Backstreet Boy Finds the Route to Religion

During the heyday of the Backstreet Boys, he danced his way into the hearts of millions of teenage girls across the world.

But yesterday Brian Littrell, put his crotch-grabbing days behind him, announcing he had signed for a Christian record label.

Littrell, 29, always regarded as the clean-cut member of the band is recording a single, In Christ Alone, that will appear on an upcoming WOW Christian Music compilation album next year. That will be followed by the debut of his solo album on Provident Music Group's Reunion Records.

Littrell said he hoped fans of the Backstreet Boys would appreciate his move and realise through his music "that standing up for what you believe in is what's important."

He added: "This has been a dream of mine ever since I was a little boy, singing in church in Kentucky."

Some of Littrell's bandmates have not been as clean living.

Nick Carter romanced hotel heiress Paris Hilton for some time in a coupling that had American tabloids salivating. AJ McLean, meanwhile, was widely reported to have spent some time in rehab. The band's manager, Johnny Wright, told Associated Press that AJ McLean had also expressed an interest in singing Christian music.

According to the band's website, the latest Backstreet Boys album will be released in March.