Backstreet Boys member Kevin Richardson says he was shocked to learn that Drake was a fan of the legendary boy band—and that the rapper had his first kiss to one of their songs.
While joined by his fellow Backstreet Boys members, Richardson recalled the special moment while speaking to Billboard News on Wednesday (June 24). The Drake encounter would have taken place in July 2022, when the band was on their sixth leg of the DNA World Tour in Toronto.
Around the two-minute mark of the video below, Richardson explained that the group and their entourage, including family members, were dining at a local restaurant when the Iceman artist entered. The restaurant happened to be one of Drake’s favorite hometown hotspots.
“The maître d’ is like, ‘Excuse me, Drake is here and he would love—when you're finished—he would love to be able to come over and say hi,’” Richardson explained, adding that his kids were hyped at the chance encounter.
After they finished dinner, the Backstreet Boys greeted Drake, who told them that his first kiss was to one of the boy band’s songs before offering to perform with them.
“He's like, ‘What are you guys doing in town?’" Richardson recalled. “He's like, ‘Could I come through?’ He came through, got up on stage, and performed with us.”
Drizzy did more than just attend the show; he sang a live rendition of Backstreet Boys’ 1999 hit “I Want It That Way” while they performed at Budweiser Stage.
Drake, who was dubbed the group’s “sixth member,” spoke on stage about why the song was meaningful to him.
"At 13 years old, I had a bar mitzvah, and at my bar mitzvah—for the first time in my life—this girl I was in love with came up to me while one of the greatest songs in the world was playing, and she asked me if I would dance with her," said the five-time Grammy winner.
“It was the first time I ever felt acknowledged, and it was the first time I ever felt like, you know, I had a shot at being cool,” Drake continued. "If she can see me now, you know what I'm talking about?"
