography-quality green lasers (Coherent C315) became available and put dichromated gelatin (DCG) holography within the reach of the amateur holographer. The holography community was surprised at the amazing sensitivity of DCG to green light. It had been assumed that this sensitivity would be uselessly slight or non-existent. Jeff Blyth responded with the G307 formulation of DCG to increase the speed and sensitivity to these new lasers.[29] Kodak and Agfa, the former major suppliers of holography-quality silver halide plates and films, are no longer in the market. While other manufacturers have helped fill the void, many amateurs are now making their own materials. The favorite formulations are dichromated gelatin, Methylene-Blue-sensitised dichromated gelatin, and diffusion method silver halide preparations. Jeff Blyth has published very accurate methods for making these in a small lab or garage.[30] A small group of amateurs are even constructing their own pulsed lasers to make holograms of living subjects and other unsteady or moving objects." (wikipedia.org) " Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a strong attraction towards another person, and the courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emotions. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Family Studies states that "Romantic love, based on the model of mutual attraction and on a connection between two people that bonds them as a couple, creates the conditions for overturning the model of family and marriage that it engenders."[1] This indicates that romantic love can be the founding of attraction between two people. This term was primarily used by the "western countries after the 1800s were socialized into, love is the necessary prerequisite for starting an intimate relationship and represents the foundation on which to build the next steps in a family." Alternatively, Collins Dictionary describes romantic love as "an intensity and idealization of a love relationship, in which the other is imbued with extraordinary virtue, beauty, etc., so that the relationship overrides all other considerations, including material ones."[2] Although the emotions and sensations of romantic love are widely associated with sexual attraction, romantic feelings can exist without expectation of physical consummation and be subsequently expressed. In certain cases, romance could even be interpreted as a normal friendship. Historically, the term romance originates with the medieval ideal of chivalry as set out in the literature of chivalric romance.... General definitions Bode & Kushnick[3] undertook a comprehensive review of romantic love from a biological perspective in 2021. They considered the psychology of romantic love, its mechanisms, development across the lifespan, functions, and evolutionary history. Based on the content of that review, they proposed a biological definition of romantic love: "Romantic love is a motivational state typically associated with a desire for long-term mating with a particular individual. It occurs across the lifespan and is associated with distinctive cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social, genetic, neural, and endocrine activity in both sexes. Throughout much of the life course, it serves mate choice, courtship, sex, and pair-bonding functions. It is a suite of adaptations and by-products that arose sometime during the recent evolutionary history of humans." Anthropologist Charles Lindholm defined love as "any intense attraction that involves the idealization of the other, within an erotic context, with expectation of enduring sometime into the future".[4] Romance is a feeling of love and attraction, that people currently like and want to continue in the future. Historical usage     This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) The word "romance" comes from the French vernacular where initially it indicated a verse narrative. The word was originally an adverb of Latin origin, "romanicus", meaning "of the Roman style". European medieval vernacular tales, epics, and ballads generally dealt with chivalric adventure, not bringing in the concept of love until late into the seventeenth century. The word romance developed other meanings, such as the early nineteenth century Spanish and Italian definitions of "adventurous" and "passionate", which could intimate both "love affair" and "idealistic quality".[citation needed] Bernger von Horheim in the Codex Manesse (early 14th century) Anthropologists such as Claude Lévi-Strauss show that there were complex forms of courtship in ancient as well as contemporary primitive societies. There may not be evidence, however, that members of such societies formed loving relationships distinct from their established customs in a way that would parallel modern romance.[5] Marriages were often arranged, but the wishes of those to be wed were considered, as affection was important to primitive tribes.[6] In the majority of primitive societies studied by the anthropologists, the extramarital and premarital relations between men and women were completely free. The members of the temporary couples were sexually attracted to each other more than to anyone else, but in all other respects their relationships had not demonstrated the characteristics of romantic love. In the book of Boris Shipov Theory of Romantic Love[7] the corresponding evidences of anthropologists have been collected. Lewis H. Morgan: "the passion of love was unknown among the barbarians. They are below the sentiment, which is the offspring of civilization and super added refinement of love was unknown among the barbarians."[8] Margaret Mead: "Romantic love as it occurs in our civilisation, inextricably bound up with ideas of monogamy, exclusiveness, jealousy and undeviating fidelity does not occur in Samoa."[9] Bronislaw Malinowski: "Though the social code does not favour romance, romantic elements and imaginative personal attachments are not altogether absent in Trobriand courtship and marriage."[10] One should notice that the phenomenon which B.Malinowski calls love, actually has very little in common with the European love: "Thus there is nothing roundabout in a Trobriand wooing; nor do they seek full personal relations, with sexual possession only as a consequence. Simply and directly a meeting is asked for with the avowed intention of sexual gratification. If the invitation is accepted, the satisfaction of the boy's desire eliminates the romantic frame of mind, the craving for the unattainable and mysterious."[11] "an important point is that the pair's community of interest is limited to the sexual relation only. The couple share a bed and nothing else. ... there are no services to be mutually rendered, they have no obligation to help each other in any way..."[12] The aborigines of Mangaia island of Polynesia, who mastered the English language, used the word "love" with a completely different meaning as compared to that which is usual for the person brought up in the European culture. Donald S.Marshall: "Mangaian informants and co-workers were quite interested in the European concept of "love". English-speaking Mangaians had previously used the term only in a physical sense of sexual desire; to say "I love you" in English to another person was tantamount to saying "I want to copulate with you." The components of affection and companionship, which may characterize the European use of the term, puzzled the Mangaians when we discussed the term."[13] "The principal findings that one can draw from an analysis of emotional components of sexual relationship feelings on Mangaia are:     There is no cultural connection between a willingness to copulate with a person and any feeling of affection or liking or admiration between copulating partners.     The degree of "passion" between two individuals in sexual relationships is not related to an emotional involvement but to degrees of instruction in, and use of, sexual techniques."[14] Nathaniel Branden claims that by virtue of "the tribal mentality,” "in primitive cultures the idea of romantic love did not exist at all. Passionate individual attachments are evidently seen as threatening to tribal values and tribal authority."[15] Dr. Audrey Richards, an anthropologist who lived among the Bemba of Northern Rhodesia in the 1930s, once related to a group of them an English folk-fable about a young prince who climbed glass mountains, crossed chasms, and fought dragons, all to obtain the hand of a maiden he loved. The Bemba were plainly bewildered, but remained silent. Finally an old chief spoke up, voicing the feelings of all present in the simplest of questions: "Why not take another girl?" he asked.[16] The earliest recorded marriages in Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, and among Hebrews were used to secure alliances and produce offspring. It was not until the Middle Ages that love began to be a real part of marriage.[17] The marriages that did arise outside of arranged marriage were most often spontaneous relationships. In Ladies of the Leisure Class, Rutgers University professor Bonnie G. Smith depicts courtship and marriage rituals that may be viewed as oppressive to modern people. She writes, "When the young women of the Nord married, they did so without illusions of love and romance. They acted within a framework of concern for the reproduction of bloodlines according to financial, professional, and sometimes political interests."[18][19] Anthony Giddens, in The Transformation of Intimacy: Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Society, states that romantic love introduced the idea of a narrative to an individual's life, and telling a story is a root meaning of the term romance. According to Giddens, the rise of romantic love more or less coincided with the emergence of the novel. It was then that romantic love, associated with freedom and therefore the ideals of romantic love, created the ties between freedom and self-realization.[20][21] David R. Shumway states that "the discourse of intimacy" emerged in the last third of the 20th century, intended to explain how marriage and other relationships worked, and making the specific case that emotional closeness is much more important than passion, with intimacy and romance coexisting.