Nick Carter. Photo Credit: Patrick Dwyer
Nick Carter of the Grammy-nominated pop group Backstreet Boys chatted about his 2024 “Who I Am Tour,” the Listening Parties, his new album, and the #WhoIAmNewArtist contest, which will help him pick his opening act.
General Douglas MacArthur once said: “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.” This quote applies to Nick Carter.
The Backstreet Boys have sold over 130 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling boy group in history, and one of the world’s bestselling music artists.
2024 Emmy win for ‘Happy Xmas (Cancer’s Over)’
On his 2024 Emmy win for “Happy Xmas (Cancer’s Over)” with Kyle Khou and Mitch Koulouris, Carter said, “Oh my God. That felt great! I had no idea that it was going to happen. They said they were submitting it to the Emmys, and I think they are also submitting it to the Grammys as well.”
“Just to know that what we had done had made such a big impact was a very special thing,” Carter noted.
“Mitch is really great, and for me, it is about the kids and the community in Las Vegas with the Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, so we were a part of something very special and I am really proud of that,” he added.
“Happy Xmas (Cancer’s Over)” by Nick Carter and Kyle Khou is available on Apple Music.
2024 ‘Who I Am’ Tour
“The 2024 ‘Who I Am Tour’ is going really well,” he said. “We just got back from Europe with a very successful run of over 30 shows there. It was nice to go back to Europe where it all started for us, and play in Germany, Sweden, and so many places. It was a really great time.”
“Now, coming back to North America, it is great because the show has evolved into this whole new thing that has so many layers and such a great storyline behind it. I am really excited this time around to perform it,” he exclaimed.
‘Listening Parties’ for the new album
“The Listening Parties that we have are for the album that I am making right now,” he said.
“I am having a hard time choosing songs because I have written so many,” he admitted.
“People can come in and they can hear me perform songs, and we will let people do a voting on their favorite songs. The fans will help me pick the best ones that will make the album,” he elaborated.
Mohegan Sun shows in Connecticut
On November 9th and 10th, 2024, Carter will be performing at The Cabaret Theatre
at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. “It is going to be so awesome,” he foreshadowed. “The show has evolved into this important part of my life.”
“I am using music as a storyline, and sharing that story using music, all the way from the start to the finish,” he said.
“I feel like it’s almost like a movie with an arc in the middle of it,” he noted. “This show just tells the story of my life, and I am able to use the songs that I am a fan of.”
“I will be covering a lot of songs from the ‘80s; I was a fan of that movie, and that’s what I grew up listening,” he added.
Theme for the new album
When asked if he is going for a theme for his new album, Carter responded, “I thought about themes, musically. I am just a fan of so many different types of music. With music, there are no boundaries for me. ‘Superman’ was more of a country urban song while ‘Made for Us’ had that ‘80s feel to it that I was capturing.”
“A song is a song; as long as I am singing on it, it can sound like whatever. That’s how the music of the Backstreet Boys was in the beginning,” he said.
“When you go back and listen to some of our first albums, you will hear an R&B song on the same album that would have a rock song,” he explained.
“The new album will be eclectic and universal,” he hinted.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Carter said, “Resilient.”
Superpower of choice
If he were to have any superpower, it would be “super strength.”
Carter on how fatherhood has changed his own music
Carter opened up about how fatherhood has changed and shaped his own music. “Fatherhood is everything to me now,” he admitted. “This is the story of my life. I live for being a father, and I live for my children and my family. I fight for them and their future, and my family’s future.”
“So, it influences the subjects that I sing about. Fatherhood is what I think about every single day. I think about my children and everybody. When I am in the studio, I have written songs about them that are going to be a part of this new album.”
Carter on being a Backstreet dad
On being a Backstreet dad, Carter said, “I love the fact that there are other fathers with children in our band, so they all share a common world together, so my children are essentially related to all the other Backstreet Boys children.”
Carter on the advice he would give his own kids should they pursue music
On the message and advice for his own kids — should they choose to pursue a career in music and entertainment — Carter revealed, “They will be well equipped mentally to handle whatever they decide to do. They will be educated and taught how to handle it.”
“When I first started doing this with the Backstreet Boys, there was no handbook,” he said. “I was thrown into it. I started as a middle-class family that had no idea what fame was, and now that there will be a second generation, for me, it will be my job to educate them to be well equipped.”
“If they want to do it, it would have to be later on in life, after they are 18 years old,” he said with a sweet laugh. “My goal for them is to have their own identity, and to have the childhood that I never had. I was thrown into this industry at 12 years old.”
Future plans music-wise
On his future plans, Carter revealed, “There is Backstreet Boys music that we are having internal conversations about the future, which are all good.”
“For me, I am working towards the masterpiece of an album I believe in, and that I want to put out there to be the representation of me and where I am in my life, and the things that I’ve gone through. So, I am still working on that,” he acknowledged.
Carter on what makes him excited for his solo music and music with the Backstreet Boys
“Being an entertainer, the excitement is not mine,” he admitted. “The excitement comes from the people that listen to us. It’s the stories that we hear, and the people that send me videos from their weddings of the songs that we have.”
“It’s the memories that our songs have created for those people that come to our shows and buy our music. It’s their experiences and their love for our music that excites me and keeps me motivated,” he noted.
“Music has the power to help us through the hard times as well. Music is therapy for us all,” Carter acknowledged.
Carter on the importance of mental health in the digital age
Carter underscored the importance of mental health, especially in this digital age. “Mental health is something that we focus on in our household. I focus on it with my sister, Angel, and we have lived it,” Carter said.
“We understand the importance of mental health, especially when it comes to how social media and technology influence society. Social media and technology can create problems for everyone, their families, and their lives. It doesn’t start or stop with us,” he elaborated.
“Angel and I are working on some big things together that will be announced in the near future to address that topic,” he said.
“I am very proud of Angel, and when I look at my children, I try to protect them from that world that we live in that is at our fingertips. We want to make sure that we give them the tools to know how to protect themselves,” he added.
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Carter said, “Success, for me, means the success of my children and the success of my family.”
Message for his fans
For his fans, he expressed, “I am really excited right now because we are doing a competition on this new tour coming up. I am searching for a new artist to open up for me.”
Carter continued, “I am literally doing a nationwide audition where people are sending me videos, and it’s on my social media right now. It is called #WhoIAmNewArtist. They are sending me videos, I am putting it up on TikTok and I am doing duets with them.
“I am auditioning people to come up and do a song or two onstage before my show,” he said.
“I am really trying to find a way and give back to new artists because there are so many talented people out there, and not everybody can audition for ‘The Voice’ or be on ‘American Idol.’ I am actually going through all the videos and selecting them, and showcasing them on my platforms,” he noted.
“I set this new tour up for smaller venues on purpose,” he admitted. “Even to this day, we just got off stage, where we played in front of 100,000 people with the Backstreet Boys, and I have been doing that my whole life.”
“When I am able to pick up a guitar, go on stage, and perform in front of smaller crowds, it gives me the opportunity to see those faces, see those people, and to connect with them,” he acknowledged.
“I get to perform songs that they wouldn’t necessarily get to hear, and it allows me to be more intimate and to tell stories. These shows are like story time with me, and I really love that,” he concluded.
For more information on global pop star Nick Carter, check out his official website, and follow him on Instagram.