New Kids on the Block singer Jordan Knight and Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter have been making the rounds of the media circuit the past few days to talk about their recently released eponymous album "Nick and Knight."
In their interviews, the two shared their thoughts and feelings about their new project as well as their respective bands. For one, Knight said his duo with Carter is causing him less stress than being a part of his famous group.
"When you're in a really big group like New Kids on the Block or Backstreet Boys, you kind of feel the pressure of having to do stuff, music, whatever it is, and have it geared towards a mass, mass audience, and it puts a lot of pressure on the group and the creative process," said Knight in an interview with the Associated Press.
"And I think with [Nick and Knight], we have a little more freedom, you know, to just explore and do something different from what would be expected," he continued.
The duo started floating the idea in 2011, when their massively successful groups had been touring together for some time, dubbed as NKOTBSB, a portmanteau of the acronyms of the bands' names.
"We were talking about music all the time and joking around and just had a really cool relationship and then the whole 'Nick and Knight' thing came up," said Knight in the interview. "We decided, 'Hey, let's explore it,' and then it just kept evolving and evolving and eventually turned into an album."
The two said they initially debated over their name as an act.
"When we first came up with the idea, we were wondering if it was too cliché," Carter said in an interview with the Daily Beast. "We debated, but it stuck... we're proud of who we are and where we came from," he continued.
Knight and Carter had known each other prior to the joint shows of their bands. They had spent time together both for work and at social gatherings.
"We met when I was 15 years old... when Jordan had taken a trip to Orlando and he was meeting with [impresario] Lou Pearlman," said Carter in an interview with Time.
"The next time we met... was at a nightclub in Orlando. I was really drunk. I barely remember that night," said Knight.
As for the reaction of their respective groups to their project, Knight said they were supportive and happy.
"We allow ourselves to go out and venture off and have a little bit of individuality, and I think that's really important to be in the group," he said.