Tag Archive: Aaron Carter

  1. Aaron Carter: pop-star, world traveler, Justin Bieber fan

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    In the late 1990s, Aaron Carter stole our preteen hearts and made his grand entry into the music scene. With his appearances on Disney and Nickelodeon, his classic hairstyle, and the release of hit singles like “How I Beat Shaq” and “I Want Candy,” Aaron captured a fanbase that has remained loyal to this day.

    Starting his music career at the young age of 7, Aaron sang in a local band called Dead End but left two years later to start his pop career. In March 1997 he made his first solo appearance opening for the Backstreet Boys (his brother, Nick Carter, was a member). He soon became the life of the party with the release of his first album “Aaron’s Party” in 2000. The album sold over 1.5 million copies and went platinum later that year.

    Through the early 2000s Aaron released hit after hit and made appearances on both film and television. After appearing on the E! reality series “House of Carters” in 2006, he left the pop-star spotlight to pursue other areas of show biz. Aaron has proven to be a man of many talents, appearing on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2009 and starring in the 2011 Off-Broadway production of “The Fantasticks.”

    Last Wednesday Aaron brought the party back to his fans in New Haven with his “The After Party” tour stop at Toad’s Place. Yale’s 17O1 Records, Yale’s only student-run record label, was lucky enough to get an exclusive backstage interview with him before the show.

    As we entered the room, Aaron and his crew were joking around and getting pumped up to 2 Chainz. However, as soon as he noticed us, Aaron smiled, came over to introduce himself and told his team to quiet down as we began to chat.

    —

    Q. Aaron, we’re really excited to see you perform tonight. Is this your first time in New Haven?

    A. No, I don’t think it is. I can’t remember, to be honest with you. I’ve been to Connecticut quite a few times for some shows. I actually think I’ve been to this venue, I haven’t been able to figure it out yet. I’ll probably remember when I’m onstage. It’s a great place, though, a great venue. It’s got a lot of good vibes.

    Q. A lot of people here have been fans of yours for quite a while, basically since you dropped “Aaron’s Party” in 2000. How do you think you’ve developed as an artist since then?

    A. It’s been a great ride, I’ve developed in a lot of different ways. I’ve been able to get more involved in music and become a producer, and I’ve found different aspects that I really enjoy.

    Q. Do you spend a lot of time producing now?

    A. I do, I spend lots of time producing. But right now I’m just focusing on this tour and keeping myself healthy and, you know, keeping my mind on doing “The After Party” — focusing on this. And focusing on my album and releasing another CD.

    Q. Before this album, your last three have been compilation albums. What’s in store? What can we expect from you now and in the future?

    A. It’s going to take a few years, you know, to get around the world. I’m starting with America, probably will go to Europe and then the Philippines, South America, Southeast Asia, Mexico. … It’s not gonna stop. I’m gonna keep going, and going, and going, and going, everywhere.

    Q. The music industry has changed a lot since 2000 when you first entered the scene. Now people are increasingly listening to dub step and DJs. What are your thoughts on dubstep?

    A. I listen to all kinds of music. I listen to bluegrass, jazz music, dubstep — I listen to all kinds of music, so I respect all kinds of music. When it comes to dubstep it’s not particularly what I’m going to do. I do theme songs, you know? I do theme songs and fun records. It’s not so serious, it’s just fun. That’s what I’m known for, and that’s what I’m gonna stick to doing.

    Q. If we were to look at your iPod right now, what would we see?

    A. I don’t own an iPod, but if you looked at my recent YouTube playlist or something you would see, like, Wiz Khalifa on there, you’d see Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Miguel. You’d see One Direction, Justin Bieber — I listen to all those kids too — Cody Simpson, Austin Mahone. I listen to all that stuff.

    Q. What’s the best way to listen to Aaron Carter — live or recorded?

    A. Probably come to my concert [laughs]. I still sing all my songs in the same keys, I didn’t change them because I have a lower voice or something, it’s not like that.

  2. Aaron seeks party, wife at Toad’s

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    Here’s a little bit of old school for ya: Aaron Carter was at Toad’s on Wednesday night as part of his “The After Party” tour. Though 10 years too late, Carter’s performance still attracted a big crowd of hormonal teenage girls (and about 10 brave boys).

    While the tour name at first appears to be a refreshingly self-aware choice for a ’90s has-been, Carter, 25, performed with such energy and enthusiasm that it seems the aging child star really does want to keep his party going.

    Much of the show paid homage to Carter’s boy-band roots, as he and two male backup dancers performed choreographed dance routines that were reminiscent of the Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync and Aaron Carter heyday. Carter, a veteran of ABC’s popular reality show “Dancing With the Stars,” was an undeniably good dancer, and sometimes almost an acrobat, swinging from the pipes on the ceiling of Toad’s. High school girls throughout the audience swooned as Carter did a backflip onstage and gyrated towards his screaming admirers in the front row — one particularly enthusiastic fan even held up a sign that said “Kiss Me I’m Finally Legal.”

    For the average Carter fan (meaning someone whose entire knowledge of his musical oeuvre consists of “That’s How I Beat Shaq,” “I Want Candy” and “Aaron’s Party”), most of his set was unfamiliar, newer music. At one point in the show, Carter asked the audience if they wanted to hear new songs, and despite a strong undercurrent of “No!” he bravely charged ahead anyway. His new tracks, “That’s Life” and “City Lights,” were both generic and forgettable pop songs. Carter knew the emotional heart of the show was in his classics, however, saving “I Want Candy” for the final song of his set and making the audience wait for the encore for a lively rendition of “Aaron’s Party.” Because Carter has a strikingly high voice for a man of his age, hearing a 25-year-old sing about getting grounded by his parents was overall less creepy than was expected.

    Now that Carter is all grown up, he isn’t quite as cute as he used to be. He is short and still rocking the ’90s spiked hair, and he wore track pants and a skeezy tank top onstage. Unfortunately, it seems Carter may have peaked at 12.

    Carter seems unaware of this. What really stole the show was his, shall we say, appreciation for the ladies. The crowd was almost entirely female, and Carter spent a good deal of his time onstage winking, showing off his abs, blowing kisses and, in some cases, actually kissing the fawning girls in the audience. After multiple reminders that he is “totally single,” Carter called out, “I swear I’m looking for a wife on this tour and I’m going to find her. Would anyone like to marry me?” This announcement was met with a cheer from the crowd and a girl holding up another sign that said, “The Real After Party is in My Bedroom.” Later in the show, Carter picked a girl from the audience and took her backstage, cryptically telling the audience that he needed a “breather.” You connect the dots.

    Though Carter’s desperate attempts to be a Casanova deserved pity, his commitment to his show demanded begrudging respect. Instead of giving a lazy performance and relying on the popularity of his old songs to win over the audience, Carter attacked each song and dance routine with such vigor that the sheen of sweat on his face was visible from the back of the club. And it is that energy that has made Aaron’s Party keep bumping for over a decade. Come get it.

  3. Aaron Carter, teenage heartthrob, to perform at Toad’s

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    If you’ve been looking for a way to express your inner preteen recently, or if you just want to listen to some classic childhood throwbacks, then head over to Toad’s Place on Feb. 27 for the one-time teenage sensation Aaron Carter.

    Carter, who has not released an album with new songs since 2002, is more recently known for participating in the “Dancing with the Stars” reality television show in 2009, coming in an astounding fifth place. He also starred in the off-Broadway production of “The Fantasticks” in late 2011.

    You may remember Carter for his popular hits “I Want Candy” or “That’s How I Beat Shaq,” both of which were on his most successful album to date, “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It),” which sold over 3 million copies in 2000. Carter also had the fortune of dating both Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff, leaving Duff for Lohan at the tender age of 14.

    Many might say that Carter peaked too soon — we Yalies, however, expected Carter to arrive here soon enough. After all, all roads do lead to Toad’s.