NKOTB announces first album in 11 years — here are the details
The members of New Kids on the Block are proving they've still got the right stuff.
The classic 1980s-1990s boy band announced on March 5 that it's gearing up to release its first full-length studio album in 11 years, "Still Kids," which arrives on the BMG music label on May 17.
NKOTB is giving fans a taste of the new album by sharing its danceable first single, "Kids." A music video for “Kids,” directed by Marissa Velez, premiered on YouTube on March 5.
The upbeat song features alternating vocals from the band's members — Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood. Its catchy harmony-drenched chorus finds the NKOTB guys, now all in their 50s, feeling as youthful as ever.
"And we’re still just kids from a nobody town/ Still just kids that are messing around/ Making the most of the things that we found," they sing.
The band’s members will stop by “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on March 8 for a NKOTB episode takeover featuring a world-premiere performance of “Kids.”
A press release explains the new album's 14 songs "channel the New Kids’ beginnings, even as it pushes them into new territory as songwriters and as a band."
“It’s the most mature album we’ve ever made,” Wahlberg, who co-wrote seven of the new songs with longtime collaborator Lars Halvor Jensen and his production company DEEKAY Music, said in a statement.
"Yet it’s the most fun and most comfortable album we’ve ever made."
"This album, more than any other, is bringing the New Kids and the fans full circle. It’s about hope and possibilities and being ourselves,” added Wahlberg, who's also credited as the album's creative director.
McIntyre, who co-wrote six of the tracks on "Still Kids" with songwriter and producer Sean Thomas, echoed Wahlberg's sentiments. “It says a lot about any band to make a record that has energy and passion and lightness and fun and depth — after almost 40 years together? It’s crazy," he said.
"Still Kids" features guest appearances from fellow 1980s-1990s music stars DJ Jazzy Jeff and Taylor Dayne.
NKOTB will kick off a "Magic Summer 2024 Tour" on June 14 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, with special guests Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com