Rascal Flatts Reimagine 2000s Power Ballad With Pop Icons Backstreet Boys

Rascal Flatts teamed up with Backstreet Boys to deliver a new spin on one of the trio’s most iconic ballads.

Backstreet Boys joined the country stars “to fulfill a dream collaboration” on Friday (May 2), states a press release from Rascal Flatts’ record label. The two bands — “two of the Y2K era’s defining groups” — released a new rendition of Rascal Flatt’s “What Hurts The Most.” It’s the latest track to release from Rascal Flatt’s upcoming collaborations album, Life Is A Highway: Refueled Duets. The 10-track record features new twists on the trio’s career-spanning fan-favorites, including with Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and others. Life Is A Highway: Refueled Duets also includes “I Dare You,” a new collaboration with the Jonas Brothers.

“We have a long history with them over the years. We have such respect for what those guys have been able to do and how they’ve influenced a whole generation of Pop music,” Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus (part of the trio with Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney) said in a statement. “We’re so proud of how this song turned out; this has been a collaboration we’ve talked about doing for years, and we’re so glad it finally came to fruition.”

1. “I Dare You” (with Jonas Brothers)

2. “Fast Cars And Freedom” (with Jason Aldean)

3. “My Wish” (with Carly Pearce)

4. “Mayberry” (with Blake Shelton)

5. “Stand” (with Brandon Lake)

6. “Summer Nights” (with Ashley Cooke)

7. “What Hurts The Most” (with Backstreet Boys)

8. “Yours If You Want It” (with Jordan Davis)

9. “Life Is A Highway” (with Lzzy Hale)

10. “I’m Movin’ On” (with Kelly Clarkson)

The Academy of Country Music confirmed earlier this week that Rascal Flatts will join forces with Backstreet Boys live on stage at the milestone 60th ACM Awards later this month. The genre-blending moment is one of several “special performances and can’t miss collaborations” taking place during the show, hosted by 16-time ACM winner Reba McEntire (and it arrives shortly after Backstreet Boys performed with Luke Combs at the 2025 Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California). The 60th ACM Awards will return to the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The 60th ACM Awards will kick off at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT on Thursday, May 8.

Life Is A Highway: Refueled Duets will release on June 6.

Rascal Flatts joined the star-studded lineup of the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival, which is slated to take place on Saturday, May 3. The festival, hosted by iHeartRadio’s Bobby Bones, will return to Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Other artists in the lineup include Brooks & Dunn, Cole Swindell, Bailey Zimmerman, Sam Hunt, Megan Moroney, Thomas Rhett and Nate Smith. Smith and Moroney will also perform at the free Daytime Village, taking over the Dell Technologies Plaza from 12:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. CT. That lineup also includes Matt Stell, Tucker Wetmore and Dasha. Dasha will also appear on the main stage at the iHeartCountry Festival, iHeartCountry recently confirmed.

Hulu will be the Official Streaming Destination of the festival, with performances livestreamed exclusively to all Hulu subscribers at no additional cost. Additional information about the livestream will be posted across Hulu’s platform and social media channels. Fans can tune in to the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival to catch all of the action live on May 3 at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT) across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and on the free iHeartRadio app via iHeartRadio's iHeartCountry station. Tickets to the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival are available now via Ticketmaster.com.