Nick Carter

Nickolas Gene Carter Bio

Nickolas Gene Carter, known professionally as Nick Carter, is an American singer and songwriter born on January 28, 1980, in Jamestown, New York. He is best known as a lead vocalist of the Backstreet Boys, one of the most successful vocal groups in pop music history. Active in the entertainment industry since childhood, Carter has balanced his work with the Backstreet Boys alongside a solo recording career, releasing four solo studio albums and a collaborative project with New Kids on the Block member Jordan Knight.

Beyond music, Carter has appeared in television and film, headlined solo tours, competed in reality competition shows, and authored a memoir about his personal struggles. He resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with his wife, Lauren Michelle Kitt, and their three children.

Early Life and Background

Nickolas Gene Carter was born on January 28, 1980, in Jamestown, New York, to parents Robert Carter and Jane Eleonora Schneck. The family owned a bar called the Yankee Rebel in Westfield, New York, before relocating to Ruskin, Florida, near Tampa, when Carter was four years old. In Florida, the family managed the Garden Villa Retirement Home. Carter grew up in a large household with several siblings, including Leslie Carter, Aaron Carter, Angel Carter, and Bobbie Jean Carter.

Carter has spoken publicly about enduring a difficult childhood marked by a turbulent, high-conflict home. He was bullied and beaten up during junior high school, which led his family to homeschool him. He later earned his GED. From an early age, Carter showed a strong interest in performing, enrolling in voice lessons with Marianne Prinkey and dance classes in ballet, tap, and hip hop at Karl and DiMarco’s School of Theatre and Dance when he was ten years old. He performed in commercials, talent shows, and the Florida State Fair, and made a brief background appearance as a child in Tim Burton’s 1990 film Edward Scissorhands.

One of Carter’s dance teachers placed him in his first group, Nick and the Angels, and between 1989 and 1993 he recorded covers of popular songs such as “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” and “Uptown Girl,” performing them at various local events. At the age of twelve, he won the 1992 New Original Amateur Hour, a televised talent competition, marking one of his earliest public achievements.

Path to Music

Carter’s entry into professional music began with high-profile auditions during his early adolescence. At twelve years old, he auditioned for Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club and separately for a new vocal group being assembled. After being presented with both opportunities, Carter chose to join the vocal group over the Disney contract. On April 20, 1993, when he was thirteen, Carter officially formed the Backstreet Boys alongside AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, and Kevin Richardson. He is the youngest member of the group.

To balance his education with touring, Carter had a personal tutor travel with him. As the Backstreet Boys grew into a global phenomenon throughout the mid-1990s and 2000s, Carter continued to perform with the group while gradually developing his own solo material during breaks in the group’s schedule.

Nickolas Gene Carter Career

Early Career (1989–2001)

Before joining the Backstreet Boys, Carter performed locally in the Tampa Bay area, appearing in commercials, talent shows, and at Tampa Bay Buccaneers home games for two years. He also appeared in an educational video titled Reach for a Book and performed on a show called The Klub. Once the Backstreet Boys launched their career in the mid-1990s, Carter established himself as one of the group’s lead vocalists, contributing to a string of multi-platinum albums that established the group as a worldwide commercial force.

Carter was featured in People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” list in 2000 and was voted the “Sexiest Man in the World” by readers of Cosmogirl in October 2002. These early recognitions helped establish his identity as a prominent figure in pop culture during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Breakthrough (2002–2014)

Carter’s first major solo project came in 2002 when he released his debut studio album, Now or Never, through Jive Records. The album’s lead single, “Help Me,” reached number one on several radio stations, including New York City’s Z100. Now or Never sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week, reached number seventeen on the Billboard 200, and earned gold certifications in both the United States and Canada. Carter supported the album with a worldwide solo tour.

In 2003, Carter toured smaller venues and began work on a second album, which was paused when the Backstreet Boys returned to the studio. During this period, he also appeared in the 2004 ABC Family Halloween special The Hollow, playing a high school football player opposite Kevin Zegers. Carter released his second solo album, I’m Taking Off, in Japan on February 2, 2011, and later released it in the United States on May 24, 2011, exclusively through iTunes. The album reached number eight in Japan and sold more than 20,000 copies.

In 2014, Carter recorded a duet album with New Kids on the Block member Jordan Knight titled Nick & Knight. Released on September 2, 2014, the album debuted at number twenty-four on the Billboard 200 and number fourteen in Canada. The first single, “One More Time,” was released on July 15, 2014. The duo supported the album with a North American tour that ran from September through November 2014.

Notable Works and Milestones

Carter’s signature solo releases include Now or Never (2002), I’m Taking Off (2011), Nick & Knight with Jordan Knight (2014), and All American (2015). Beyond his solo discography, Carter has been a continuous creative force within the Backstreet Boys, contributing vocals and songwriting to one of the best-selling groups in pop history. His 2013 memoir, Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It, marked a significant personal milestone, in which he openly discussed his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction.

Nickolas Gene Carter Award Nominations

Carter has earned recognition across music, television, and entertainment throughout his career. In 2015, he competed in the twenty-first season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, where he and professional partner Sharna Burgess reached the finals and finished in second place behind Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough. He performed his single “I Will Wait” from his album All American during the live finale.

Nickolas Gene Carter Awards Won

Carter has received honors for both his musical and television work. In June 2024, he and composer Mitch Koulouris received their first Pacific Southwest Emmy Award for “Outstanding Musical Composition & Arrangement” from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Pacific Southwest Chapter. The award was for the song “Happy Xmas (Cancer’s Over),” recorded with patients from the Cure 4 The Kids Foundation and featuring artists such as Kyle Khou, and released on the 2023 Christmas 4 The Kids digital album.

Nickolas Gene Carter Family

Carter was raised in a large family that included his siblings Leslie Carter (1986–2012), Aaron Carter (1987–2022), Angel Carter (born 1987), and Bobbie Jean Carter (1982–2023). His father, Robert Carter, passed away in 2017. Carter has spoken often about the deep bonds and challenges within his family, and he honored his late brother Aaron with the single “Hurts to Love You,” released shortly after Aaron’s death in November 2022. He has also collaborated with his sister Angel Carter to raise funds and awareness for the On Our Sleeves organization, which supports children’s mental health.

Personal Life

Carter met fitness influencer, YouTuber, and actress Lauren Michelle Kitt in 2008 through his sister. After dating for five years, the couple married in Santa Barbara, California, in 2014. Their wedding was featured in an issue of In Touch Weekly and was filmed for his VH1 reality show I Heart Nick Carter. The couple has three children: a son born in 2016 and two daughters born in 2019 and 2021. The Carter family resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.