Drake Performed 'I Want It That Way' On-Stage With Backstreet Boys
From his origin as an actor on the Canadian teen soap Degrassi to the presence of the CN Tower on the cover of his album Views, Drake has always worn his Toronto roots on his sleeve. So when the Backstreet Boys arrived in the city for a concert on Saturday night, they couldn't let the opportunity pass them by to bring out the rapper—and honorary "sixth member" of the band—for an impromptu performance.
In footage captured from the screaming audience and uploaded to YouTube, Drake walks on-stage and tells the story of how he ran into the Boys in a restaurant and told them about how much one of their songs meant to him when he was in junior high.
"I was 13 years old, I was an awkward kid, and I was in love with this girl at the time," he said. "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, and one of the greatest songs in the world was playing, and she asked me if I would dance with her, and it was the first time I ever felt acknowledged, and it was the first time I ever felt, you know, like I had a shot at being cool. and like I said, the song that she wanted to dance with me to was one of the greatest songs of all time."
"I want you to make some noise, and I want you to sing this song as loud as you possibly can," he continued. "Like I say, this is one of the greatest songs in music history. I'll be on stage for it, I'll try to sing along too."
The crowd erupts in applause once again at the sound of those opening guitar strings, and the Backstreet Boys launch into a performance of their hit song 'I Want It That Way', which included an interlude featuring lyrics from Drake's own track 'Hold On, We're Going Home.'
Ain't nothing but a collab made in heaven.
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