[22] One example of the changes experienced in relationships in the early 21st century was explored by Giddens regarding homosexual relationships. According to Giddens, since homosexuals were not able to marry they were forced to pioneer more open and negotiated relationships. These kinds of relationships then permeated the heterosexual population.[23] La Belle Dame sans Merci 1893, by John William Waterhouse The origin of romantic love Boris Shipov hypothesizes that "those psychological mechanisms that give rise to limerence or romantic love between a man and a woman [arise] as a product of the contradiction between sexual desire and the morality of a monogamous society, which impedes the realization of this attraction."[24][dubious – discuss] In F. Engels book, The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State: "monogamy was the only known form of the family under which modern sex love could develop, it does not follow that this love developed, or even predominantly, within it as the mutual love of the spouses. The whole nature of strict monogamian marriage under male domination ruled this out."[25] Sigmund Freud stated, "It can easily be shown that the psychical value of erotic needs is reduced as soon as their satisfaction becomes easy. An obstacle is required in order to heighten libido; and where natural resistances to satisfaction have not been sufficient men have at all times erected conventional ones so as to be able to enjoy love. This is true both of individuals and of nations. In times in which there were no difficulties standing in the way of sexual satisfaction, such as perhaps during the decline of the ancient civilizations, love became worthless and life empty."[26] Popularization of the term "Romance" The conception of romantic love was popularized in Western culture by the concept of courtly love. Chevaliers, or knights in the Middle Ages, engaged in what were usually non-physical and non-marital relationships with women of nobility whom they served. These relations were highly elaborate and ritualized in a complexity that was steeped in a framework of tradition, which stemmed from theories of etiquette derived out of chivalry as a moral code of conduct. Courtly love and the notion of domnei were often the subjects of troubadours, and could be typically found in artistic endeavors such as lyrical narratives and poetic prose of the time. Since marriage was commonly nothing more than a formal arrangement,[27] courtly love sometimes permitted expressions of emotional closeness that may have been lacking from the union between husband and wife.[28] In terms of courtly love, "lovers" did not necessarily refer to those engaging in sexual acts, but rather, to the act of caring and to emotional intimacy. The bond between a knight and his Lady, or the woman of typically high stature of whom he served, may have escalated psychologically but seldom ever physically.[29] For knighthood during the Middle Ages, the intrinsic importance of a code of conduct was in large part as a value system of rules codified as a guide to aid a knight in his capacity as champion of the downtrodden, but especially in his service to the Lord. In the context of dutiful service to a woman of high social standing, ethics designated as a code were effectively established as an institution to provide a firm moral foundation by which to combat the idea that unfit attentions and affections were to ever be tolerated as "a secret game of trysts" behind closed doors. Therefore, a knight trained in the substance of "chivalry" was instructed, with especial emphasis, to serve a lady most honorably, with purity of heart and mind. To that end, he committed himself to the welfare of both Lord and Lady with unwavering discipline and devotion, while at the same time, presuming to uphold core principles set forth in the code by the religion by which he followed.[29] Religious meditations upon the Virgin Mary were partially responsible for the development of chivalry as an ethic and lifestyle: the concept of the honor of a lady and knightly devotion to her, coupled with an obligatory respect for all women, factored prominently as central to the very identity of medieval knighthood. As knights were increasingly emulated, eventual changes were reflected in the inner-workings of feudal society. Members of the aristocracy were schooled in the principles of chivalry, which facilitated important changes in attitudes regarding the value of women.[30] Behaviorally, a knight was to regard himself towards a lady with a transcendence of premeditated thought—his virtue ingrained within his character. A chevalier was to conduct himself always graciously, bestowing upon her the utmost courtesy and attentiveness. He was to echo shades of this to all women, regardless of class, age, or status.[31] Over time, the concept of chivalry and the notion of the courtly gentleman became synonymous with the ideal of how love and romance should exist between the sexes. Through the timeless popularization in art and literature of tales of knights and princesses, kings and queens, a formative and long standing (sub)consciousness helped to shape relationships between men and women. De amore or The Art of Courtly Love, as it is known in English, was written in the 12th century. The text is widely misread as permissive of extramarital affairs. However, it is useful to differentiate the physical from without: romantic love as separate and apart from courtly love when interpreting such topics as: "Marriage is no real excuse for not loving", "He who is not jealous cannot love", "No one can be bound by a double love", and "When made public love rarely endures".[32] Some believe that romantic love evolved independently in multiple cultures. For example, in an article presented by Henry Grunebaum, he argues "therapists mistakenly believe that romantic love is a phenomenon unique to Western cultures and first expressed by the troubadours of the Middle Ages."[33] The more current and Western traditional terminology meaning "court as lover" or the general idea of "romantic love" is believed to have originated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, primarily from that of the French culture. This idea is what has spurred the connection between the words "romantic" and "lover", thus coining English phrases for romantic love such as "loving like the Romans do". The precise origins of such a connection are unknown, however. Although the word "romance" or the equivalents thereof may not have the same connotation in other cultures, the general idea of "romantic love" appears to have crossed cultures and been accepted as a concept at one point in time or another. Types Romantic love is contrasted with platonic love, which in all usages precludes sexual relations, yet only in the modern usage does it take on a fully nonsexual sense, rather than the classical sense, in which sexual drives are sublimated. Unrequited love can be romantic in different ways: comic, tragic, or in the sense that sublimation itself is comparable to romance, where the spirituality of both art and egalitarian ideals is combined with strong character and emotions. Unrequited love is typical of the period of romanticism, but the term is distinct from any romance that might arise within it.[34] Romantic love may also be classified according to two categories, "popular romance" and "divine or spiritual" romance: Popular romance     Popular romance may include, but is not limited to the following types: idealistic, normal intense (such as the emotional aspect of "falling in love"), predictable as well as unpredictable, consuming (meaning consuming of time, energy and emotional withdrawals and bids), intense but out of control (such as the aspect of "falling out of love") material and commercial (such as societal gain mentioned in a later section of this article), physical and sexual, and finally grand and demonstrative. Divine (or spiritual) romance     Divine (spiritual) romance may include, but is not limited to these following types: realistic, as well as plausible unrealistic, optimistic as well as pessimistic (depending upon the particular beliefs held by each person within the relationship.), abiding (e.g. the theory that each person had a predetermined stance as an agent of choice; such as "choosing a husband" or "choosing a soul mate".), non-abiding (e.g. the theory that each person do not choose their actions, and therefore their romantic love involvement has been drawn from sources outside of themselves), predictable as well as unpredictable, self-control (such as obedience and sacrifice within the context of the relationship) or lack thereof (such as disobedience within the context of the relationship), emotional and personal, soulful (in the theory that the mind, soul, and body, are one connected entity), intimate, and infinite (such as the idea that love itself or the love of a God's "unconditional" love is or could be everlasting)" (wikipedia.org) "Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure.[1][2] An example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse, which differs from the love for food. Most commonly, love refers to a feeling of a strong attraction and emotional attachment.[3][4][5] Love is considered to be both positive and negative, with its virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection, as "the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another" and its vice representing human moral flaw, akin to vanity, selfishness, amour-propre, and egotism, as potentially leading people into a type of mania, obsessiveness or codependency.[6][7] It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, one's self, or animals.[8] In its various forms, love acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships and, owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative arts.[9] Love has been postulated to be a function that keeps human beings together against menaces and to facilitate the continuation of the species.[10] Ancient Greek philosophers identified six forms of love: essentially, familial love (in Greek, Storge), friendly love or platonic love (Philia), romantic love (Eros), self-love (Philautia), guest love (Xenia), and divine love (Agape). Modern authors have distinguished further varieties of love: unrequited love, empty love, companionate love, consummate love, infatuated love, self-love, and courtly love. Numerous cultures have also distinguished Ren, Yuanfen, Mamihlapinatapai, Cafuné, Kama, Bhakti, Mettā, Ishq, Chesed, Amore, Charity, Saudade (and other variants or symbioses of these states), as culturally unique words, definitions, or expressions of love in regards to a specified "moments" currently lacking in the English language.