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News
Headlines
November
2002
Page
7
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Backstreet
singer goes solo with safe, rebellious image
back up
Source: New York Daily News
By: ISAAC GUZMAN
NEW YORK -- Backstreet Boy Nick Carter spent the last
decade of his life as the dream date for millions of
American girls. With his puppy-dog eyes, shaggy blond hair
and goofy sense of humor, he was the very embodiment of the
teen-pop phenomenon -- pretty, happy and bland.
Now Carter, 22, has momentarily stepped away from the
Backstreet fold and, of all things, he's decided he wants to
be a rock star. Clad in a T-shirt, scruffy jeans and some
vaguely punkish leather wristbands, he's taken on all the
accoutrements of faux rebellion and released his first solo
album, Now or Never, Oct. 29.
While he still manages to croon a few syrupy power ballads,
several of Carter's new songs have a harder-rocking edge.
But don't expect to hear anything in the vein of Korn or
even Pearl Jam. Carter takes his cues from more
"classic" sources, such as Bryan Adams, Journey
and Bon Jovi.
"I went retro, big time, on some of the songs,"
Carter says. "I grew up with a lot of that stuff. Led
Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, Journey. I'm always full of energy and I
wanted something that could express that."
The song that stands out the most is Girls in the U.S.A., a
hard-rock anthem that recalls late-'80s hair metal bands,
such as Poison and Warrant. Elsewhere, Carter makes his
declaration of independence with the guitardriven I Stand
For You, on which he sings, "I'm free to do what I
want, free to do it my way."
It wasn't a big secret that Carter was chafing in his role
as the No. 1 cutie in Backstreet Boys, the group that
reinvented teen pop in the late '90s. Several years younger
than his bandmates, he wanted to get wild while the others
-- with the exception of party guy A.J. McLean, who went
through rehab last year -- began to settle down.
But Carter's decision to embark on a solo career wasn't
terribly popular in the Backstreet camp. Brian Littrel and
Kevin Richardson are notoriously competitive about
Backstreet's position in the pop charts and, after trailing
rivals 'N Sync for the last few years, they felt Carter's
going solo might hurt the group, especially since he is
widely considered Backstreet's star member.
"Nick is obviously the frontman, the idol," says
Cara Lynn Shultz, associate entertainment editor at Teen
People. "He was the one that girls daydreamed about,
the one that made girls write 'I heart Nick Carter' on their
notebook. He's cute and he's charming and he takes a hell of
a photo."
Intra-band conflict over Carter's solo plans got even worse
when he announced that his career would be managed by The
Firm, an outfit that Backstreet had just fired. So as Carter
promotes Now or Never, his bandmates are busy recording
demos and laying plans for a new record without him. But
Carter will be there when Backstreet begins recording its
next album.
"There were a lot of emotional feelings in the
beginning," Carter says. "But the fact was that
they understood a lot of it afterwards, because it is that
personal to me. Because with them, they want to get married
and they want to start families, and I just want to rock out
and sing and play music and have fun.
"And they see that it's helping me," he says.
"It's making me a better person."
Part of Carter's recent personal development came with a few
headlines attached. In January, he was arrested outside Pop
City, a nightclub near his Tampa-area home. He was charged
with resisting arrest and ultimately pleaded guilty and
agreed to perform community service. The incident was minor,
but Carter says it taught him that he might not have been
choosing his friends so wisely. Since then, he's tried to
take on more responsibility, especially since embarking on
his solo project. He's tried to tone down his normally
hyperactive personality and to focus. And he's aware that he
won't have his bandmates to fall back on if the album
falters.
"I feel like it's all riding on me, big time," he
says. "If I mess up, it's my fault. If things go bad,
it's my fault."
Carter was the first member of Backstreet or 'N Sync to go
solo, but not by much. On Nov. 5, Justin Timberlake issued
Justified, which is already shaping up to be a major
success.
It's inevitable that the two most recognizable members of
the two best-selling bands in recent history will have their
sales and successes linked to one another. But Carter
downplays their connection.
"I don't even compare myself with him," says
Carter, who has not yet heard Timberlake's album. "I
just do my own thing and I feel like I'm in my own little
category. I'm doing rock. He's doing R&B. I support what
he does. I hope he's successful."
While Carter may brush aside analogies to Timberlake,
music-business insiders have already begun handicapping the
race between the two young men. While Timberlake's first
single, Like I Love You, is the nation's sixth most-played
song on radio, Carter's Help Me peaked at 36 and recently
slipped to 38. Even on Backstreet-friendly MTV, Carter's
clip for Help Me languishes in the low 20s, while
Timberlake's is a top 5 favorite.
If Carter wants his next single to stay in rotation, it'll
quickly have to gain the attention of young fans. Otherwise,
it'll fall prey to a Backstreet backlash, says Sean Ross,
editor of Airplay Monitor.
