BSB Soldier of the Month: November 2016
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By Karah-Leigh Hancock
http://backstreetboys.com/
http://twitter.com/Princess_
Alyssa Sarmiento is like many Backstreet Boys. While she didn’t have the opportunity to meet the boys for the first time until 2013, the group and their music have been in many of her memories growing up as a self-described “military brat.”
“It was interesting (living in Japan during the height of the group’s fame),” she said. “(There) definitely (was) not as many diehard fangirls in the small Air Force base that I lived in.”
According to Sarmiento, the only fast food restaurant on the base was a Burger King, during the time that they sponsored the Backstreet Boys and action figures were in their kid meals.
“The closest I would ever get to them was when they would replay the 1998 Orlando concert on TV considering the Millennium tour didn’t come to Japan,” she said. “Ironically enough, the year I moved to Germany, Backstreet ended up coming to Japan for (the) ‘Black & Blue’ (tour), but not Europe.”
Sarmiento said one of the coolest things about living in Japan at the time was that the country loved the group.
“We would go outside of the base to the Japanese malls and I was able to get a lot of exclusive singles that had extra bonus tracks that were only released in Japan,” she said. “ I also had a bootleg video of a 1996 concert in Frankfurt from Thailand and ‘A Night Out With the Backstreet Boys’ from the Philippines. My copy was in black and white and it wasn't until very recently that I bought a legit copy on Amazon that I realized it was actually meant to be in color. I just always thought they were going for the artsy look.”
Now things have changed.
The digital marketing manager that lives in San Francisco area is making up for lost time. She has been able to go to concerts, the cruises and watch all of the Backstreet Boys videos she wants.
Meet the November 2016 Backstreet Boys Soldier of the Month… AJ girl Alyssa Samiento.
Fan Club Username: Alyssa Sarmiento
Twitter: AlyssaJenS
Where are you from?
Currently residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA
What do you do for a living? (job, etc.)
I'm a Senior Digital Marketing Manager for a customer experience software company called Genesys.
Tell us a little bit about yourself:
I'm a military brat and moved around a lot growing up. I've lived in the Bay Area for my adult life but most of my childhood was spent overseas in Guam, Philippines, Japan, and Germany. I'm a digital marketing and fantasy sports nerd and aside from BSB, I fangirl over The Walking Dead and Hamilton the musical.
How long have you been a BSB fan?
This hurts to admit but to be honest, I was not one of those "hardcore fans from the very beginning". I enjoyed their music when their first US album came out but it was just something I had in rotation. I became OBSESSED when Millennium came out and that album to this day is still my favorite album of all time.
How did you become a fan?
“I Want It That Way” took over MTV, the radio, and Burger King commercials and I was never the same since. Specifically, I was living in Japan at that time and about a month after the album was released, I visited the US and BSB mania was really apparent. All my friends and family were huge Backstreet fans and their fandom rubbed off on me. I came back to Japan and used all our internet time reading up on the Boys, finding fan fiction and printing pictures to post on my binders and locker. Fast forward 17 years later and while other people have stopped being fans, I'm still going strong!
What is your favorite BSB memory?
The concert on the last cruise, most definitely. Since watching “A Night Out with the Backstreet Boys,”I had dreamed of watching an acoustic show. I love the fast songs and the dancing but their voices and harmonies are what sets them apart. ! I sobbed my heart out almost the entire time. Afterward, my boyfriend turned to me and said "They're not a pop group. They're legit R&B. One of the best live singing I've heard."
What is your favorite BSB song and why?
“I'll Never Break Your Heart.” I really love the vocals in it and has been a favorite song of mine even before I became a die hard fan.
What is your favorite BSB video and why?
It's a tie between “Just Want You to Know” and
As Long as You Love Me.” Both are very funny and well executed!
Who is your favorite Backstreet Boy and why?
I am an AJ girl always and forever. Before seeing them in person, it was his looks, vocals and the whole "Bad Boy" persona. After meeting him, he is also genuinely sweet and really makes an effort to actually have a conversation with you that goes beyond "Thanks for coming".
How has BSB impacted your life?
The impact of BSB has changed as I've gotten older. It started with their music being one of the few constant things in my life -- “Black & Blue” came out during a move from Japan to Germany, “Never Gone” came out when my family moved from Germany to California. In the past few years, BSB has been a connection between me and a friend who was murdered back in 2011 (RIP Michelle Le). When I got to college, not a lot of people were BSB fans anymore but Michelle was. She took me to my first concert in 2005 and again in 2010. We rocked our BSB shirts during late night college parties. She woke me up once when I was running late by blasting Just Want You to Know at my door. Her favorite song was Safest Place to Hide and I am so thankful that BSB sang it live during the IAWLT tour and the European cruise.
What is your favorite thing about being a BSB fan?
That they are still making great music! We are lucky as fans that our favorite group continues to perform live and have become so much more accessible. I can't thank them enough for the sacrifices they have made in order to still be around and going strong. In addition, the Backstreet Army has brought some new friends into my life and for that, I'm forever grateful.
