NEW MUSIC: NICK CARTER | EASY (FEATURING JIMMIE ALLEN

Musical collaborations have dominated the country's music charts over the past year. Now, Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter is throwing his hat in the ring with “Easy,” his own pop-country collaboration alongside country hitmaker and reigning CMA new artist of the year winner Jimmie Allen. “I grew up listening to all kinds of music, including country music,” Carter tells Billboard. “With the direction, it’s heading, and how it’s crossing borders and boundaries, Jimmie was one person who I was listening to, and I love his music.” Last year, Carter was in Las Vegas working on the track with producer Vic “BillboardKiller” Martin when Carter mentioned that he was a fan of Allen’s music and would love to work on a song together. Allen joined Carter at Studio A Las Vegas in October 2021 to write and record the song, working with Martin, Edward Martin, Jacob Feingold and Vincent Venditto. Of course, Carter is no stranger to country music—or Music City. In 2017, the Backstreet Boys and duo Florida Georgia Line teamed for the song “God, Your Mama, and Me,” which became a No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hit. That same year, they joined forces onstage at the Academy of Country Music Awards for a rendition of the Backstreet Boys’ classic hit “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).” Carter’s fellow Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean made his way into country music with a pair of pop-country singles in 2018 and 2019.