WINTER PARK, Fla. – As male and female pop groups surge in popularity around the world, one iconic music label is stepping back into the spotlight — right where it all began. Trans Continental Records, the label that helped launch the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, is relaunching in Orlando with a mission to find the “next crop” of global pop stars.
Backstreet Boys and News 6
In 1993, before boy bands dominated the charts, the Backstreet Boys performed their first-ever television appearance, not in Hollywood or New York, but inside Studio B at News 6 in Orlando. (Called “6 News” at that time)
“Which two of you are from Orlando? What is your name?” former meteorologist Pat Michaels asked. “I’m AJ McLean,” replied the young performer. “AJ. And who are you?” “Howie D,” said the other.
Back then, AJ, Nick, Howie, Brian and Kevin were just teenagers chasing big dreams. They performed one of their early songs, “Tell Me That I’m Dreaming,” which was later added to a four-song CD released 30 years ago last month.
“It sold 15 million copies,” said Tim Coons, the group’s original music producer, showing anchor Ginger Gadsden a European version of the disc.
Boy band’s popularity proves timeless
Coons recently attended the Backstreet Boys’ “Into the Millennium” tour stop at The Sphere in Las Vegas. The crowd’s energy was unforgettable.
“After the show, we’re walking back to the hotel, and the whole crowd is singing the songs,” Coons recalled. “I was like, what? This is amazing — to see how popular they still are after almost 33 years. They started in this room where I’m sitting.”
That room is Coon’s Winter Park studio, which still houses the memories, and the magic.
Trans Continental Records, known as “Trans Con,” became synonymous with late-90s pop. From chart-toppers like the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC to other rising acts like Take 5 and 3rd Faze; it turned Orlando into the unlikely heart of the global pop music industry.
“This was the pop music capital of the world,” said Christopher Pasquin, Chairman & Chief Music Officer of the Cheiron Music Group (CMG).
Bringing Orlando back into the pop spotlight
Now, Trans Con’s new leadership is hoping to recapture that momentum. They believe that, with the global rise of pop groups and performance-based music content on social media, the time is right for Orlando to reemerge on the map.
“I was born in 1980. So as a 17-year-old kid in ’97, I remember the first time I heard ‘Quit Playing Games with My Heart,’” said Pasquin. “I was sitting in the art room at school, and I thought, ‘This music is different.’”
That “different” sound, emotional vocals, slick choreography, and catchy hooks, is experiencing a new wave of relevance, from K-pop to European girl groups to viral pop collectives on TikTok.
Pasquin and Coons say this comeback is not just about the brand, it is also about honoring the artistry and separating the music from the controversies that once surrounded the label’s founder, Lou Pearlman.
Honoring the music, moving past the scandal
Pearlman’s criminal investment schemes cast a long shadow over the original Trans Con, even as its music defined a generation. After Pearlman’s arrest and conviction, his companies, including Trans Continental Records, were forced into involuntary bankruptcy. Now, almost 20 years later, the focus is on leaving that history behind.
“I want the spotlight to be on the artists,” Pasquin said. “They want to separate Transcontinental Records from the airline scandal and the investment scheme, that they honestly were victims of themselves.”
For Coons, the music always came first — and it still does.
“‘Tell me why...’ I mean, come on, that’s all you have to sing,” he said, referencing the iconic lyric from “I Want It That Way.”
“And everybody just breaks out into song.” Gadsden added.
Coons responded, “It brings back a different feeling for you, a different feeling for the fans. It’s very personal.”
Stepping into Coons’ studio feels like stepping into a 1990s-time capsule. The red sofa where artists like Britney Spears once sat, pictures with celebrities like Dan Marino and Stevie Wonder, awards, and even the original sound board, all part of a studio that transformed raw talent into global superstars.
“Nobody has ever seen this,” said Coons, pointing to a hand-drawn design of The Backstreet Boys left by Pearlman on part of a wall from an additional studio they had back in the early 90s. The wall also has signatures and comments from bandmembers like Nick Carter and others.
Searching for the next wave of talent
Now, Trans Continental Records is searching for its next class of stars — and they’re starting right back where it all began.
“Now it’s really about looking forward and hoping that we can bring out the next crop and kind of give Orlando its “music pop” back, pun intended,” Pasquin said.
In-person auditions will be held this Saturday near Full Sail University. Interested artists must register in advance at T-CON.com/auditions.