BBMak Is Back Here With a Rare Update 2 Decades After Their Breakup

BBMak is setting us free from our misery.

The British band—made up of members Mark Barry, Christian Burns and Stephen McNally—rose to fame in the late '90s and early 2000s with the release of their hit song "Back Here." Now, BBMak is back on the road, joining LFO, O-Town, Ryan Cabrera and *NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick on the Pop2000 Tour.

"They're all friends of ours from back in the day," Christian recently told E! News' Francesca Amiker. "We did so many gigs together."

After enjoying success as a trio, BBMak decided to go their separate ways in 2003. However, after a 15-year hiatus, the band got back together in 2018 and released a new album, Powerstation, the following year.

And when they got the opportunity to reunite with their fellow early aughts stars for a tour, they jumped at the chance.

"We thought, 'That sounds like a lot of fun,'" Christian recalled. "It's been amazing."

In addition to the Pop2000 Tour, BBMak—a moniker derived from the three members' last names—is also headlining solo shows this season.

"It's fantastic," Christian said of their booked schedules. "It's worked out great."

Amid their new era, BBMak—with an assist from Bumble Bee Tuna—has recreated their hit "Back Here"—featuring new lyrics about their "snack meal, baby."

"We were like, 'This is a brilliant idea,'" the trio said of their collab. "We were laughing our heads off and thinking, 'This is going to be great.'"

While the band is thriving in 2024, it's been a journey getting to this point.

"It's been a lot of work and believing in yourself," Mark explained. "And the highs and some lows and sticking together and having that vision."

"We feel so lucky to be in this position now, to still do music and enjoy the process just as much now as we did back then," he continued. "We get on great and we just appreciate doing music again."

And they wouldn't be here without the support of their fans, who watched them tour with the likes of *NSYNC, Britney Spears and Destiny's Child over the years.

"We see so many faces back from 2000 that are coming to our shows now," Mark noted. "We're keeping hold of these people who are still loving the music."

As for what those star-studded shows were really like back in the day?

"We did the Britney tour, which was amazing," Christian recalled. "The *NSYNC was just bonkers. All these stadiums across America."

"Destiny's Child, such lovely people," Stephen added. "You'd see them at the side of the stage watching our set. We'd come off and they'd all give us a hug and say, 'Great job, guys.' It was always a lot of fun."

Keep reading to revisit more of the most iconic bands and girl groups of all time...

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British pop group Girls Aloud made history as one of the first bands formed from a reality competition series. The year was 2002, the show was Popstars: The Rivals and the powerhouse vocalists were Sarah Harding, Cheryl (then known as Cheryl Cole), Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. Girls Aloud recorded 20 consecutive top 10 singles and four number ones, including "Sound of the Underground," during their reign. 

 

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