INTERVIEW: New Kids On The Block Talk 'Thankful' & Reveal What They're Most Thankful For

After 31 years of releasing music (six albums worth), New Kids On The Block released their first EP, titled Thankful. The five-track set is led by NKOTB's single "One More Night," and follows the group's 2013 top-charting album TEN, and was officially released on the same day (May 12th) that their highly anticipated "Total Package Tour" kicked off, which also features Boyz II Men and Paula Abdul. This is Paula's first return to the stage in 25 years. The "Total Package Tour" will hit over 40 North American cities, and will bring the band back to their native Boston, returning to perform at the city's iconic Fenway Park for the first time in five years. 

The group exclusively tells iHeartRadio of their new EP, that putting it together was "different" for them this time because they were each in different parts of the country while putting it together. "We [had] a lot of e-mails and text messages and going back and forth with each other, and how we felt about each song, and it ended up coming together great. We're very happy with it and proud of it," the band tells us. "Once again it's independently done and so we're proud."

[Buy Thankful on iTunes]

NKOTB recorded Thankful in a studio hidden in a house in a cul-de-sac in a Chicago neighborhood. The guys recall, "We recorded the first couple songs which was, 'One More Night' and 'Heartbeat.' We were pulling up to the studio, we didn't know where we were going, we pull up and it's a house in a cul-de-sac in this neighborhood outside of Chicago. But then you walked through the garage, down some stairs and there was this state of the art studio, really nice and comfortable."

So, why put out an EP now, as opposed to another full-length album? The band says, "We didn't want to wait until we had 10 or 12 songs. We wanted to get some new music out there, so these are five new songs and they're kind of a nice, well-rounded group of songs [that] represent our sound well."

As fans can imagine, the meaning behind the album title is pretty transparent. New Kids on the Block is thankful for everything that their career has brought them, and thankful for their loyal fans after putting out music over the past 31 years -- over three decades!

"We just feel like it's another big tour that we're doing, and we're all still together, we're all still healthy, our families are doing great. You think of a lot of teen idols, and a lot of them [aren't] doing so well. So, we're just very thankful that our fans still come to our shows, that we all have good relationships with each other, and that we're still doing what we're doing here, doing what we love. The older we get, honestly, the more thankful we become."

And for those die-hard NKOTB fans out there, the band tells us that there is something "funny" in the credits of the physical copy of the CD that the guys are eager to see if you'll notice. "There's something that's pretty funny [in the credits] that we're waiting to see if people notice it. So, just when you get your copies of the CD, go over it and let us know if you see it. We had nothing to do with it and we're well aware of it. It's gonna be good."

Watch New Kids on the Block's official "One More Night" music video below: