Way back in the early 90's, AJ Mclean, Howie Dorough, and Nick Carter were all striving for a career in the entertainment industry. Despite their young ages (They were in high school at the time, and Nick was in junior high), each had a fair amount of success as a singer or actor or both. AJ had studied dance, everything from jazz to ballet, for years, and was an accomplished puppeteer who worked on a cable TV serise. Howie first hit the theater stage as a grammar school age kid and had even appeared in films Parenthood and Cop and a Half. Nick, meanwhile, was a featured vocalist for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' halftime show during the 1991 and 1992 seasons and had won the 1992 New Original Amateur Hour for his singing skills. "Me and AJ met up with each other in Orlando through a talent competition," Howie remembers. "We had a vocal coach that used to work with who was, at the time, his vocal coach. He introduced the two of us." Being Orlando-based performers, it's no surprise that Howie and AJ frequently saw each other at auditions- particularly auditions for the new Nickelodeon serise which always used young performers. "We were always auditioning for Nickelodeon shows," recalls Howie. To pass time waiting for their appointments, Howie and AJ would sing a cappella. One time, Nick, who was auditioning for the same project, heard them and joined in. Pretty soon, it became apparent to the trio that the sound was pretty exciting. They decided to form a group and seeked someone who could help them. That person was Lou Pearlman, a successful Florida businessman with a great love of music. "He was looking for talent so we went in and auditioned for him," says Howie. "He suggested we extend the group to five members."