Drake Told the Backstreet Boys His First Kiss Was to One of Their Songs

Drake Told the Backstreet Boys His First Kiss Was to One of Their Songs https://ift.tt/uY78zUG

In 2022, the band brought the "One Dance" singer out at their Toronto show

The Backstreet Boys and Drake
Credit: Tim Roney/Getty; Mike Marsland/WireImage

NEED TO KNOW

• Drake told the Backstreet Boys he had his first kiss to their song "I Want It That Way"
• The band brought Drake on stage during their Toronto show in 2022, calling him their "sixth member"
• The Backstreet Boys are preparing for their Las Vegas residency and recently released "Bottle Up" for the Paw Patrol movie

The Backstreet Boys' music makes every occasion special — including a first kiss.

In an interview with Billboard published on Wednesday, June 24, the boy band revealed that Drake once told them he had his first kiss to one of their songs.

"For my kids, probably the coolest thing that ever happened is when we were on the DNA Tour," Kevin Richardson began.

During the tour stop in Drake's native Toronto, the band — which also includes Nick Carter, Howie D, AJ McLean and Brian Littrell — went to a restaurant that happened to be the "Nokia" singer's go-to stop.

"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, 54, continued. "He told a story about, like, his first kiss was to one of our songs."

That conversation led to Drake joining them on stage in Toronto during their performance of "I Want It That Way" in 2022.

"He was like, ‘Could I come through?'" Richardson recalled.

At the time, the band called Drake their "sixth member" and the 39-year-old "Passionfruit" singer told the audience why the song was so special 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," he said, as seen in video footage shared by a fan in attendance.

Drake continued, "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."

"If she can see me now, you know what I'm talking about?" he jokingly concluded.

Backstreet Boys in New York City on June 12, 2026
Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

In July, the Backstreet Boys will return to Sphere in Las Vegas for their Into the Millennium residency.

Speaking with Billboard, member McLean, 48, teased they're taking fans "down memory lane" during the show.

The Backstreet Boys' latest release is "Bottle Up," which serves as the theme song for the new Paw Patrol: The Dino movie.