[11][12][13] Scientific research on emotion has increased significantly over the past two decades. The color wheel theory of love defines three primary, three secondary and nine tertiary love styles, describing them in terms of the traditional color wheel. The triangular theory of love suggests "intimacy, passion and commitment" are core components of love. Love has additional religious or spiritual meaning. This diversity of uses and meanings combined with the complexity of the feelings involved makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, compared to other emotional states.... Definitions Romeo and Juliet, depicted as they part on the balcony in Act III, 1867 by Ford Madox Brown The word "love" can have a variety of related but distinct meanings in different contexts. Many other languages use multiple words to express some of the different concepts that in English are denoted as "love"; one example is the plurality of Greek concepts for "love" (agape, eros, philia, storge) .[14] Cultural differences in conceptualizing love thus doubly impede the establishment of a universal definition.[15] Although the nature or essence of love is a subject of frequent debate, different aspects of the word can be clarified by determining what isn't love (antonyms of "love"). Love as a general expression of positive sentiment (a stronger form of like) is commonly contrasted with hate (or neutral apathy). As a less-sexual and more-emotionally intimate form of romantic attachment, love is commonly contrasted with lust. As an interpersonal relationship with romantic overtones, love is sometimes contrasted with friendship, although the word love is often applied to close friendships or platonic love. (Further possible ambiguities come with usages "girlfriend", "boyfriend", "just good friends"). Fraternal love (Prehispanic sculpture from 250 to 900 AD, of Huastec origin). Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico Abstractly discussed, love usually refers to an experience one person feels for another. Love often involves caring for, or identifying with, a person or thing (cf. vulnerability and care theory of love), including oneself (cf. narcissism). In addition to cross-cultural differences in understanding love, ideas about love have also changed greatly over time. Some historians date modern conceptions of romantic love to courtly Europe during or after the Middle Ages, although the prior existence of romantic attachments is attested by ancient love poetry.[16] The complex and abstract nature of love often reduces discourse of love to a thought-terminating cliché. Several common proverbs regard love, from Virgil's "Love conquers all" to The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love". St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle, defines love as "to will the good of another."[17] Bertrand Russell describes love as a condition of "absolute value," as opposed to relative value.[citation needed] Philosopher Gottfried Leibniz said that love is "to be delighted by the happiness of another."[18] Meher Baba stated that in love there is a "feeling of unity" and an "active appreciation of the intrinsic worth of the object of love."[19] Biologist Jeremy Griffith defines love as "unconditional selflessness".[20] Impersonal People can be said to love an object, principle, or goal to which they are deeply committed and greatly value. For example, compassionate outreach and volunteer workers' "love" of their cause may sometimes be born not of interpersonal love but impersonal love, altruism, and strong spiritual or political convictions.[21] People can also "love" material objects, animals, or activities if they invest themselves in bonding or otherwise identifying with those things. If sexual passion is also involved, then this feeling is called paraphilia.[22] Interpersonal People together.svg Relationships (Outline) Types Activities Endings Emotions and feelings     Affinity Attachment Intimacy Jealousy Limerence Love         Platonic Unconditional Passion Sexuality Practices Abuse     vte Interpersonal love refers to love between human beings. It is a much more potent sentiment than a simple liking for a person. Unrequited love refers to those feelings of love that are not reciprocated. Interpersonal love is most closely associated with Interpersonal relationships.[21] Such love might exist between family members, friends, and couples. There are also a number of psychological disorders related to love, such as erotomania. Throughout history, philosophy and religion have done the most speculation on the phenomenon of love. In the 20th century, the science of psychology has written a great deal on the subject. In recent years, the sciences of psychology, anthropology, neuroscience, and biology have added to the understanding of the concept of love. Biological basis Main article: Biological basis of love Biological models of sex tend to view love as a mammalian drive, much like hunger or thirst.[23] Helen Fisher, an anthropologist and human behavior researcher, divides the experience of love into three partly overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and attachment. Lust is the feeling of sexual desire; romantic attraction determines what partners mates find attractive and pursue, conserving time and energy by choosing; and attachment involves sharing a home, parental duties, mutual defense, and in humans involves feelings of safety and security.[24] Three distinct neural circuitries, including neurotransmitters, and three behavioral patterns, are associated with these three romantic styles.[24] Pair of Lovers. 1480–1485 Lust is the initial passionate sexual desire that promotes mating, and involves the increased release of chemicals such as testosterone and estrogen. These effects rarely last more than a few weeks or months. Attraction is the more individualized and romantic desire for a specific candidate for mating, which develops out of lust as commitment to an individual mate forms. Recent studies in neuroscience have indicated that as people fall in love, the brain consistently releases a certain set of chemicals, including the neurotransmitter hormones, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, the same compounds released by amphetamine, stimulating the brain's pleasure center and leading to side effects such as increased heart rate, loss of appetite and sleep, and an intense feeling of excitement. Research has indicated that this stage generally lasts from one and a half to three years.[25] Since the lust and attraction stages are both considered temporary, a third stage is needed to account for long-term relationships. Attachment is the bonding that promotes relationships lasting for many years and even decades. Attachment is generally based on commitments such as marriage and children, or mutual friendship based on things like shared interests. It has been linked to higher levels of the chemicals oxytocin and vasopressin to a greater degree than short-term relationships have.[25] Enzo Emanuele and coworkers reported the protein molecule known as the nerve growth factor (NGF) has high levels when people first fall in love, but these return to previous levels after one year.[26] Psychological basis Further information: Human bonding Grandmother and grandchild in Sri Lanka Psychology depicts love as a cognitive and social phenomenon. Psychologist Robert Sternberg formulated a triangular theory of love and argued that love has three different components: intimacy, commitment, and passion. Intimacy is a form in which two people share confidences and various details of their personal lives, and is usually shown in friendships and romantic love affairs. Commitment, on the other hand, is the expectation that the relationship is permanent. The last form of love is sexual attraction and passion. Passionate love is shown in infatuation as well as romantic love. All forms of love are viewed as varying combinations of these three components. Non-love does not include any of these components. Liking only includes intimacy. Infatuated love only includes passion. Empty love only includes commitment. Romantic love includes both intimacy and passion. Companionate love includes intimacy and commitment. Fatuous love includes passion and commitment. Lastly, consummate love includes all three components.[27] American psychologist Zick Rubin sought to define love by psychometrics in the 1970s. His work states that three factors constitute love: attachment, caring, and intimacy.[28][29] Following developments in electrical theories such as Coulomb's law, which showed that positive and negative charges attract, analogs in human life were developed, such as "opposites attract". Over the last century, research on the nature of human mating has generally found this not to be true when it comes to character and personality—people tend to like people similar to themselves. However, in a few unusual and specific domains, such as immune systems, it seems that humans prefer others who are unlike themselves (e.g., with an orthogonal immune system), since this will lead to a baby that has the best of both worlds.[30] In recent years, various human bonding theories have been developed, described in terms of attachments, ties, bonds, and affinities. Some Western authorities disaggregate into two main components, the altruistic and the narcissistic. This view is represented in the works of Scott Peck, whose work in the field of applied psychology explored the definitions of love and evil. Peck maintains that love is a combination of the "concern for the spiritual growth of another," and simple narcissism.[31] In combination, love is an activity, not simply a feeling. Psychologist Erich Fromm maintained in his book The Art of Loving that love is not merely a feeling but is also actions, and that in fact, the "feeling" of love is superficial in comparison to one's commitment to love via a series of loving actions over time.