"To some extent, the airplay that these acts are
getting is almost despite their success from a couple of
years ago," Ross says. "Top 40 program directors
certainly had an attitude about these acts, even when they
were playing them. So a couple of years after the epicenter
of teen-pop mania, any record that these artists put out can
expect to get some initial airplay, but it can't expect the
benefit of the doubt."
With Carter, Timberlake and Christina Aguilera all releasing
albums, this fall will widely be considered a litmus test
for whether teen-pop stars can reinvent themselves for older
audiences. Carter sees it as a challenge, but mostly he's
just glad to be on his own for a while.
"You never know: There may be some people who may not
like you as an individual, so you're just taking a
chance," he says. "But I like it because I'm a
kind of dangerous guy in a way. I like excitement. I like
adventure. But I really think that this is just a lot of
fun."
-
Backstreet
Boy Says Next Album Its Last
back up
Source: TheSanDiegoChannel.com
McLean Visits San Diego School
SAN DIEGO -- While visiting a school in San Diego to
stress the importance of music education, Backstreet Boys band
member A.J. McLean said that the next album the band produces
will be its last, 10News reported.
"We've been off now for almost 2 years. We're going back
into the studio in March and we're gonna work on what will
probably be the last Backstreet Boys record," McLean
said.
He said that the band members will focus on solo careers,
according to 10News.
McLean had made a special appearance at Wilson Academy in San
Diego on Nov. 12.
At an assembly filled with screaming young teens, the pop
sensation helped present a $100,000 check to go toward the
school's music program.
McLean told the students about the important role music plays
in lives.
"Music just builds character in any way, shape, or form.
Whether you're in the chorus class or you play in the band, it
really builds up confidence," McLean said.
He stressed that music was not always easy for him.
"I kind of got a little bit discouraged because people
were making fun of me -- telling me that I was this, that and
the other because I played the piano and was in chorus,"
McLean said.
An important part of his message to the students was to stick
with music through the ups and downs.
"Now I play bass, guitar, drums, piano and I want to
learn the saxophone, but I just don't have the patience to do
it right now. I'm kinda busy," he smirked.
McLean said he is passionate about keeping music programs in
schools.
"If they want to play sports, they play sports. If they
want to play an instrument they should be able to play an
instrument or write music or sing in their chorus class,"
he said.
-
Pop
star's boat wins Key West Offshore World Championship
back up
Source: Yahoo! News
KEY WEST, Florida - Pop music star Nick Carter's boat easily
won the Super Vee class Wednesday during the first of two
races that comprise the Key West Offshore World Championship.
The second and final heats, for more than 80 entries in the
American Power Boat Association-sanctioned event, are set for
Saturday and Sunday.
Nick Carter Racing, piloted by Key West racers Lee Murray and
Steve Oropeza, averaged 145.76 kph (90.57 mph) around the
109.81-kilometer (68.25-mile) course through Key West Harbor
and surrounding waters off the lower Florida Keys.
Carter, a member of music group the Backstreet Boys, was
watching from the shore and was so excited with the win he
jumped into the water.
"Sure I jumped in," Carter said. "We won the
national championship this year and we'll win Saturday to
clinch the Worlds."
John Tomlinson of North Miami and Hugh Fuller of Clearwater
drove Drambuie On Ice to victory in the 13-boat Super Cat
class.
The Drambuie team averaged 154.43 kph (95.96 mph) and is an
obvious favorite to win a second consecutive world title.
The Factory II class was won by Speedwear, driven by Todd
Welling of San Carlos, California, and throttled by Lance
Henrichsen of Corona, California.
-
Nick
Carter On Going Solo And The Backstreet Boys
back up
Source: Launch.com
By: Jason Gelman, New York
Nick Carter's debut solo album, Now Or Never, came out
last month via Jive Records, and the 22-year-old singer told
LAUNCH that his fellow Backstreet Boys have been supportive of
him pursuing his solo career.
"They've been really cool about it," Carter said.
"In the beginning it was a little different because I've
been with them for 10 years now and they probably didn't
expect me--the youngest guy--to go and do this."
Carter added that when the Backstreet Boys were first informed
about the project, they were not exactly sure what to make of
Carter's solo ambitions, but they eventually came around.
"They kind of came around because they see what it's
doing for me," Carter explained. "It's making me a
better person--making me be responsible and helping me. This
project is totally making me into the person I should be, and
they're supporting it now."
Indeed, Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough has nothing but praise
for his groupmate's solo effort. "I'm very proud of
him," Dorough told LAUNCH, adding, "He's done a
great job. It's something that he's always wanted to do. He's
always had, like, a rock kind of influence, and this is a
chance for him to spread his wings out there and just
experiment. It's something that we always want to allow each
other within the group to go out there and journey and grow as
entertainers individually, because as we grow as entertainers
individually it will only help the group grow."
