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The Backstreet Boys welcomed a very special guest to their residency at Sphere Las Vegas<\/a> Saturday night, pointing out their longtime collaborator Max Martin in the crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cHe helped us create our legacy and the soundtrack to our lives,\u201d Howie Dorough said, just before the group broke into a rendition of the Martin-helmed Millennium<\/em> track, \u201cDon\u2019t Want You Back\u201d \u201cHe wrote all those hit songs that we get a chance to sing for you guys. We are very indebted to Mr. Max Martin.\u201d<\/p>\n More from Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cLet him feel the love y\u2019all,\u201d added Kevin Richardson, urging the audience to give Martin a standing ovation. \u201cLet him feel the love.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin reposted the moment on his Instagram stories<\/a>, adding a video of himself standing up and acknowledging the sold-out crowd. Recently named Billboard\u2019s Top Producer of the 21st Century<\/a>, the Swedish hitmaker has worked with the Backstreet Boys since the very beginning, writing and producing the group\u2019s debut single, \u201cWe\u2019ve Got It Going On,\u201d which was released in September 1995. He went on to work on memorable BSB hits like \u201cI Want It That Way,\u201d \u201cEverybody (Backstreet\u2019s Back)\u201d and \u201cShape of My Heart,\u201d to name just a few.<\/p>\n Martin has also been tapped to produce Taylor Swift\u2019s new album, The Life of a Showgirl<\/a><\/em>. After working almost exclusively with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner for the last eight years, Swift announced last week that she reunited with Martin and his frequent producing partner Shellback for the new LP. Martin and Shellback are responsible for some of Swift\u2019s biggest hits to date, including \u201cWe Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,\u201d \u201cBlank Space\u201d and \u201cShake It Off,\u201d each of which hit No. 1 on the\u00a0Billboard Hot 100<\/a>.<\/p>\n Martin wasn\u2019t the only BSB collaborator in attendance Saturday night. Dorough also shouted out songwriter Andrew Fromm, who wrote the Millennium<\/em> album cuts, \u201cI Need You Tonight\u201d (which Nick Carter performs solo in the residency) and the Howie D-led \u201cSpanish Eyes.\u201d \u201cThis song is normally dedicated to my mom,\u201d Dorough said about the latter, \u201cbut the man who wrote it is in the house tonight. so we\u2019re dedicating it to Andrew.\u201d<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s outing marked date number 17 of the Backstreet Boys\u2019 well-received Vegas residency<\/a>, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of their chart-topping album, Millennium<\/em><\/a>. The group recently added seven more dates<\/a> to their run at Sphere, taking them into 2026.<\/p>\n Best of Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Billboard’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n