[21] In this sense, Fromm held that love is ultimately not a feeling at all, but rather is a commitment to, and adherence to, loving actions towards another, oneself, or many others, over a sustained duration.[21] Fromm also described love as a conscious choice that in its early stages might originate as an involuntary feeling, but which then later no longer depends on those feelings, but rather depends only on conscious commitment.[21] Evolutionary basis Wall of Love on Montmartre in Paris: "I love you" in 250 languages, by calligraphist Fédéric Baron and artist Claire Kito (2000) Evolutionary psychology has attempted to provide various reasons for love as a survival tool. Humans are dependent on parental help for a large portion of their lifespans compared to other mammals. Love has therefore been seen as a mechanism to promote parental support of children for this extended time period. Furthermore, researchers as early as Charles Darwin himself identified unique features of human love compared to other mammals and credit love as a major factor for creating social support systems that enabled the development and expansion of the human species.[32] Another factor may be that sexually transmitted diseases can cause, among other effects, permanently reduced fertility, injury to the fetus, and increase complications during childbirth. This would favor monogamous relationships over polygamy.[33] Adaptive benefit Interpersonal love between a male and a female is considered to provide an evolutionary adaptive benefit since it facilitates mating and sexual reproduction.[34] However, some organisms can reproduce asexually without mating. Thus understanding the adaptive benefit of interpersonal love depends on understanding the adaptive benefit of sexual reproduction as opposed to asexual reproduction. Michod[34] has reviewed evidence that love, and consequently sexual reproduction, provides two major adaptive advantages. First, love leading to sexual reproduction facilitates repair of damages in the DNA that is passed from parent to progeny (during meiosis, a key stage of the sexual process). Second, a gene in either parent may contain a harmful mutation, but in the progeny produced by sex reproduction, expression of a harmful mutation introduced by one parent is likely to be masked by expression of the unaffected homologous gene from the other parent.[34] Comparison of scientific models Biological models of love tend to see it as a mammalian drive, similar to hunger or thirst.[23] Psychology sees love as more of a social and cultural phenomenon. Certainly, love is influenced by hormones (such as oxytocin), neurotrophins (such as NGF), and pheromones, and how people think and behave in love is influenced by their conceptions of love. The conventional view in biology is that there are two major drives in love: sexual attraction and attachment. Attachment between adults is presumed to work on the same principles that lead an infant to become attached to its mother. The traditional psychological view sees love as being a combination of companionate love and passionate love. Passionate love is intense longing, and is often accompanied by physiological arousal (shortness of breath, rapid heart rate); companionate love is affection and a feeling of intimacy not accompanied by physiological arousal." (wikipedia.org) "Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine,[1] is celebrated annually on February 14.[2] It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.[3] There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Valentines connected to February 14,[4] including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century.[5][6] According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer.[7] Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: an 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer's daughter a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution;[8] another tradition posits that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry.[6] The 8th century Gelasian Sacramentary recorded the celebration of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14.[9][10] The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the "lovebirds" of early spring. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[11] In Italy, Saint Valentine's Keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver's heart", as well as to children to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine's Malady).[12] Saint Valentine's Day is not a public holiday in any country, although it is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion[13] and the Lutheran Church.[14] Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate Saint Valentine's Day on July 6 in honor of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and on July 30 in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).... Saint Valentine Main article: Saint Valentine History Shrine of St. Valentine in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine.[16] The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae).[17] Valentine of Rome was a priest in Rome who was martyred in 269 and was added to the calendar of saints by Pope Gelasius I in 496 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The relics of Saint Valentine were kept in the Church and Catacombs of San Valentino in Rome, which "remained an important pilgrim site throughout the Middle Ages until the relics of St. Valentine were transferred to the church of Santa Prassede during the pontificate of Nicholas IV".[18][19] The flower-crowned skull of Saint Valentine is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. Other relics are found at Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland.[20] Valentine of Terni became bishop of Interamna (now Terni, in central Italy) and is said to have been martyred during the persecution under Emperor Aurelian in 273. He is buried on the Via Flaminia, but in a different location from Valentine of Rome. His relics are at the Basilica of Saint Valentine in Terni (Basilica di San Valentino). Professor Jack B. Oruch of the University of Kansas notes that "abstracts of the acts of the two saints were in nearly every church and monastery of Europe."[21] The Catholic Encyclopedia also speaks of a third saint named Valentine who was mentioned in early martyrologies under date of February 14. He was martyred in Africa with a number of companions, but nothing more is known about him.[22] A relic claimed to be Saint Valentine of Terni's head was preserved in the abbey of New Minster, Winchester, and venerated.[23] February 14 is celebrated as St. Valentine's Day in various Christian denominations; it has, for example, the rank of 'commemoration' in the calendar of saints in the Anglican Communion.[13] In addition, the feast day of Saint Valentine is also given in the calendar of saints of the Lutheran Church.[14] However, in the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints, the feast day of Saint Valentine on February 14 was removed from the General Roman Calendar and relegated to particular (local or even national) calendars for the following reason: "Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14."[24] The feast day is still celebrated in Balzan (Malta) where relics of the saint are claimed to be found, and also throughout the world by Traditionalist Catholics who follow the older, pre-Second Vatican Council calendar (see General Roman Calendar of 1960). In the Eastern Orthodox Church, St. Valentine is recognized on July 6, in which Saint Valentine, the Roman presbyter, is honoured; in addition, the Eastern Orthodox Church observes the feast of Hieromartyr Valentine, Bishop of Interamna, on July 30.[25][26][27] Legends St Valentine baptizing St Lucilla, Jacopo Bassano. J.C. Cooper, in The Dictionary of Christianity, writes that Saint Valentine was "a priest of Rome who was imprisoned for succouring persecuted Christians."[28] Contemporary records of Saint Valentine were most probably destroyed during this Diocletianic Persecution in the early 4th century.[29] In the 5th or 6th century, a work called Passio Marii et Marthae published a story of martyrdom for Saint Valentine of Rome, perhaps by borrowing tortures that happened to other saints, as was usual in the literature of that period. The same events are also found in Bede's Martyrology, which was compiled in the 8th century.[29][30] It states that Saint Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II in person. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was executed. Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing Julia, the blind daughter of his jailer Asterius. The jailer's daughter and his forty-six member household (family members and servants) came to believe in Jesus and were baptized.[31][29] A later Passio repeated the legend, adding that Pope Julius I built a church over his sepulchre (it is a confusion with a 4th-century tribune called Valentino who donated land to build a church at a time when Julius was a Pope).[30] The legend was picked up as fact by later martyrologies, starting with Bede's martyrology in the 8th century.[30] It was repeated in the 13th century, in The Golden Legend.[32] There is an additional embellishment to The Golden Legend, which according to Henry Ansgar Kelly, was added in the 18th century and widely repeated.[33] On the evening before Valentine was to be executed, he is supposed to have written the first "valentine" card himself, addressed to the daughter of his jailer Asterius, who was no longer blind, signing as "Your Valentine."[33] The expression "From your Valentine" was later adopted by modern Valentine letters.[34] This legend has been published by both American Greetings and The History Channel.[35] Saint Valentine of Terni and his disciples John Foxe, an English historian, as well as the Order of Carmelites, state that Saint Valentine was buried in the Church of Praxedes in Rome, located near the cemetery of Saint Hippolytus. This order says that according to legend, "Julia herself planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near his grave. Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and friendship."[36][37] Another embellishment suggests that Saint Valentine performed clandestine Christian weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry.