What is it about Backstreet Boys' Nicholas Gene Carter that drives girls all over the world crazy? It could be his too-blue eyes or his lopsided grin or that ethereal voice that can send shivers up your spine. Or, it could be the way such a talented guy combines all these attributes without being conceited. In many ways Nick, or Nicky as his family persists on calling him no matter how old he gets, is a fun-loving, kind talented guy who just happens to be famous.
Nick Carter was born in Jamestown, New York on January 28th, 1980 to Jane and Robert Carter. When Nick was four, the Carter family began to grow, first with sister Bobby Jean (or B.J. as her family calls her) and later with Leslie and then finally, fraternal twins Aaron and Angel. The oldest kid was s natural ham from the time he could walk, a quality his family attributed to the fact that he was born in the same hospital as legendary comedienne Lucille Ball. Dressed only in diapers, he'd amuse his family and customers at his dad's Yankee Rebel Lounge be "Bustin' a move". His spunky personality and love of attention kept his mom and dad really busy!
By the time his family relocated to the Tampa Bay area of Florida, Nick was in 4th grade and had started to channel his excess energy into singing, dancing, and even a bit of acting! One of his very first roles was the lead in the Phantom of the Opera. Before long, his singing was winning him plenty of notice and cool jobs like his 2 year stint singing during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' halftime show. Nick's vocal styling also won the New Original Amateur Hour in 1992 - pretty cool for a kid barely in high school!
By age 15, Nick had done a couple of commercials and was looking to commit to a larger project. That's why he happened upon A.J. McLean and Howie Dorough at the Nickelodeon studios one day. They were all auditioning for roles in a new cable TV series. None of the guys got the parts (although around this time Nick turned down a job with Disney), but this trio realized they'd found something special in each other. Eventually Nick, Howie and A.J. were joined by cousins Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell and Backstreet Boys were born.
Brian remembers his first impression of the blond-haired singer who was destined to become his best friend in the group. "The main thing that I remember about Nick when I first met him is how small he was," recalls Brian. "He was so energetic and full of life. I was totally bowled over, and then I heard his voice. Man, it was just so big for this little guy."
This little guy with a big voice soon proved to be the biggest practical joker among the guys. In fact, Nick's pranks have become legendary. Who gave BSB's manager Donna the piece of gum that tasted like fish? Nick. Who stole all of A.J.'s clothes one night from his hotel room? Nick. Who was the first one to start a cake fight at a party? Nick! "I'm definitely the prankster of the group," says the blond one with a smirk. "I like to do anything I can think of to these guys."
While all the others have pretty good senses of humor regarding Nick's jolly jokes, occasionally they have been known to take their revenge. "Once, we threw him out of the dressing room in his underwear in front of a whole bunch of girls," recalls Brian. "He got really mad but it was funny!"
Despite all the kidding around, Nick's very serious about his commitment to Backstreet Boys. "I think everyone has a dream that they want to fulfill in life and I think this is our dream," he says quite seriously. "We wanted to make it happen and that is what we did. And we enjoy every minute of it and we take every day like it's our last."
By the looks of their success abroad and their plans for domination of the U.S. record charts this summer, you can bet that the end won't be anytime soon! Nick, like the rest of the BSB's, is always working to improve his skills as a singer, dancer and musician. Almost five years ago, Nick started taking drum lessons and now he's good enough to play on stage during shows. It's something he'd definitely like to do more of.
Nick's taste in music is probably the most varied of all the Backstreet Boys'. He's a huge fan of alt rockers Nirvana but also loves the soaring pipes of Steve Perry, front man for the 80's era hitmakers Journey. "My range is from old rock to alternative music," he says. "I love R&B, too, because that's what we sing and then pop and all that stuff."
Over the past 2 years, Backstreet Boys have romped to the top of record sales charts in Canada, Germany, Great Britain and many more countries. However, their worldwide success, and the attention that comes with it, hasn't changed Nick one bit. In fact, he's still slightly embarrassed to be compared with heavy hitters like Boyz II Men, a group that all the Backstreet Boys would love to harmonize with someday. "The biggest surprise for me is to actually walk into a store and see your single sitting on a shelf," he says candidly. "You can't believe it's you sitting next to all these famous artists."
As the youngest member of the Backstreet Boys, Nick tends to get the lion's share of attention from young females. Yet, he's not at all conceited about the extra eyes on him. It's flattering, he says, but right now he's just not ready for a girlfriend. "I know a lot of girls who are just friends - the way I prefer it," he says. "I don't really want to fall in love yet. I prefer to wait a little bit...We really don't have that much time for girlfriends."
What kind of girl rocks Nick's world? Well, he admits that brunettes have often caught his eye, although any hair color is attractive if the person has a fun personality and is really nice. Nick also doesn't have any problem dating or hanging around with girls who are fans of the BSB as long as they remember to treat him like a normal human being. This merry prankster admits that people with a good sense of humor are a must and a shared interest in music is always helpful.
"To be honest, I've never really fallen in love. I've never felt this strong sensation," he admits. With the tight schedule he and the rest of the guys have been on for the past few years, it's not likely that he'll find out what falling in love is like any time soon. "Personally, I love girls, but the fact is that we're always on the road," he says. "It's hard to actually stay down with one girl and go away. It's kind of hard to do that to someone."
Nick's popularity with fans makes the other Backstreet Boys quite protective of their youngest member. "He's the one who gets tugged on the most," says best bud Brian. "If me and him are getting off 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 walk right on past!"
With concerts, photo shoots and mob scenes a part of his daily life, Nick doesn't have as much time for any of his favorite hobbies anymore. He tries to keep active, though. While waiting backstage for an interview or as he's cruising to another tour date on the Backstreet Boy's bus, he likes to draw cartoons of himself and the other group members as super heros. You'll rarely see Nick without a pencil in his hand.
Whenever he's home, Nick likes to indulge in all sorts of water sports. His favorite way relax is by taking the family boat for cruise on the turquoise waters of the Florida Keys. "A lot of the time I go out on the boat alone. Being on my own, with just the silence of the sea, is such an escape from the constant screaming of fans on a Backstreet Boys tour," he says. "It's something I need to do - just to get away from it all. To me, the Florida Keys are paradise on Earth."
Nick is also a fully certified scuba diver. He enjoys fishing, water skiing and basically anything to do with water. Although he protests that he's not ready for a heavy duty romance yet, he admits that sharing his love of the Keys with someone special would be very nice. "If I had to do something romantic I would take her to the beach when the sun is going down," he says of his fantasy date. "The sky would be full of stars, and apart from the sound of the sea, it would be a very quiet and intimate moment,"
Despite all the commotion surrounding him, Nick maintains that he's really just a pretty normal guy. While he's enjoying his experiences with Backstreet Boys, his family and his friends in the group play a large part in keeping his head on straight. "I'm a really peaceful person. I don't believe in being mean to anyone," he says. "That's something I get from my family."
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