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NEWS
October
2002
Page
8
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Backstreets
Carter Kicks Out The Jams
back up
Source: The Calgary Sun
Boys wanna rock
After spending a decade as a Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter is
giving up his dancing shoes and heavily choreographed moves that
propelled the boy band to international fame.
Instead, he’s picking up pen and paper, as well as a guitar and
drum sticks so he can “rock out” on his solo effort, Now or
Never.
Carter, 22, says he felt a need to branch out after years of being
in Backstreet.
“When I first started recording and writing songs, I had a lot of
stuff inside me as a little kid that I couldn’t get out or express
too much because you’re in a band and when you’re young you just
don’t know how to do things or express yourself,” he says about
his early days in the business at age 12.
“But now I started to find myself just by being by myself. I wasn’t
in that situation where I had the four other guys around me . . .
which I loved, they pretty much raised me, but you have to step out
and find yourself in order to be somebody and that’s what I’ve
done with the music.”
After Backstreet Boys’ 2001 Black and Blue tour, the youngest band
member went into the studio while the boys were on hiatus “to see
what happens, not to record an album,” he explains.
But after goofing around for a week with some producers he left with
eight songs, including the ballad, Do I Have To Cry For You.
“The record company got really excited,” he recalls in an
interview during a recent stop in Toronto to promote his CD.
“They were happy that I could actually write songs.”
Carter co-wrote most of the dozen songs on the rock-infused pop
album. He’s replaced the Backstreet Boys’ harmony-laden pop
melodies with some ’80s rompin’ rock flavour a la Bon Jovi,
Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams and Journey style.
The new image is in line with the current “It” musicians like
Avril Lavigne, John Mayer and Michelle Branch, who have all helped
make pop-rock vogue again.
That said, one might wonder if Carter’s switch was an orchestrated
marketing move to distance himself from boy bands and bubble gum
pop, which seem to have lost their cachet with youth.
Peers Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and *NSYNC’s Justin
Timberlake are trying hard to recreate themselves and shed their
teen popstar images.
But Carter is eager to persuade anyone who will listen that his
evolution to solo artist isn’t a gimmick but a natural part of his
evolution as an artist.
“It’s going to be difficult in some people’s eyes to see me do
this,” the blue-eyed singer admits. “It might take a while for
people to accept it just like it was before with the Backstreet
Boys.”
True enough. The Backstreet Boys’ first single, We’ve Got It
Going On, fell on deaf ears in North America where youth were busy
banging their heads to the alt-rock sounds of Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
“I’m here to prove my point — that I love rock music and I can
do it,” he says defensively when prodded further about his timing
for the solo album.
“I can do it to the point where it’s not faking and being
somebody else.”
The real test will come Oct. 29 when Now or Never is released.
Will the legions of young girls who swooned over the Backstreet Boy
accept Carter’s new image?
But there’s a chance consumers won’t be able to look past Carter’s
boy band persona.
“Nick Carter is what you’re going to see here,” he says
acknowledging the risk.
“Music is music, it doesn’t have to be so difficult. If the damn
thing sounds good, that’s good.”
And Carter says he’s intent on continuing his pop career,
something he’ll do with the Backstreet Boys. The band is scheduled
to release new material next year.
“I’m going to be getting back with them to record for the next
album. It’s part of me. I’m not here saying it’s going to end
at all,” he says.
-
Nick
Of Time - An interview with Big Hit (Australia)
back up
Source: Big Hit (Australia)
Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter is finally going it alone with the
release of his debut solo single "Help Me" and album
"Now Or Never." We caught up with him and talked growing up,
being single and the tension in the BSB camp...
How does it feel to have your first solo album?
God, I'm excited. Like, words can't explain how excited I am. It's
amazing. I'm just so happy to be able to finally let people know how
I've been feeling for a long time through writing and everything.
What was the initial impulse that inspired yo to do the record?
It didn't start off from the beginning for me intentionally to do
a solo album. It came from the Backstreet's "Black &
Blue" world tor and I was in Japan and it was around Christmas
time and everybody just had a little time off. I don't have a wife
like the other guys, or stuff that they do, so I just called up my
record company and I said, "Hey do you mind if I get in the
studio and just start recording and writing some music?" and they
were like, "Yeah, sure!" It was just kind of a sample thing
to see if maybe I did have it in me. There were no dates set on it or
anything and the music turned out really good and I was really
surprised because I didn't even think I could write a song or even
sing a whole song. Then, sure enough, we started getting a lot of
really good tracks done. Then I was like, "Man, I want the world
to hear this stuff, I really do." I"m very proud of it. Very
excited.
How did the title "Now Or Never" come about?
I just kind of came up with it. It wasn't like - I felt like it
was the time, it was now or never and if I wasn't going to do it then
I would never do it.
Have you ever felt that teh Backstreet Boys haven't given you the
freedom to express yourself?
Well, in a grop in general, you're one of five or however many
people are in your group, and the object of the group is to do it as a
group and not as one plus four, like a solo person stepping out.
That's what the group has always been about. And in a scenario like
that, you don't get to show your whole self, so of course I wouldn't
get that chance and so now this is different - of course, it's all me.
You've done a lot of writing on the new album. How did you approach
that?
My aim when it comes to songwriting - I'm not the kind of person
who just writes a song for the hell of it. It has to mean something
for me. It has to be personal, it has to be something that I've gone
through, something that I'm going through at the moment which is a
large part of the songs that I've written. They're songs that mean
stuff that I went through at the moment that I wrote the songs and I
think those are the kind of songs that are missing nowadays. People
just write the songs for the heck of it and other artists just record
somebody elses songs even if it doesn't mean anything to them. I think
the main thing is, even with songs that I didn't even write, they had
to mean something to me or I wouldn't have recorded then.
So if you've written abot your own life, what are the issues you
want your fans to know about you right now?
Well that's the thing that when they listen to the music, they'll
be able to pick it up themselves and make their own judgement. I've
gone through some tough times - I've gone throgh some things that I've
held inside and haven't been so public abot and I think it's almost
like the songs are like a diary to me. Instead of writing in a diary,
I wrote the songs and put them to music and a lot of the songs are
like that. It's so therapeutic for me.
There's been a lot written about how the other boys have reacted to
your solo project. How are yo all getting along?
There's rumours that are going on out there - there's a little bit
of tension but really overall it's the way it's going to be right now.
The thing is they know what I've been doing and they're cool with it
and they know that I've been doing this and waht i'm about to do and
it doesn't trouble me too much. I'm doing my thing and they've
concentrated on their personal lives a lot more - and even AJ is about
to get married. I've been recording and stuff, but now we're going to
get in the studio and I want to get back in with them now rather than
later.
Are any of the others planning to go solo, too?
[shrugs his shoulders] No.
You don't know
I don't know. I don't believe so.
Will you be going back into the studio with the Backstreet Boys?
Yes. I would love to get back in the studio and do that.
The tension isn't bad enough for you to split?
No.
Have the other BSB's called and wished you luck?
Yeah, they've done that.
Does it ever cause conflict htat the other guys are married and
focus on their personal lives and you're single?
It sometimes conflicts, yes. Some of the guys wodl rather me
settle down or me be less ... But I'm 22 and young and personally, I
can't and I don't want to, I just want to be me. I want to be free and
happy and I see no problem with being like that. I'm young and I don't
need to settle down. That's the cool part.
Do you also feel that maybe it's an image that maybe you otgrew as
a band?
I think some of the guys did. Me personally, if I have that image
- I love attention and maybe I get some of that attention from the
fans and performing in front of them and I can't get enough of the
time of day to do it and some of the guys did outgrow it. Some of them
didn't. It's just the way it happens I guess. When you get married and
stuff, you fall in love with somebody, things change.
A lot of guys in groups are getting into acting and starting
clothing labels. Is that something you'd like to pursue?
I can do it all. I'm very confident in myself and what I can do
and I don't know if I'll ever do it necessarily but I know that I can.
Right now I'm concentrating on one thing at a time and living day by
day and if I start to worry about so many different things my mind
can't control it and I get overwhelmed. I take it one day at a time. I
could do it, yeah.
No plans to go to space?
No. I like my feet on the ground.
Are you getting mobbed more than you used to?
Well I haven't really been out there yet - I haven't done any tv
shows or anything and this is so new to me. So I'm going to see what
happens and hopefully - I like attention - I'm a crazy guy.
-
Nick
Carter says he's not dating Britney Spears
back up
Source: Yahoo News
"I've been single for a while and I like being single because you
just really concentrate on yourself and learn how to love yourself and
be the kind of person you need to be," Carter said.
In fact, Carter says he really doesn't have that much experience with
romance because the only person he's dated was singer Willa Ford
(news).
On the rumors about Spears, Carter says rumors are rumors and he feels
that now that he has a solo album, the latest thing to do is,
"Let's get Nick!"
And he also dismisses any suggestion that there's a rivalry with
Justin Timberlake (news), of 'N Sync (news - web sites), because
they're issuing solo albums a week apart. Carter says he only wishes
the best to Timberlake and they're doing different types of music
anyway.
Carter's solo album, "Now or Never," will be in stores next
Tuesday.
-
Nick,
Christina, Justincase Say 'Buy Me'
back up
Source: Katrillion.com
Tuesday (Oct. 29) is definitely a good day to head to the record store
to pick up some new tunes.
Eagerly anticipated releases such as Nick Carter's "Now Or
Never," Christina Aguilera's "Stripped," Eminem's
"8 Mile" soundtrack and the self-titled debut from
Justincase pop up on shelves!
Need to know what's best? No problem! When Katrillion talked to Nick
last week, he was more than happy to give us reasons to pick up his
disc.
"First, I've been very lucky to be around people who write
incredible songs," Nick thoughtfully responded. "I'm a song
person and there's not one song that sounds the same. I've been
fortunate to work with the same producers and writers again and I
learned to write songs. It's a fun album. Either people will like it
or they won't. It's rock-based. People will be surprised."
"['Now Or Never' is] influenced by songs that I've been listening
to over the years," continued Nick. "Some albums, you get
tired of, you want to listen to something else because everything
sounds the same way.
"This disc is so versatile. It's not a sound game. It's rock-flavored
and people can switch their minds any day. It reflects where we are
today. Music changes. There was a pop era, now we're in a rock/pop era
and R&B. It goes to show that people get tired of things. People
will not get tired of my album. It's worth the money."
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