Meanwhile, Dorough explained that the Backstreet Boys are
still hard at work on their next album. "The group is
writing for the next album, and as soon as Nick's thing is
done we're going to be back in the studio," he noted.
The second single from Now Or Never will be the KNS (Josh
Schwartz and Brian Keirulf) -produced ballad, "Do I Have
To Cry For You." Carter shot the music video for the
track in Los Angeles in early November. The video was directed
by Matthew Rolston (Jewel, Madonna).
-
Five
Questions With Nick Carter
back up
Source: AP
By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer
Even though Nick Carter has sold more than 36 million
records as one of the Backstreet Boys, he thinks of himself as
just another new artist with the debut of his "Now or
Never" album.
"I'm really ... like somebody who hasn't sold a
record," says Carter, the youngest member of the group
and the first to release a solo album.
But he's got one advantage over other aspiring singers: an
instant fan base. Some two dozen fans waited outside his
midtown Manhattan hotel recently, hoping to see him.
"These are the small things that mean so much to
me," says Carter, sporting spiky hair, jeans and a bike
chain for a bracelet.
"Whether I have two fans or 5 million, there are people
out there, and I'm going to do my best to entertain those
people who want to be entertained."
The Backstreet Boys ignited the recent teen pop craze when
they stormed the U.S. charts in 1998 with their self-titled
debut, a smash album that was followed by other multiplatinum
discs.
But Carter's road to solo stardom hasn't been smooth. His
first single, "Help Me," wasn't a radio hit, and his
debut album, released last month, hasn't garnered as much
attention — or sales — as that of 'N Sync's Justin
Timberlake, whose solo album debuted a week later. "Now
or Never" sold 68,000 copies in its first week of
release; Timberlake's "Justified" sold 439,000.
His clean-cut image took a bit of a hit when he was arrested
in January for refusing a police officer's order to leave an
area outside a Tampa, Fla., nightclub. The misdemeanor charge
was dropped after Carter agreed to perform community service,
which he completed by visiting children in hospitals.
But Carter, who celebrated his 22nd birthday earlier this
year, says he's taking his struggles in stride.
"(I'm) somebody who has got a single out that might not
be meeting the expectations of what people thought in the
beginning, but that's OK. I want to build up," he says.
"There's going to be definitely criticism, and people who
are going to doubt, but that's what makes it fun."
1. Why did you do more rock than pop songs on your album?
Carter: I'm just doing what's coming out of me. I have a
really hard time of faking who I am. ... I have such a passion
for rock music. When people listen to the music, and when they
see me perform, I think that's the one time that they'll
really understand what I'm doing is for real. I'm not here to
fool anybody or follow a trend.
2. Have you felt you haven't been able to do your own thing as
a Backstreet Boy?
Carter: No. I like the Backstreet Boys because I kind of
consider myself a chameleon. Even though I say I love rock
music, I love all types of music. ... I get a chance to grow
and sing in a band together as one voice that creates, like,
one out of five that creates one big voice. I'm just a part of
that. So I really honestly feel like it's something that I
love doing.
3: Are you worried your album isn't getting enough attention?
Carter: I can't even be happier. I'm learning. ... I'm really
happy the way things are going. And the way I feel is I don't
care if I sell 10 records or 10 million, it doesn't matter
either way to me.
4: Did you slow down after your arrest?
Carter: I didn't slow down too much. The one thing, I was just
being myself. Being a normal 21-year-old who goes out to a
club, and in Tampa, that was the situation I got into. ... I
haven't slowed down, I'm still crazy and wild and being
myself, and you might see me at a nightclub sometime.
5. I've read that you're dating Britney Spears, but you say
you barely know her. Where do you think those rumors came
from?
Carter: Wishful thinking? I have no clue. I think people like
to start stuff or something. They better be careful though,
you know why? You keep saying it, it might be true.
-
Carter
Wants to Develop As Artist
back up
Source: Yahoo News
NEW YORK (AP) - Now that Nick Carter has released his solo
album, he wants to be a serious musician.
"I'm learning to play the guitar. I've been playing for a
year now, and now I'm getting to a point where I can play with
my band," the Backstreet Boy member told The Associated
Press in a recent interview.
"I play drums, and I want to develop into a really
respectable artist, as a writer, as a producer."
Carter's debut album, "Now or Never," was released
late last month. The 22-year-old says the other members of the
group are supporting his solo career.
"They realize that this is making me a better person, a
better individual," he said. "I'm learning how to be
a musician, how to be a better artist, and it makes me feel
like I can contribute more to the group when I come back, that
I can hold more weight."
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