[38] The Roman Emperor Claudius II supposedly forbade this in order to grow his army, believing that married men did not make for good soldiers.[38][39] However, George Monger writes that this marriage ban was never issued and that Claudius II told his soldiers to take two or three women for themselves after his victory over the Goths.[40] According to legend, in order "to remind these men of their vows and God's love, Saint Valentine is said to have cut hearts from parchment", giving them to these soldiers and persecuted Christians, a possible origin of the widespread use of hearts on St. Valentine's Day.[41] Saint Valentine supposedly wore a purple amethyst ring, customarily worn on the hands of Christian bishops with an image of Cupid engraved in it, a recognizable symbol associated with love that was legal under the Roman Empire;[39][42] Roman soldiers would recognize the ring and ask him to perform marriage for them.[39] Probably due to the association with Saint Valentine, amethyst has become the birthstone of February, which is thought to attract love.[43] Folk traditions While the European folk traditions connected with Saint Valentine and St. Valentine's Day have become marginalized by modern customs connecting the day with romantic love, there are still some connections with the advent of spring. While the custom of sending cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts originated in the UK, Valentine's Day still remains connected with various regional customs in England. In Norfolk, a character called 'Jack' Valentine knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and presents for children. Although he was leaving treats, many children were scared of this mystical person.[44][45] In Slovenia, Saint Valentine or Zdravko was one of the saints of spring, the saint of good health and the patron of beekeepers and pilgrims.[46] A proverb says that "Saint Valentine brings the keys of roots". Plants and flowers start to grow on this day. It has been celebrated as the day when the first work in the vineyards and in the fields commences. It is also said that birds propose to each other or marry on that day. Another proverb says "Valentin – prvi spomladin" ("Valentine – the first spring saint"), as in some places (especially White Carniola), Saint Valentine marks the beginning of spring.[47] Valentine's Day has only recently been celebrated as the day of love. The day of love was traditionally March 12, the Saint Gregory's day, or February 22, Saint Vincent's Day. The patron of love was Saint Anthony, whose day has been celebrated on June 13.[46] Connection with romantic love Possible ancient origins The "Feast" (Latin: "in natali", lit.: on the birthday) of Saint Valentine originated in Christendom and has been marked by the Western Church of Christendom in honour of one of the Christian martyrs named Valentine, as recorded in the 8th century Gelasian Sacramentary.[21][10] In Ancient Rome, Lupercalia was observed February 13–15 on behalf of Pan & Juno, pagan gods of love, marriage & fertility. It was a rite connected to purification and health, and had only slight connection to fertility (as a part of health) and none to love. The celebration of Saint Valentine is not known to have had any romantic connotations until Chaucer's poetry about "Valentine's Day" in the 14th century, some seven hundred years after celebration of Lupercalia is believed to have ceased.[29] Lupercalia was a festival local to the city of Rome. The more general Festival of Juno Februa, meaning "Juno the purifier" or "the chaste Juno", was celebrated on February 13–14. Although the Pope Gelasius I (492–496) article in the Catholic Encyclopedia says that he abolished Lupercalia, Sioux City UMC Professor Bruce Forbes wrote that "no evidence" has been demonstrated to link St. Valentine's Day and the rites of the ancient Roman purification festival of Lupercalia, despite claims by many authors to the contrary.[notes 1][23][48][49] Some researchers have theorized that Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with the celebration of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and claim a connection to the 14th century's connotations of romantic love, but there is no historical indication that he ever intended such a thing.[notes 2][49][50] Also, the dates do not fit because at the time of Gelasius I, the feast was only celebrated in Jerusalem, and it was on February 14 only because Jerusalem placed the Nativity of Jesus (Christmas) on January 6.[notes 3] Although it was called "Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary", it also dealt with the presentation of Jesus at the temple.[51] Jerusalem's Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary on February 14 became the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple on February 2 as it was introduced to Rome and other places in the sixth century, after Gelasius I's time.[51] Alban Butler in his The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints (1756–1759) claimed without proof that men and women in Lupercalia drew names from a jar to make couples, and that modern Valentine's letters originated from this custom. In reality, this practice originated in the Middle Ages, with no link to Lupercalia, with men drawing the names of girls at random to couple with them. This custom was combated by priests, for example by Frances de Sales around 1600, apparently by replacing it with a religious custom of girls drawing the names of apostles from the altar. However, this religious custom is recorded as soon as the 13th century in the life of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, so it could have a different origin.[23] Chaucer's Parliament of Fowls Geoffrey Chaucer by Thomas Hoccleve (1412) The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is believed to be in the Parliament of Fowls (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer, a dream vision portraying a parliament for birds to choose their mates.[29] Honoring the first anniversary of the engagement of fifteen-year-old King Richard II of England to fifteen-year-old Anne of Bohemia,[52] Chaucer wrote (in Middle English):     "For this was on seynt Valentynes day     Whan every foul cometh there to chese his make     Of every kynde that men thynke may     And that so huge a noyse gan they make     That erthe, and eyr, and tre, and every lake     So ful was, that unethe was there space     For me to stonde, so ful was al the place."[53][54] In modern English:     "For this was on Saint Valentine's Day     When every bird comes there to choose his match     Of every kind that men may think of     And that so huge a noise they began to make     That earth and air and tree and every lake     Was so full, that not easily was there space     For me to stand—so full was all the place." Readers have uncritically assumed that Chaucer was referring to February 14 as Valentine's Day. Henry Ansgar Kelly has observed that Chaucer might have had in mind the feast day of St. Valentine of Genoa, an early bishop of Genoa who died around AD 307; it was probably celebrated on 3 May.[52][55][56] A treaty providing for Richard II and Anne's marriage, the subject of the poem, was signed on May 2, 1381.[57] Jack B. Oruch notes that the date on which spring begins has changed since Chaucer's time because of the precession of the equinoxes and the introduction of the more accurate Gregorian calendar only in 1582. On the Julian calendar in use in Chaucer's time, February 14 would have fallen on the date now called February 23, a time when some birds have started mating and nesting in England.[29] Chaucer's Parliament of Fowls refers to a supposedly established tradition, but there is no record of such a tradition before Chaucer. The speculative derivation of sentimental customs from the distant past began with 18th-century antiquaries, notably Alban Butler, the author of Butler's Lives of Saints, and have been perpetuated even by respectable modern scholars. Most notably, "the idea that Valentine's Day customs perpetuated those of the Roman Lupercalia has been accepted uncritically and repeated, in various forms, up to the present".[23][58] Three other authors who made poems about birds mating on St. Valentine's Day around the same years: Otton de Grandson from Savoy, John Gower from England, and a knight called Pardo from Valencia. Chaucer most probably predated all of them; but due to the difficulty of dating medieval works, it is not possible to ascertain which of the four may have influenced the others.[59] Court of love The earliest description of February 14 as an annual celebration of love appears in the Charter of the Court of Love. The charter, allegedly issued by Charles VI of France at Mantes-la-Jolie in 1400, describes lavish festivities to be attended by several members of the royal court, including a feast, amorous song and poetry competitions, jousting and dancing.[60] Amid these festivities, the attending ladies would hear and rule on disputes from lovers.[61] No other record of the court exists, and none of those named in the charter were present at Mantes except Charles's queen, Isabeau of Bavaria, who may well have imagined it all while waiting out a plague.[60] Valentine poetry The earliest surviving valentine is a 15th-century rondeau written by Charles, Duke of Orléans to his wife, which commences.     "Je suis desja d'amour tanné     Ma tres doulce Valentinée..."     — Charles d'Orléans, Rondeau VI, lines 1–2[62] At the time, the duke was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt, 1415.[63] The earliest surviving valentines in English appear to be those in the Paston Letters, written in 1477 by Margery Brewes to her future husband John Paston "my right well-beloved Valentine".[64] Valentine's Day is mentioned ruefully by Ophelia in William Shakespeare's Hamlet (1600–1601):     "To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,     All in the morning betime,     And I a maid at your window,     To be your Valentine.     Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,     And dupp'd the chamber-door;     Let in the maid, that out a maid     Never departed more."     — William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5 John Donne used the legend of the marriage of the birds as the starting point for his epithalamion celebrating the marriage of Elizabeth, daughter of James I of England, and Frederick V, Elector Palatine, on Valentine's Day:     "Hayle Bishop Valentine whose day this is     All the Ayre is thy Diocese     And all the chirping Queristers     And other birds ar thy parishioners     Thou marryest every yeare     The Lyrick Lark, and the graue whispering Doue,     The Sparrow that neglects his life for loue,     The houshold bird with the redd stomacher     Thou makst the Blackbird speede as soone,     As doth the Goldfinch, or the Halcyon     The Husband Cock lookes out and soone is spedd     And meets his wife, which brings her feather-bed.     This day more cheerfully than ever shine     This day which might inflame thy selfe old Valentine."     — John Donne, Epithalamion Vpon Frederick Count Palatine and the Lady Elizabeth marryed on St. Valentines day The verse "Roses are red" echoes conventions traceable as far back as Edmund Spenser's epic The Faerie Queene (1590):     "She bath'd with roses red, and violets blew,     And all the sweetest flowres [sic], that in the forrest grew."[65] The modern cliché Valentine's Day poem can be found in Gammer Gurton's Garland (1784), a collection of English nursery rhymes published in London by Joseph Johnson:     "The rose is red, the violet's blue,     The honey's sweet, and so are you.     Thou art my love and I am thine;     I drew thee to my Valentine:     The lot was cast and then I drew,     And Fortune said it shou'd be you."[66][67] Modern times An English Victorian era Valentine card located in the Museum of London In 1797, a British publisher issued The Young Man's Valentine Writer, which contained scores of suggested sentimental verses for the young lover unable to compose his own. Printers had already begun producing a limited number of cards with verses and sketches, called "mechanical valentines." Paper Valentines became so popular in England in the early 19th century that they were assembled in factories. Fancy Valentines were made with real lace and ribbons, with paper lace introduced in the mid-19th century.[68] In 1835, 60,000 Valentine cards were sent by post in the United Kingdom, despite postage being expensive.[69] A reduction in postal rates following Sir Rowland Hill's postal reforms with the 1840 invention of the postage stamp (Penny Black) saw the number of Valentines posted increase, with 400,000 sent just one year after its invention, and ushered in the less personal but easier practice of mailing Valentines.[70] That made it possible for the first time to exchange cards anonymously, which is taken as the reason for the sudden appearance of racy verse in an era otherwise prudishly Victorian.[71] Production increased, "Cupid's Manufactory" as Charles Dickens termed it, with over 3,000 women employed in manufacturing.[70] The Laura Seddon Greeting Card Collection at Manchester Metropolitan University gathers 450 Valentine's Day cards dating from early nineteenth century Britain, printed by the major publishers of the day.[72] The collection appears in Seddon's book Victorian Valentines (1996).[73] Flowers, such as red roses (pictured), are often sent on Valentine's Day. In the United States, the first mass-produced Valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828–1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts.[74][75] Her father operated a large book and stationery store, but Howland took her inspiration from an English Valentine she had received from a business associate of her father.[76][77] Intrigued with the idea of making similar Valentines, Howland began her business by importing paper lace and floral decorations from England.[77][78] A writer in Graham's American Monthly observed in 1849, "Saint Valentine's Day ... is becoming, nay it has become, a national holyday."[79] The English practice of sending Valentine's cards was established enough to feature as a plot device in Elizabeth Gaskell's Mr. Harrison's Confessions (1851): "I burst in with my explanations: 'The valentine I know nothing about.' 'It is in your handwriting', said he coldly."[80] Since 2001, the Greeting Card Association has been giving an annual "Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary".[75] Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[11] In the UK, just under half of the population spend money on their Valentines, and around £1.9 billion was spent in 2015 on cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts.[81] The mid-19th century Valentine's Day trade was a harbinger of further commercialized holidays in the U.S. to follow.[82] A gift box of chocolates, which is a common gift for Valentine's Day In 1868, the British chocolate company Cadbury created Fancy Boxes – a decorated box of chocolates – in the shape of a heart for Valentine's Day.[83][84] Boxes of filled chocolates quickly became associated with the holiday.[83] In the second half of the 20th century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts, such as giving jewelry. The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When the valentine-exchange cards made in school activities are included the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people receiving the most valentines.[74] The average valentine's spending has increased every year in the U.S, from $108 a person in 2010 to $131 in 2013.[85] The rise of Internet popularity at the turn of the millennium is creating new traditions. Millions of people use, every year, digital means of creating and sending Valentine's Day greeting messages such as e-cards, love coupons or printable greeting cards. Valentine's Day is considered by some to be a Hallmark holiday due to its commercialization.[86] In the modern era, liturgically, the Lutheran Church and Anglican Church have a service for St. Valentine's Day (the Feast of St. Valentine), which includes the optional rite of the renewal of marriage vows.[87][88] In 2016, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales established a novena prayer "to support single people seeking a spouse ahead of St Valentine's Day."[89] Celebration and status worldwide A Canadian Women's Army Corps member and a man in the Canadian Air Force chalk hearts on a tree on Valentine's Day 1944 Valentine's Day customs – sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"), offering confectionery and presenting flowers – developed in early modern England and spread throughout the English-speaking world in the 19th century. In the later 20th and early 21st centuries, these customs spread to other countries, like those of Halloween, or than aspects of Christmas, (such as Santa Claus). Valentine's Day is celebrated in many East Asian countries with Singaporeans, Chinese and South Koreans spending the most money on Valentine's gifts.[90] Americas Latin America In most Latin American countries, for example, Costa Rica,[91] Mexico,[92] and Puerto Rico, Saint Valentine's Day is known as Día de los Enamorados ('Day of Lovers')[93] or as Día del Amor y la Amistad ('Day of Love and Friendship'). It is also common to see people perform "acts of appreciation" for their friends.[94] In Guatemala it is known as Día del Cariño ('Affection Day').[95] Some countries, in particular the Dominican Republic and El Salvador,[96] have a tradition called Amigo secreto ("Secret friend"), which is a game similar to the Christmas tradition of Secret Santa.[94] Brazil Main article: Dia dos Namorados In Brazil, the Dia dos Namorados (lit. "Lovers' Day", or "Boyfriends'/Girlfriends' Day") is celebrated on June 12, probably because that is the day before Saint Anthony's day, known there as the 'marriage saint',[citation needed] when traditionally many single women perform popular rituals, called simpatias, in order to find a good husband or boyfriend. Couples exchange gifts, chocolates, cards, and flower bouquets. The February 14 Valentine's Day is not celebrated at all because it usually falls too little before or too little after the Brazilian Carnival[97] – that can fall anywhere from early February to early March and lasts almost a week. Because of the absence of Valentine's Day and due to the celebrations of the Carnivals, Brazil was recommended by U.S. News & World Report as a tourist destination during February for Western singles who want to get away from the holiday.[98] Colombia Colombia celebrates Día del amor y la amistad on the third Saturday in September instead.[99] Amigo Secreto is also popular there.[100] United States Conversation hearts, candies with messages on them, are strongly associated with Valentine's Day. African American Valentine's school dance, Richmond, Virginia 1956 In the United States, about 190 million Valentine's Day cards are sent each year, not including the hundreds of millions of cards school children exchange.[101] Valentine's Day is a major source of economic activity, with total expenditures in 2017 topping $18.2 billion in 2017, or over $136 per person.[102] This is an increase from $108 per person in 2010.[85] In 2019, a survey by the National Retail Federation found that over the previous decade, the percentage of people who celebrate Valentine's Day had declined steadily. From their survey results, they found three primary reasons: over-commercialization of the holiday, not having a significant other, and not being interested in celebrating it.[103] Asia Afghanistan In pre-Taliban years Koch-e-Gul-Faroushi (Flower Street) in the down town Kabul used to be adorned with innovative flower arrangements to attract Valentine's Day celebrating youth.[104] In the Afghan tradition, love is often expressed through poetry. Some new generation budding poets like Ramin Mazhar, Mahtab Sahel are expressing themselves through poetry using Valentine's Day expressing concerns on any likelihood of erosion of freedoms. In their political comment they defy fear by saying I kiss you amid the Taliban[105][106] Bangladesh Main article: Valentine's Day in Bangladesh Valentine's Day was first celebrated in Bangladesh by Shafik Rehman, a journalist and editor of Jaijaidin in 1993. He was acquainted with Western culture by studying in London.[107] He highlighted Valentine's Day to the Bangladeshi people through Jaijaidin newspaper. Rehman is called the "father of Valentine's Day in Bangladesh".