Nick Carter has the world at his feet. He's in one of the most successful pop groups ever. He's got loyal fans who'd name meeting the 19-year old singer as the number one dream on their wish list. And he just can't help the fact that his name is often screamed the loudest at Backstreet shows. But nice guy Nick takes all the accolades in stride--he definitely doesn't have a swollen ego! "I treat people the way I want to be treated, and I try to keep my friendships intact when I'm gone." Even though he's a star, Nick is still tight with the folks who were there for him on his way up.
This humble cutie keeps his eyes focused on being a team player in BSB. He doesn't let himself get sidetracked by all the praise heaped on him. "I think everyone has a dream that they want to fulfill in life, and I think that this is our dream," he says. "We wanted to make it happen and that's what we did. And we enjoy every moment of it and we take every day like it's our last."
Nick's World
On January 28, 1980, Nickolas Gene Carter was born in Jamestown, New York, a quiet town in the suburbs of New York State. His parents, Jane and Robert Carter, reveal that from the time he could toddle around their Yankee Rebel Lounge, Nick had a knack for attracting attention to himself. "He was always hamming it up," his mom says of little Nick's shows. There was no doubt in their minds that Nick would one day take his talents and do something with them. His spunk was undeniable!
Nick tells an adorable story of how he was gearing up to perform for audiences early on. "My dad cut down a tree and I would stand on top of the stump and look at the little blades of grass and pretend they were people," he recalls. "My mother caught me out there singing one day and she decided that maybe I should try to expand, so that's when I got a little bit of voice lessons." Nick also learned how to play drums. These days you can catch a glimpse of his percussion skills at Backstreet Boys shows when he and the guys pick up the band's instruments and do a little jamming of their own!
When Nick was in fourth grade, the Carter family uprooted themselves and hightailed it down to the Tampa Bay area of Florida where Nick really started taking his budding interest in acting, dancing, and singing seriously. He starred in an elementary school production of Phantom of the Opera, which led to plenty of singing gigs in talent shows around town. Nick's first big coup was when he scored the enviable spot as a singer in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers halftime show! And in 1992, 12-year-old Nick even scored first place in the New Original Amateur Hour. He was definitely on his way.
That same year, Nick tried out for The Mickey Mouse Club. But around the same time, he also landed an audition for a boy group called the Backstreet Boys. Since he aced both auditions, Nick had to make a difficult choice: he went with his gut instinct and chose BSB. Little did he realize how much work he had ahead of him. "A big lesson that we've learned is that it's not as easy as it looks, especially being in that business for this long," Nick says. "We first thought you sign a contract, you get to go into the studio and you're handed a big check. It's not really like that."
Though Nick never regrets for a minute joining the group that's catapulted him into the spotlight, there were definite sacrifices that he had to make along the way. "I missed a lot of stuff, and at times I wish I could relieve that and just do the normal childhood things," he explains. "But then I think about it and I wouldn't be where I'm at right now. It's a tradeoff. I never got to go to high school. I always had a tutor travel with me."
One of the very normal things Nick has always indulged in is being an eternal jokester. When it comes to busting on his bandmates, Nick is the best. "I'm definitely the prankster of the group," he says. "I like to do anything I can think of to these guys," It seems like nothing's off limits for Nick, whose legendary stunts (like slipping former BSB manager Donna Wright a stick of fish-tasting gum or stealing A.J's clothes from his hotel room) still crack up the Boys.
A lot of things have changed for Backstreet Boys in the last year. With all of their chart-topping success and major presence on MTV, the Boys are no longer lurking in the shadows of the music scene--they're front and center. And Nick, who's got more than his share of admirers, has had to adjust to the constant attention thrown his way. "He's the one who gets tugged on the most," best bud Brian admits. "If me and him are getting out of the bus at the same time, they'd probably go for him. That's why we all try to get off the bus with him--we push him out first so we can all walk right on past!"
Though he does bask in the glow of being the center of attention ("Wow, I love it," he gushes when asked what it feels like to have millions of girls think he's the bomb), Nick is also a quiet guy who relishes his spare moments away from BSB. When Nick is home in Florida, he'll take his boat out for a relaxing getaway in the Florida Keys. It's a peaceful time to be away from all the noise and crowds. "It's something I need to do--just to get away from it all. To me, the Florida Keys are paradise on Earth."
Another great escape for Nick is listening to music that inspires him, like 80's rockers Journey and grunge icons Nirvana. "I love R & B, too, because that's what we sing and then pop and all that stuff," he says of his diverse musical tastes. "It's just basically a mood. If I feel like listening to something one day, then I'm going to listen to it. If I wake up in the morning and I'm dressed like a gangster, then I'm going to listen to rock that day."
Nick, as you already know, is the oldest sibling in the Carter family. Sisters BJ, Leslie, Angel, and brother Aaron follow. Nick is one of Aaron's biggest supporters (he's also one of his managers!) and he couldn't be more psyched about the success of his little bro who will be on the concert trail this summer. "I mean, I love him. He's my little brother and we have fun. It's pretty fun to see him up there performing," says this proud big bro. Lucky Aaron has tons of life lessons to learn from veteran performer Nick. Don't be surprised if one day Nick and Aaron team up to take on the world!