It’s been a busy year in the life of Nick Carter. In November of last year, he released his newest solo album All American. In April, he and wife Lauren welcomed his first child, Odin into the world. He’s been in the studio working on a new Backstreet Boys album, preparing for a just announced Las Vegas residency, and is about to kick off a Canadian solo tour. Carter performs at Cowboys in Calgary November 18th, Edmonton’s The Ranch Roadhouse November 19th and the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre in Medicine Hat November 20th. With all of this going on, how is Nick Carter balancing everything?

"Very carefully," Carter said, laughing. "Honestly it hasn’t been that difficult. We are recording a lot while we are in LA and I live here. We are not in a severe rush to finish the album, so we are making sure that it’s right. We have a song that we are going to record in five days and we will do a three-day session and then come back. We are preparing for the Vegas residency that starts March 1st and runs in June as well. It’s a really great pace. With my baby, I am able to be home and help my wife with him and enjoying the time right now. It’s great, honestly it does flow."

It’s not really anything new for Carter, who is probably the busiest of the Backstreet Boys. Between albums he has in the past released a collaborative album and tour with Jordan Knight, competed on Dancing With The Stars, and had his own reality shows House of Carters and I (Heart) Nick Carter. It seems like the 36-year-old is always on the go.

"Number one I get very bored, and number two I just like to do things, it makes me feel alive. I pride myself in being a creative person. Every time I try something new whether it’s a movie or solo project or collaboration, it is new and exciting and another adventure I can embark on. I don’t know what’s going to happen but the process is so what I love so much."

GayCalgary.com talked to Carter over the phone to promote the tour. It’s quickly evident that Carter is thrilled to be a dad. As the last "Backstreet Dad" he’s been able to get advice from his bandmates on how to raise a child in the chaotic entertainment world.

"It has been great. I have seen them for the past years on the road with their kids and how they have raised them and how they are around them. How it works being on the road and being on buses, I am well prepared in knowledge. As far as asking for advice or things that I need, they are my older brothers so I am really able to lean on them in times of need or help. It is comfortable and definitely the right time. My son Odin is a riot and awesome, I love him."

Backstreet Boys fans were ecstatic when a residency at Las Vegas was announced, with dates in March and June. Demand was so high an additional 8 shows in April were added. A band known for their live shows, it seems a perfect match.

"Vegas lately is a hot spot. The best of the best is playing there from J-Lo to Britney, it is the entertainment capital in putting on shows like Cirque and concerts. The thing that is most exciting for us is we can take our catalogue and develop a magnificent show bigger than we’ve done before in the place where shows are hot now. It is sexy there, people are going there to have fun and watch shows and party. It is a party town and the perfect place for us. We are still young and we still deliver a badass show, now we can take it to Vegas and to that next level."

The popularity of the residency shows that although they have never left, Backstreet is definitely back. Over the course of their 20+year career they have at times been ridiculed. Recently the band has performed their hits on TV with artists like Meghan Traynor and Florida Georgia Line. The Late Late Show host James Corden recently had the band on and performed with them. Corden’s massive smile during the number was a clear indicator of how thrilled he was to sing with them. Having respect of their peers is something that means a great deal, Carter said.

"It means so much. There was a time that people didn’t know how to react to the Backstreet Boys and where liking boy bands from the 90’s was sort of taboo. Maybe now people are starting to realize that it’s not that serious, it is just entertainment. We are part of them and they are part of us. All of these acts we are performing with, we are fans of them as well. The fact that these people are embracing us feels good and like it is coming back around. We waited awhile for that and stayed our course, now we are excited and I am ready to embrace the world again."

While seeing a band in an arena or stadium is a great experience, unless you are close to the stage the sense of intimacy is lost. Carter expressed his happiness at performing in theatres and clubs where he can get closer to the fans.

"The reason I come to smaller cities or venues is because luckily we can do both. We can perform in the arenas to this day as a group. As an artist, it’s about having intimacy and being able to see their faces and perform that music. It is a nice dynamic and change of pace. There are certain places that as the big bands like Backstreet Boys or New Kids we can’t make it to those smaller places, but we can as individuals. When I come to certain places like on this tour or the tour with Jordan Knight, you could see on the faces of the fans how excited they were. We were able to take our time and I really enjoy it."

Carter is on the road supporting his third solo album All American. Featuring songs that are more sexual and explore themes like a stalker fan and deeper heartbreak, the fantastic album is different from the groups more mainstream music.

"When I go into the studio as a solo artist I kind of just do whatever I want with no boundaries. Sometimes very strange things happen. I am writing all the songs and make a point of that because I would rather it be a personal story that the fans want to hear or learn something. They have followed us for so many years it gives them the opportunity to get inside my head. I take a bit from life and things from the past and make up things. I really enjoy painting the picture and just picking up a guitar. I don’t take it too serious, you could say I am a bit of an underground solo artist which is ironic because of the group. I enjoy having that side project"

One of the standout tracks is the album ending I Will Wait.

"I Will Wait is the song I performed on the finale of Dancing With The Stars. I knew when we wrote it that It was a special song. When I did the show I really wanted to perform the song and it turned out to be beautiful and a great moment. It is a song about loving someone so much and believing that you will be together in the next life and love never dies. I felt as if songs like that were missing from the Backstreet Boys for a while so I wrote it."

Whether solo or with his bandmates, it is always clear that Nick Carter has a blast on stage and consistently delivers. When he arrives in Alberta in November, expect a memorable evening with a mix of his solo work and the BSB songs you love.

"It is a big party. I bring a full band. I embrace being part of the Backstreet Boys and what we do is extraordinary. I perform a lot of Backstreet Boys songs in my shows because fans want to hear that. It can be a different version but the crowd loves it and it’s a big party and celebration of many things. I also perform some covers like Wonderwall. I dance in the show but not as much (as the group concerts). I am the chameleon of the Backstreet Boys, so we celebrate and have a blast. It’s a great show."

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Contributor Jason Clevett |

Person Nick Carter | Backstreet Boys |

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