Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s only one way we can ever describe Lou Pearlman, it has to be as a music mogul and talent manager turned con artist since all these aspects are integral to who he really was. This much has actually been chronicled in Netflix’s ‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam,’ especially as it details the way he ran a Ponzi scheme for decades while thriving in the entertainment industry. However, the one element that intrigues us the most is the fact he was referred to as “Big Poppa” by almost everyone he represented — whether Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, LFO, or Natural.
Lou Pearlman Liked the Title of Big Poppa
According to reports, Lou began styling himself as Big Poppa once he made the shift from the world of aviation to music in the 1990s, especially considering his work process and lifestyle. The truth is he wanted to be a father figure to all the aspiring musicians he recruited as group members through open auditions that he self-funded while also supporting them in every way. He not only offered them a luxurious place to stay as well as hone their skills, but he also gave them logical plus practical advice regarding every facet of life, so there was a connection he built.
“We really looked up to Lou,” Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean candidly stated in the aforementioned documentary series. “We all called him Big Poppa. This was this man who took us under his wing. There was years of learning one another and experiencing things together.” He then asserted some of his fellow band members, like Kevin Richardson, actually had a much deeper connection with him — almost as if he really was a second father to them. Even Howie Dorough backed these claims by declaring he shared great bonding moments with the manager too, which is why he’ll always have a special place for him in his heart.
As if this isn’t enough, NSYNC member Lance Bass told The Hollywood Reporter in 2014 that he also “immediately just really fell in love with Lou [when I met him at age 16]. He was such a nice guy and fun to talk to. He immediately became family — he was our Papa Lou.” The fact this manager even let several of his artists stay in his mansion without any issues for as long as they desired —like Patrick King of Natural, who called that place his home for seven years — only added to Lou’s overall charm. Yet, we should mention that while this 2008 convicted federal con man has been accused of inappropriate behavior several times over the years, none of the then-young boys named here have ever incriminated him.
They have all contended at one point or another that Lou may have been a little touchy-feely with them — for example, grabbing their muscles or asking them to show off plus maintain their abs so as to look good in the limelight — but he never went too far. In fact, despite the financial betrayal as well as later differences between the manager and the band, Lance has actually come forward to refute allegations of him being a sexual predator several times, especially in ‘The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story.’ Therefore, of course, it goes without saying that although Lou passed in 2016 while in prison after having swindled thousands of over $300 million, what he did for the music industry and some artists can never be denied.
Read More: How Did Lou Pearlman Die?