[108] On this day, people in various bonds including lovers, friends, husbands and wives, mothers and children, students and teachers express their love for each other with flowers, chocolates, cards and other gifts. On this day, various parks and recreation centers of the country are full of people of love.[109][110] No public holiday is declared on this day in Bangladesh. Some in Bangladesh feel that celebrating this day is not acceptable from a cultural and Islamic point of view.[111] Before the celebration of Valentine's Day, February 14 was celebrated as the anti-authoritarian day in Bangladesh. However, that day is disregarded by people to celebrate Valentine's Day.[112][113][114] China See also: The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl In Chinese, Valentine's Day is called lovers' festival (simplified Chinese: 情人节; traditional Chinese: 情人節; Mandarin: Qīng Rén Jié; Hokkien: Chêng Lîn Chiat; Cantonese: Chìhng Yàhn Jit; Shanghainese Xin Yin Jiq). The "Chinese Valentine's Day" is the Qixi Festival (meaning "The Night of Sevens" (Chinese: 七夕; pinyin: Qi Xi)), celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. According to the legend, the Cowherd star and the Weaver Maid star are normally separated by the Milky Way (silvery river) but are allowed to meet by crossing it on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese calendar.[115] In recent years, celebrating White Day has also become fashionable among some young people.[116] India Main article: Valentine's Day in India In ancient India, there was a tradition of adoring Kamadeva, the lord of love — exemplified by the erotic carvings in the Khajuraho Group of Monuments and by the writing of the Kamasutra.[117] This tradition was lost around the Middle Ages, when Kamadeva was no longer celebrated, and public displays of sexual affection became frowned upon.[117] This repression of public affections began to loosen in the 1990s.[118] Valentine's Day celebrations did not catch on in India until around 1992. It was spread due to the programs in commercial TV channels, such as MTV, dedicated radio programs, and love letter competitions, in addition to an economical liberalization that allowed the explosion of the valentine card industry.[117][119] The celebration has caused a sharp change on how people have been displaying their affection in public since the Middle Ages.[117] On a 2018 online survey, it was found that 68% of the respondents do not wish to celebrate Valentine's Day.[120] It can be also observed that different religious groups, including Hindu,[121] Muslim[122] and Christian people of India do not support Valentine's Day. In modern times, Hindu and Islamic[123] traditionalists have considered the holiday to be cultural contamination from the West, a result of globalization in India.[117][119] Shiv Sena and the Sangh Parivar have asked their followers to shun the holiday and the "public admission of love" because of them being "alien to Indian culture".[124] Although these protests are organized by political elites, the protesters themselves are middle-class Hindu men who fear that the globalization will destroy the traditions in their society: arranged marriages, Hindu joint families, full-time mothers, etc.[119][123] Despite these obstacles, Valentine's Day is becoming increasingly popular in India.[125] Valentine's Day has been strongly criticized from a postcolonial perspective by intellectuals from the Indian left. The holiday is regarded as a front for "Western imperialism", "neocolonialism", and "the exploitation of working classes through commercialism by multinational corporations".[126] It is claimed that as a result of Valentine's Day, the working classes and rural poor become more disconnected socially, politically, and geographically from the hegemonic capitalist power structure. They also criticize mainstream media attacks on Indians opposed to Valentine's Day as a form of demonization that is designed and derived to further the Valentine's Day agenda.[127][128] Right wing Hindu nationalists are also hostile. In February 2012, Subash Chouhan of the Bajrang Dal warned couples that "They cannot kiss or hug in public places. Our activists will beat them up".[129] He said "We are not against love, but we criticize vulgar exhibition of love at public places".[130] Iran Main article: Valentine's Day in Iran Part of a celebration of Valentine's Day in Tehran. The history of Valentine's Day in Iran dates back to the Qajar era of the latter half of the 19th century—Naser al-Din Shah Qajar did not take his wife with him during his trip to Europe and he sent her a greeting card from distance on Valentine's Day. This greeting card is available in Iranian museums.[131] Since the mid-2000s, Valentine's Day has become increasingly popular in Iran, especially among young people. However, it has also been the subject of heavy criticism from Iranian conservatives, who see it as part of the spread of "decadent" Western culture.[132] Since 2011, authorities have attempted to discourage celebrations and impose restrictions on the sale and production of Valentine's Day-related goods, although the holiday remains popular as of 2018.[133] Additionally, there have been efforts to revive the ancient Persian festival of Sepandārmazgān, which takes place around the same time, to replace Valentine's Day, although, as of 2016, this has also been largely unsuccessful.[134] Israel In Israel, the Jewish tradition of Tu B'Av has been revived and transformed into the Jewish equivalent of Valentine's Day. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Av (usually in late August). In ancient times girls would wear white dresses and dance in the vineyards, where the boys would be waiting for them (Mishna Taanith end of Chapter 4). Today, Tu B'Av is celebrated as a second holiday of love by secular people (along with Valentine's Day), and it shares many of the customs associated with Saint Valentine's Day in western societies. In modern Israeli culture Tu B'Av is a popular day to proclaim love, propose marriage, and give gifts like cards or flowers.[135] Japan In Japan, Morozoff Ltd. introduced the holiday for the first time in 1936, when it ran an advertisement aimed at foreigners. Later, in 1953, it began promoting the giving of heart-shaped chocolates; other Japanese confectionery companies followed suit thereafter. In 1958, the Isetan department store ran a "Valentine sale". Further campaigns during the 1960s popularized the custom.[136][137] The custom that only women give chocolates to men may have originated from the translation error of a chocolate-company executive during the initial campaigns.[138] In particular, office ladies give chocolate to their co-workers. Unlike western countries, gifts such as greeting cards,[138] candies, flowers, or dinner dates[139] are uncommon, and most of the gifts-related activity is about giving the right amount of chocolate to each person.[138] Japanese chocolate companies make half their annual sales during this time of the year.[138] Many women feel obliged to give chocolates to all male co-workers, except when the day falls on a Sunday, a holiday. This is known as giri-choko (義理チョコ), from 'giri' ("obligation") and 'choko', ("chocolate"), with unpopular co-workers receiving only "ultra-obligatory" ('chō-giri choko') cheap chocolate. This contrasts with honmei-choko (本命チョコ, lit. "true feeling chocolate"), chocolate given to a loved one. Friends, especially girls, may exchange chocolate referred to as tomo-choko (友チョコ, from 'tomo' meaning "friend").[140] In the 1980s, the Japanese National Confectionery Industry Association launched a successful campaign to make March 14 a "reply day", where men are expected to return the favour to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day, calling it White Day for the color of the chocolates being offered. A previous failed attempt to popularize this celebration had been done by a marshmallow manufacturer who wanted men to return marshmallows to women.[136][137] In Japan, the romantic "date night" associated with Valentine's Day is celebrated on Christmas Eve.[141] Lebanon Valentine's Day themed bouquet of cupcakes Saint Valentine is the patron saint for a large part of the Lebanese population. Couples take the opportunity of Valentine's feast day to exchange sweet words and gifts as proof of love. Such gifts typically include boxes of chocolates, cupcakes, and red roses, which are considered the emblem of sacrifice and passion.[citation needed] Lebanese people celebrate Valentine's Day in a different way in every city. In Beirut, men take women out to dine and may buy them a gift. Many women are asked to marry on that day. In Sidon, Valentine's Day is celebrated with the whole family – it is more about family love than a couple's love.[citation needed] Malaysia Islamic officials in West Malaysia warned Muslims against celebrating Valentine's Day, linking it with vice activities. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the celebration of romantic love was "not suitable" for Muslims. Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz, head of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), which oversees the country's Islamic policies said that a fatwa (ruling) issued by the country's top clerics in 2005 noted that the day 'is associated with elements of Christianity,' and 'we just cannot get involved with other religions' worshipping rituals.' Jakim officials planned to carry out a nationwide campaign called "Awas Jerat Valentine's Day" ("Mind the Valentine's Day Trap"), aimed at preventing Muslims from celebrating the day on February 14, 2011. Activities include conducting raids in hotels to stop young couples from having unlawful sex and distributing leaflets to Muslim university students warning them against the day.[142][143] On Valentine's Day 2011, West Malaysian religious authorities arrested more than 100 Muslim couples concerning the celebration ban. Some of them would be charged in the Shariah Court for defying the department's ban against the celebration of Valentine's Day.[144] In East Malaysia, the celebration are much more tolerated among young Muslim couples although some Islamic officials and Muslim activists from the West side have told younger generations to refrain from such celebration by organising da'wah and tried to spread their ban into the East.[145][146] In both the states of Sabah and Sarawak, the celebration is usually common with flowers.