Aaron Carter Says His Music Career Started as a ‘Joke’
Aaron Carter’s 1997 hit “Crush on You” might have earned him instant fame, but the song was initially intended to be a joke. In a clip from OWN’s Where Are They Now? series, the 28-year-old opens up about his beginnings and becoming a childhood star.
“I don’t think I had a voice,” he says. “I think I was terrible, but they did it as a joke and then I just wanted to get good.” He goes on to reveal that his music producer didn’t tell him of his intentions regarding Aaron’s first single until the playful cover of “The Jets” song caught on. The track did so well overseas that it helped earn him gigs opening up for Britney Spears and his big brother Nick Carter’s band, The Backstreet Boys. Aaron soon began headlining his own tours and went on to release four studio albums that all made the top 20 on the U.S. Hot 200 albums chart.
“Justin Bieber and other kind of kids, they started when they were like 13, 14,” Aaron explains. “My story’s a little different, you know, because this is all I’ve ever known, so it’s not really like this is something I could ever give up on."
But in 2005, after starring in the straight-to-video movie Popstar, Aaron’s career took a downward spiral. He stopped producing hit tunes and at the age of 23, spent a month in rehab. The singer admits he hit rock bottom as a result of "drinking and smoking” and says he became “very depressed.” He stopped making money and touring for a time, even going on to file a bankruptcy petition in 2013.
These days, Aaron seems to be back on track and is working on rebuilding his career. In fact, he’s currently on tour. But as one fan learned this week: Never ask Aaron to sing his 2000 hit “I Want Candy.” According to TMZ, he flat out denied the request.
Check out the first video for more on Aaron Carter, and tune in to The Insider With Yahoo on TV tonight for the latest in entertainment news.
