At the age of 25, Aaron Carter is a showbiz veteran. He has been a pop star, an actor, a Broadway star and reality star. Like many teen heartthrobs, he fell from grace, but got back in the saddle and conquered his demons. Now on a sold-out tour, Carter dishes on being back on tour, his Broadway experience and why the media needs to leave Justin Bieber alone.
Windy City Times: "The After Party" Tour is your first tour since 2005. How has it been going?
Aaron Carter: The tour has been great. I love the consistency of it and performing every night.
WCT: What's it like touring after an eight-year break?
Aaron Carter: It's great. It's what I've been trying to get back to for a while so the fact that it all came to life again is cool.
WCT: How does the adult Aaron Carter sing songs that he sang as a kid?
Aaron Carter: I don't really try to make any modifications and I just be the performer that everybody knows me as.
WCT: You did Dancing with the Stars in 2009 and you came in fifth. Are you bringing out any of those moves in concert?
Aaron Carter: It's kind of crazy how Dancing with the Stars prepared me in a dance aspect for touring. It got me in shape and taught me a lot of different things that I can bring to the stage in my own performance. Technically, I am a lot better than I was before.
WCT: How do you stay mentally and physically healthy on your tour with all the temptations around?
Aaron Carter: I just try to rest up, but I have a good time on tour and we try to be as responsible as possible.
WCT: You have a meet-and-greet with fans after every show?
Aaron Carter: Pretty much after each show. I do it for as long as it takes and I make sure that I try to see everybody.
WCT: How did you get involved in the NOH8 campaign in 2010?
Aaron Carter: I had a friend who was a photographer and my publicist told me that I should do that. It was a great experience.
WCT: What was the feedback from the gay or straight community?
Aaron Carter: Everybody was very pleased and happy that I did it.
WCT: Do you see male fans coming out to your shows?
Aaron Carter: Yes I do. If you look at the pictures on my Facebook you can see pictures of that.
WCT: You have done [theater] twice: in 2001 with Seussical the Musical and off-Broadway in 2011 with The Fantasticks. How were those two experiences different?
Aaron Carter: I was an adult in the second one and doing it as a child was more difficult. It was kind of lonely being in New York City. As an adult it's kind of cool and it helped shape me a little bit as a person. It's very, very hard to do that type of stuff, but I love performing and if I have a chance to perform and it's the right business then I'll do it.
WCT: You took a break from The Fantasticks to tour. Any plans to go back?
Aaron Carter: I'm not really sure. I plan on focusing on my music for awhile so I think I'm going to take a little break. It's a whole different kind of monster and I'm glad that I have been able to dabble in a lot of different kinds of fields.
WCT: Longtime fans know that you play drums and keyboards. Are you still playing those on tour?
Aaron Carter: I play the piano all the time and I have not really had a chance to play the drums lately. On tour I don't play any instruments. I have a DJ and it's all dancing. It's a very entertaining high energy-filled show.
WCT: When are we going to get new music from you?
Aaron Carter: I just hired an executive producer for my album by the name of Aaron Pearce (Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, Beyonce). I'm going to leave it up to him and we're going to bring in different writers. I'm an independent artist and I am funding my whole project and my music videos. It's all coming from my company and it's called, Carter Music Group.
WCT: What type of music will it be and when will it be released?
Aaron Carter: It's pop music. But it's not just songs about love and girls, it's theme songs. The CD will be out in eight months but the single will be out sooner than that. The single I plan on releasing now, but I'm just trying to find the right date.
WCT: Any advice for Justin Bieber, who has become a media target of late?
Aaron Carter: All I can do is have respect for him and pray that he learns from the mistakes that he makes. And people have to be a little chill when it comes to judging somebody when you don't live their kind of lifestyle. I had a lot of weird times and weird experiences growing up and he has to try and figure out who he is and experiment with different things. People like Rihanna and Chris Brown who do the crazy shit—people embrace that. Just because Justin Bieber is a wholesome kid who grew up a little bit, people can't get that out of their minds. How he changes depends on himself and the people who judge him.
See Aaron Carter at the Egyptian Theatre in Dekalb, Ill., on May 3 and at Another Hole In The Wall in Steger, Ill., on May 4. Visit egyptiantheatre.org and anotherholeinthewall.com . For more on Aaron Carter, go to aaroncarternow.com .
