By Leena Tailor, ETCanada.com staff. before 2 hours
He’s one of the most idolized musicians in showbiz, but on Saturday night, Drake appeared at the Backstreet Boys concert in Toronto, Ont., and revealed that the boy band’s 1999 hit “I Want It That Way” helped him to feel “cool” and “recognized” for the first time.
The boy band was performing the second of two shows on the Budweiser Stage when the 35-year-old Toronto native took the stage.
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As the crowd roared with applause, the “Hotline Bling” singer explained how he bumped into band member Kevin Richardson before a DNA World Tour show and told him the story of how the quintet influenced him in his youth.
“I really wanted to come here tonight,” he told the crowd in a video posted to social media by band member Howie’s wife Doro Lee. “The other night I saw my brother at a restaurant and I told him that when I was in high school … I wasn’t really in high school, I was in junior high. I was 13 years old and a clumsy kid and I had a crush on this girl at the time.
The singer then shared that even though his crush didn’t seem interested, everything changed thanks to “I Want It That Way.”
What’s better than I Want It That Way?
I want it this way…. f/ @Drake #BSBTO #DNAWORLDTOUR pic.twitter.com/pKVQK2XtDN
— Backstreet Boys (@backstreetboys) July 3, 2022
“At the age of 13, I had something called 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 while one of the greatest songs in the world was playing,” he said. “She asked me if I would dance with her and it was the first time I felt acknowledged.”
“It was the first time I felt like I had a chance to be cool,” Drake continued. “And the song she wanted to dance to with me was one of the greatest songs of all time. It’s one of the greatest songs ever made.”
The singer then joked: “And by the way – if he could see me now!”
The thunderous applause continued as Drake introduced the song, co-written by Swedish hitmakers Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson.
“Toronto, I want you to make some noise and I want you to sing this song as loud as you can,” he said. “Like I said, it’s one of the greatest songs in the history of music. I will be on stage and try to sing along. It’s called “I Want It This Way.”
Standing in the middle of Richardson, Dorrow, Nick Carter, Brian Littrell and AJ McLean, Drake helped the group perform the hit by singing the opening verses with them before busting out some boy band moves.
As the track drew to a close, Dorough performed a snippet of Drake’s 2013 hit, “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” as the musician watched him beam and encourage him. “I like!” he enthused.
READ MORE: Drake scores 11th No. 1 album with ‘Honestly, Nevermind’
Clearly a fan, Drake even helped the band take their final bow before they left the stage before the encore.
The surprise cameo left fans stunned. “Shocked,” tweeted Gemma, a longtime member of #bsbarmy.
“Drake is living every millennial girl’s dream with BSB,” wrote another concertgoer. Meanwhile, another fan tweeted: “I don’t know what it is but BSB were my childhood friends and Drake is my adult friend so it’s kind of a dream come true LMAO.”
Drizzy audition just now
(via: IG/mskaykay92) #BackstreetBoys #toronto pic.twitter.com/cXYKcZbyPM
— MuchMusic (@Much) July 3, 2022
The joint performance comes after Drake paid homage to the “I Want It That Way” video in his 2021 video for Certified Lover Boy’s “Way 2 Sexy.”
A few years back, the Backstreet Boys took to social media to humorously point out that before Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” there was their own song about phone calls, “The Call.”
“Not to cause any beef @Drake… but before there was Hotline Bling… there was The Call. 
,” they tweeted.
Not to cause any @Drake beef… but before there was Hotline Bling… there was The Call.
— Backstreet Boys (@backstreetboys) October 23, 2015
READ MORE: Drake celebrates ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ release with weekend of parties in Miami
The band will return to Canada for DNA World Tour dates in Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal in August and September.
“God, Canada is so beautiful! Carter told ET Canada ahead of the tour’s resumption. “There are so many memories, from starting in Montreal and Toronto and being there long before we were big in America. I love it up there and we have great fans and amazing memories.”
.@Drake joining @backstreetboys was NOT on my bingo card for 2022 but I’m really thankful I got to see him live 
pic.twitter.com/uwfKruze1k
— Julia Grace Lennox (@_julialennox) July 3, 2022
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