Howie Dorough’s favorite Backstreet Boys songs might surprise you
Howie Dorough, while promoting his new single “Coquí,” reveals to USA TODAY his Mount Rushmore of Backstreet Boys songs.
NEW YORK – A Backstreet Boy is back… to his roots.
Howie Dorough, one-fifth of the platinum-selling boy band, released a solo single called “Coquí.” It’s the artist’s first-ever song that he both wrote and sang completely in Spanish. The singer was raised in Florida; his father is of Irish and Scottish descent and his mother is from Puerto Rico.
“I want to make my mother proud because God bless her, she’s 92 years old,” Dorough, 52, tells USA TODAY. “I’ve been wanting to do this not only for her, but also for my kids. I want to continue on the culture for them, and for them to embrace their Latin side.”
Dorough shares two sons, ages 17 and 13, with his wife Leigh. Growing up in the Orlando area, Dorough’s mother didn’t encourage him to learn Spanish, as the singer recalls being the only half-Latin family in the neighborhood. The music artist eventually learned the language and was speaking it so well that he started dreaming in Spanish.
His language professors encouraged him to move in with a family in Mexico, where he could continue learning Spanish. But life had other plans.
“This little sidetrack thing started happening with this group called the Backstreet Boys,” Dorough jokes, “and they had waited for me to at least finish two years of college. So I put it on the back burner, but I always knew there was a calling for me and I always even encouraged the group back in the early years: ‘Let’s do some of our songs in Spanish.'”
The Backstreet Boys recorded two of the group’s 90s hits, “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” and “Anywhere for You,” in Spanish. The former cracked the top 10 on Spain’s radio airplay chart.
“I knew it was a bigger request to ask the guys to do something completely in Spanish,” he continues. “It was more about when’s the right timing for me to do something in Spanish, and now is the time.”
Howie Dorough’s debut Latin track was inspired by a frog
Dorough recalls visiting Puerto Rico and a piece of the island always sticking with him as he returned home: sometimes it was the music, other times it was the cuisine. But there was also a certain sound that reminded him of Puerto Rico. It didn’t come from an instrument but rather from frogs native to the island. The small amphibians are called coquí, and they’re named after the sound two of the species make at night.
Dorough fondly recalls hearing the coquí along with the ocean breeze at night. He says that his single, named for the small frog, is a tribute to Puerto Rico. It’s also the first single from an album that he teases will be mostly in Spanish, with some “Spanglish” mixed in.
The music artist has played “Coquí” and other Spanish-language music that he’s recorded for his mother, Paula, who cried when she heard the songs. Her reaction brought Dorough to tears as well.
“I realized that was one of the points in my life that I’ve done something that’s going to stick with me forever, even when she’s not here anymore,” he says. “That memory of how proud I made her is just something every son would want from their mother.”
Howie D is still balancing Backstreet Boys with his other projects
In 2025, after the Backstreet Boys announced their residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Kevin Richardson told USA TODAY that the group aimed to be “the Rolling Stones of pop.” Dorough, who performs with Richardson, Nick Carter, AJ McLean and Brian Littrell hopes that the manifestation comes true.
“It would be amazing if we could even get anywhere close to that,” he says. “I have always said Rolling Stones, the Eagles, I think they have just done such a great job of sustaining a long career.”
Dorough will balance his solo efforts with the band’s continued run at the Sphere. The group plays the venue in July and August. In the fall, the Backstreet Boys then head to Germany − the first country the group saw success in. They’ll headline a string of 10 sold-out stadium dates in the country.
The singer, affectionately known as “Howie D,” says he’s “blessed” to be able to pursue other projects outside of the Backstreet Boys, even after three decades with the group.
“We just communicate with each other,” he says. “And we don’t stifle each other’s creativity, whether it’s within the group or whether it’s outside of the group.”
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