The youngest of the Backstreet Boys, Nick Carter definitely plays the little brother role well, mostly by playing practical jokes on his older brothers. But the guys get along great when all is said and done, and Nick loves his bandmates as if they really were his brothers. In fact, he counts Brian Littrell as his very best friend.
"I think in order to stay together for a long time you have to have communication," he has said. "You have to be able to talk with each other. And I think we established that pretty much a long time ago. We treat this basically like a family of five brothers, you know. And we just make sure that anything that pops up, we, you know, nail it right in the butt." Nip it in the bud, nail it in the butt whatever. The important thing is that they all try hard to keep it together.
Nickolas Gene Carter was born in Jamestown, New York, in the same hospital as the legendary comedienne Lucille Ball. Did that have anything to do with his eventual fame? Maybe a teeny tiny bit, but Nick is all talent, which is family acknowledged at a very early age (it had to have been early Nick was only thirteen when he signed up with BSB!). When Nick was six, his parents moved the family Nick and his baby sister BJ to Tampa Bay, Florida.
Nick's first crack at show business was a leading role in a school production of The Phantom Of The Opera (No, he didn't play the phantom! He played the romantic lead, Raoul.) His performance got raves and prompted him to start a career in acting. At nine years old, he began doing commercials both local and national and then decided what he really loved more than anything was singing.
In the early 1990s, Nick auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club , the same show taht would launch the careers of Britney Spears, Keri Russel, and 'N Sync members Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez. But another opportunity was looming not too far off in the distance. By this point, Nick had already befriended Howie Dorough and AJ McLean, and the three had formed a singing group together. When the offers to become a Mouseketeer or a Backstreet Boy came through at nearly the same time, Nick had a hard decision on his hands. The Mickey Mouse Club was already well established; the Backstreet Boys would be the riskier choice. But Nick decided to take that chance, which was the best career move he could have made The Mickey Mouse Club was canceled shortly after Nick was offered a part.
In many ways, Nick has gotten most of the attention from fans. His blonde locks and drop-dead gray-blue eyes are too irresistible for most women to ignore! As much as Nick likes the attention from his fans, however, he sometimes feels that they're not appreciating him for the right things. "Screaming is all right," he said in USA Weekend. "But if you want to approach us, come say 'Hi, we respect your music.' That's what we're all about: music." And, besides, his fans are more concerned with his looks than he is he couldn't care less what he walks around in, which are usually baggy jeans and an equally baggy shirt. And why does he wear hats so often? Well, it's not for vanity, that's for sure. "I don't care if people see me with my hair sticking out there," he told Teen People. "It's just me."