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On the early success of the group, Joey McIntyre said “We were Boston kids doing a few shows every month, just trying to have some fun. Our hit record happened at the last minute. It happened so fast that our parents didn’t really have time to understand what was going on.”

Joey McIntyre earned boy-band infamy before he was old enough to shave as the blue-eyed, baby-faced member of New Kids on the Block. This summer the nineties boy band are back together on a North American tour alongside TLC and Nelly, performing at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Monday and the Bell Centre in Montreal on Tuesday. Here, McIntyre shares some of the secrets to his success, including why living life is more important than taking selfies.

Never hate on the hits

Our fans want to hear our hits and I'm totally happy to perform them. It's not like we ride around listening to Step By Step in our cars, but being able to share these songs that mean so much to our fans is an incredible experience – more so now than ever. Singing Please Don't Go Girl is such a gift – the meaning, the history. It's not that I don't have other aspirations. We all do. I've done solo albums. I had a Billboard 100 hit in 1999, but I've definitely made peace with the fact that no matter what else I do in my life, I will always be a New Kid on the Block. We make new music to keep it fresh and because it's what we love to do – we don't need to hit No. 1 to make something worthwhile. If we can sell 100,000 records or even 50,000 – that's amazing. That's just the way it goes and if you can't handle that, you're in trouble.

Authenticity matters: boy band edition

I think one of the things that was great and unique about New Kids is that it just sort of happened. It wasn't something that was cooked up in Hollywood, it wasn't this big cattle call audition, we weren't Disney kids. We were Boston kids doing a few shows every month, just trying to have some fun. Our hit record happened at the last minute. It happened so fast that our parents didn't really have time to understand what was going on. Thank God we came from the families that we did. Where we come from, you really can't get too big for your britches. That working-class thing is just ingrained in you.

Gratitude keeps you grounded

If you can keep in mind how lucky you are, it makes it much easier to see the forest for the trees. Aside from that, we bring different skills and talents to the table. I have learned a lot from all the guys. Donnie is the classic leader – the Patton, the MacArthur. Sometimes that's tough. Those kind of big leaders can take control sometimes, but figuring out how to work with all these different styles is part of the process. Donnie has taught me a lot about drive and how important it is to have foresight. Jordan is a very Zen-like kind of guy who doesn't say much, but when he does it has a lot of weight. As the lead singer he sets a great example in terms of going to work every night and being so consistent. Jon is an incredibly sweet and loving guy. Getting on stage isn't a natural environment for him, so I really admire that. Danny and I were roommates back in the day when we would all share rooms. He's got a big heart.

Get a life (and lose the selfie stick)

I love talking to fans and I will always try to stop and say hi. The only annoying thing is that it's all about the selfie now. It's kind of sad that a lot of people don't seem to care about the experience. They don't care about talking to you or being in that moment – they just want to get a picture. Thankfully our fans don't run after us like they used to. They might scream in a hotel lobby or something, but we're all grown-ups now. It's great – we get to be rock stars on stage again and they get to be teenagers in the crowd.

This interview has been condensed and edited by Courtney Shea.

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