Recently disclosed statistics from Spotify appear to have dispelled any lingering doubts about how much excitement is growing for the Backstreet Boys’ upcoming tour in South Africa. South Africans are reminiscing as they await the concert of the boy band from the ’90s’, this is according to Spotify data for the group.
In just one week after the Backstreet Boys’ tour was announced in February, the average number of playlist streams of their songs increased by 280%, according to Spotify. Unsurprisingly, “I Want It That Way” was their most streamed song overall, according to Spotify. Their typical number of searches also greatly rose (Spotify reported a 115% increase).
The streamer has noticed a rise in streams from other nations where the band has already performed, and is anticipating a comparable boost in South Africa during the coming week before the band’s debut concert in Cape Town on May 16.
“Nostalgia is such a powerful emotion, and we see how people use Spotify to seek out the music they love that spans the decades on our platform, to amplify that feeling,” stated Warren Bokwe, Sub-Saharan lead Music Strategy and Operations at Spotify.
It’s hardly unexpected that the Backstreet Boys’ music continues to be popular with local audiences in the streaming era. The ’90s truly gave rise to some of pop music’s best songs and was a golden age for boy bands generally. Originally scheduled to take place on May 16 at Grand Arena and May 19 at SunBet Arena in Cape Town, the band extended their tour by two dates which are May 17 at Grand Arena, GrandWest, and May 20 at SunBet Arena, Time Square.