[147][148][149] Pakistan Main article: Valentine's Day in Pakistan The concept of Valentine's Day was introduced into Pakistan during the late 1990s with special TV and radio programs. The Jamaat-e-Islami political party has called for the banning of Valentine's Day celebration.[125] Despite this, the celebration is becoming popular among urban youth and the florists expect to sell a great number of flowers, especially red roses. The case is the same with card publishers.[150] In 2016, the local governing body of Peshwar officially banned the celebration of Valentine's Day in the city. The ban was also implemented in other cities such as Kohat by the local governments.[151] In 2017, the Islamabad High Court banned Valentine's Day celebrations in public places in Pakistan.[152] More than 80% of Dawn readers polled on its website agreed with this decision.[111] In 2018, because of a petition by a citizen, Abdul Waheed, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority advised broadcasters and newspapers against airing any Valentine's Day celebrations.[153][154] Philippines In the Philippines, Valentine's Day is called Araw ng mga Puso in much the same manner as in the West. It is usually marked by a steep increase in the price of flowers, particularly red roses.[155] It is the most popular day for weddings,[156] with some localities offering mass ceremonies for no charge.[157] Saudi Arabia In Saudi Arabia, in 2002 and 2008, religious police banned the sale of all Valentine's Day items, telling shop workers to remove any red items, because the day is considered a Christian holiday.[158][159] This ban has created a black market for roses and wrapping paper.[159][160] In 2012, the religious police arrested more than 140 Muslims for celebrating the holiday, and confiscated all red roses from flower shops.[161] Muslims are not allowed to celebrate the holiday, and non-Muslims can celebrate only behind closed doors.[162] "Saudi cleric Sheikh Muhammad Al-'Arifi said on Valentine's Day Eve that celebrating this holiday constitutes bid'a – a forbidden innovation and deviation from religious law and custom – and mimicry of the West."[163][164] However, in 2017 and 2018, after a fatwa was widely circulated, the religious police did not prevent Muslims from celebrating the day.[165] In 2018, Sheikh Ahmed Qasim Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi cleric and former president of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, said that Valentine's Day is not haram and is compatible with Islamic values.[166][167] Singapore According to findings, Singaporeans are among the biggest spenders on Valentine's Day, with 60% of Singaporeans indicating that they would spend between $100 and $500 during the season leading up to the holiday.[90] South Korea In South Korea, women give chocolate to men on February 14, and men give non-chocolate candy to women on March 14 (White Day). On April 14 (Black Day), those who did not receive anything on February or March 14 go to a Chinese-Korean restaurant to eat black noodles (짜장면 jajangmyeon) and lament their 'single life'.[139] Koreans also celebrate Pepero Day on November 11, when young couples give each other Pepero cookies. The date '11/11' is intended to resemble the long shape of the cookie. The 14th of every month marks a love-related day in Korea, although most of them are obscure. From January to December: Candle Day, Valentine's Day, White Day, Black Day, Rose Day, Kiss Day, Silver Day, Green Day, Music Day, Wine Day, Movie Day, and Hug Day.[168] Korean women give a much higher amount of chocolate than Japanese women.[139] Taiwan Taipei 101 in Valentine's Day 2006 In Taiwan, traditional Qixi Festival, Valentine's Day and White Day are all celebrated. However, the situation is the reverse of Japan's. Men give gifts to women on Valentine's Day, and women return them on White Day.[139] Europe Estonia and Finland In Finland, Valentine's Day is called ystävänpäivä, which means "Friend's Day". As the name indicates, this day is more about remembering friends, not significant others. In Estonia, Valentine's Day was originally called valentinipäev and later also sõbrapäev ('Friend's Day') as a calque of the Finnish term.[169] France In France, a traditionally Catholic country, Valentine's Day is known simply as "Saint Valentin", and is celebrated in much the same way as other western countries.[170] The relics of Saint Valentin de Terni, the patron of the St Valentine's Day, are in the Catholic church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Saint-Jean-l’Evangéliste located in the southern France town of Roquemaure, Gard. The celebrations of "Fête des Amoureux" takes place every two years on the Sunday closest to February 14. The village gets dressed in its 19th-century costume and put on the program with over 800 people. Greece St. Valentine's Day, or Ημέρα του Αγίου Βαλεντίνου in Greek tradition was not associated with romantic love. In the Eastern Orthodox church there is another Saint who protects people who are in love, Hyacinth of Caesarea (feast day July 3), but this was not widely known until the late 1990s[171] In contemporary Greece, Valentine's Day is generally celebrated as in the common Western tradition.[172] Ireland Many Christians make a pilgrimage to Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin on Saint Valentine's Day to implore the intercession of Saint Valentine in their prayers, with the hope of finding true love[173] On Saint Valentine's Day in Ireland, many individuals who seek true love make a Christian pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Valentine in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, which is said to house relics of Saint Valentine of Rome; they pray at the shrine in hope of finding romance.[173] There lies a book in which foreigners and locals have written their prayer requests for love.[174] Poland Saint Valentine's Day was introduced to Poland together with the cult of Saint Valentine via Bavaria and Tyrol.[175] However, it rose in popularity in the 1990s.[175] The only (and the biggest) public celebration in Poland is held annually from 2002 in Chełmno[175] under the name „Walentynki Chełmińskie” (Chełmno Valentine's). Because Chełmno's parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been holding the relic of St. Valentine since the Middle Ages, local cult of the saint has been combined with the Anglo-Saxon tradition.[175] Portugal In Portugal, the holiday is known as "Dia dos Namorados" (Lover's Day / Day of the Enamoured). As elsewhere, couples exchange gifts, but in some regions, women give a lenço de namorados ("lovers' handkerchief"), which is usually embroidered with love motifs.[176] Romania In recent years, Romania has also started celebrating Valentine's Day. This has drawn backlash from several groups, institutions,[177] and nationalist organizations like Noua Dreaptǎ, who condemn Valentine's Day for being superficial, commercialist, and imported Western kitsch. In order to counter the perceived denaturation of national culture, Dragobete, a spring festival celebrated in parts of Southern Romania, has been rekindled after having been ignored during the Communist years as the traditional Romanian holiday for lovers. The holiday is named after a character from Romanian folklore who was supposed to be the son of Baba Dochia.[178] Its date used to vary depending on the geographical area, however nowadays it is commonly observed on February 24.[179] Scandinavia In Denmark and Norway, February 14 is known as Valentinsdag, and is celebrated in much the same manner as in the United Kingdom.[180] In Sweden it is called Alla hjärtans dag ("All Hearts' Day") but is not widely celebrated. A 2016 survey revealed that less than 50% of men and women were planning to buy presents for their partners.[181] The holiday has only been observed since the 1960s.[180] Spain The holiday was first introduced in Spain through a 1948 advertisement campaign by the department store chain Galerías Preciados,[182] and had become widespread by the 1970s.[182] Known as "San Valentín", the holiday is celebrated the same way as in the rest of the West. United Kingdom Valentine's Day love notes on display in 2010 for making a charitable donation to the British Heart Foundation In the UK, just under half of the population spends money on their Valentines and around £1.3 billion is spent yearly on cards, flowers, chocolates, and other gifts, with an estimated 25 million cards being sent.[183] In Wales, some people celebrate Dydd Santes Dwynwen (St. Dwynwen's Day) on January 25 instead of (or as well as) Valentine's Day. The day commemorates St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of love.[184] The Welsh name for Saint Valentine is Sant Ffolant. In a 2016 poll conducted by Channel 4 for Valentine's Day, Jane Austen’s line, “My heart is, and always will be, yours”, from her novel Sense and Sensibility as said by Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant) to Elinor Dashwood (Emma Thompson) in the acclaimed 1995 film adaptation, was voted the most romantic line from literature, film, and TV by thousands of women.[185] Restrictions on Valentine's day in some countries The celebration of Valentine's Day has been banned in Indonesia, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia due to beliefs the holiday conflicts with Islamic culture.[111] Since 2009, certain practices pertaining to Valentine's Day (such as giving flowers, cards, or other gifts suggestive of Valentine's Day) are banned in Iran.[186] Iran's Law Enforcement Force prosecutes distributors of goods with symbols associated with Valentine's Day.[187] In 2021, the Prosecutor's Office of Qom, Iran, stated that it will prosecute those who disseminate and provide anti-cultural symbols like those of Valentine's Day.[188] Although Valentine's Day is not accepted or approved by any institution in Iran and has no official status, it's highly accepted among a large part of the population.[189] One of the reasons for Valentine's Day acceptance since the 2000s by the general population is the change in relations between the sexes, and because sexual relationship are no longer strictly limited to be within marriage." (wikipedia.org)
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