Backstreet Boys Score Their First New Billboard Bestseller In Half A Decade

Forbes

14-05-2025

Rascal Flatts and the Backstreet Boys' reimagined 'What Hurts the Most' debuts at No. 6 on the ... More Country Digital Song Sales chart and lands on the all-genre Digital Song Sales list. TAMPA, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 16: (L-R) Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, and Howie Dorough of Backstreet Boys perform onstage during iHeartRadio 93.3 FLZ's Jingle Ball 2022 Presented by Capital One at Amalie Arena on December 16, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo byfor iHeartRadio)
The Backstreet Boys are back — on the charts, that is. The boy band returns to multiple Billboard rankings this frame, alongside one of the most successful groups in country music, Rascal Flatts. While the two acts may seem like unlikely duet partners, they've teamed up to rework a classic and scored a win on a pair of tallies, earning the Backstreet Boys their first new bestseller in years.
"What Hurts the Most" sees Rascal Flatts putting a new spin on one of its most familiar singles. The country group is preparing to release a collaborative album comprised of huge hits that have been reimagined as duets. That includes this tune with the Backstreet Boys, which quickly became a bestseller.
The updated "What Hurts the Most" sold just over 2,050 copies in its first full tracking frame, according to Luminate. That sum was large enough to earn the group another chart hit — and it gives the Backstreet Boys their first appearance on the Digital Song Sales list in years. This frame, it opens at No. 21 on that all-style roster.
With "What Hurts the Most," the Backstreet Boys earn their milestone tenth appearance on Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart. It's been nearly half a decade since the Grammy-nominated group last launched a cut on the tally. The Backstreet Boys most recently debuted on the ranking in December 2020 when Britney Spears released "Matches" — a throwaway bonus track that nearly cracked the top 10, as it entered at No. 11 and held there for one frame.
Among the group's Digital Song Sales chart entries are just two top 10s. The Backstreet Boys climbed highest with "Incomplete," which rose to No. 4 back in 2005. In 2018, the band returned to the region with "Chances," which spent one week at No. 9.
Of course, many of the Backstreet Boys' biggest hits came long before the introduction of this chart. Some, such as "I Just Want You to Know" and "Inconsolable," peaked below No. 25, where the tally currently ends after being shortened several years ago.
Rascal Flatts now claims a milestone 25 wins on the Digital Song Sales chart. Two of those tracks, including the original version of "What Hurts the Most," peaked at No. 3, which still stands as the loftiest position the country band has climbed.
The updated "What Hurts the Most" is also a major win on the Country Digital Song Sales chart, which is a more focused tally than the all-genre list. The duet brings both Rascal Flatts and the Backstreet Boys into the top 10 on that roster, as the song kicks off its time at No. 6.