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Backstreet Boys Just Sang Your Favorite Rascal Flatts Song at the ACM Awards—and “Everybody” Has Something To Say About It

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Although both the Backstreet Boys and Rascal Flatts explored different genres of music, both groups climbed the ranks of the music industry during the 1990s. And throughout that time, they produced several hit songs like “I Want It That Way” and “Bless the Broken Road.” While Rascal Flatts decided to part ways just a few years ago, the band returned to the studio for their first album in eight years. Titled Life is a Highway: Refueled Duets, the album comes full of collaborations with Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, and even the Backstreet Boys. And when it came to the 2025 ACM Awards, Rascal Flatts welcomed the hit pop band to the stage for a throwback performance of “What Hurts the Most.” 

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With their newest album scheduled to release on June 6th, Rascal Flatts found the perfect opportunity to promote Life is a Highway: Refueled Duets. Having most of country music sitting in front of them, the band traveled back to their 2006 album Me and My Gang. And deciding to share the stage with Backstreet Boys, the two groups offered what appeared to be the perfect mashup between pop and country. Backstreet Boys even pulled of the 90s hit “Larger Than Life.”

Given the massive fanbase each group produced over the decades, social media lit up with compliments and praise for the newest version of “What Hurts the Most.”

[RELATED: Rascal Flatts Enlist Blake Shelton, Backstreet Boys, More for Retrospective Album ‘Life Is a Highway: Refueled Duets’]

Rascal Flatts & The Backstreet Boys Taking Over 2025

Besides getting a chance to perform together, both the Backstreet Boys and Rascal Flatts looked to make the most out of 2025. For Rascal Flatts, they prepared for the release of their new album. And when it comes to the Backstreet Boys, they will travel to Las Vegas for a residency at The Sphere. 

Offering a new era of concert venues, the Sphere featured an entirely different experience given the massive LED screens that climbed over 360 feet into the air. Having already featured groups like U2 and Phish, the Backstreet Boys hoped to add their name to the list starting in July. 

While excited for the Backstreet Boys, musician Jay DeMarcus explained the amount of work that goes into a Las Vegas residency. With Rascal Flatts performing in the city over the years, DeMarcus said, “I think anybody would want to play there, you know. It’s a wonderful thing, but it’s a whole other thing for us. You have to spend so much time putting creative into building the show and making sure all the content fits. It’s very expensive to build all the content.”       

As for their own career, Rascal Flatts simply enjoyed getting back to the stage and studio. “We’ve just kind of been thrown back into the deep end, but we really loved being on tour. We really loved cutting the duets record. We’re going to do some more shows this summer, and we’re still talking about what the future looks like. We’re really excited about what lies ahead for us…”

(Photo by Christopher Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images)

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