Any girl of any age will know the name of one of the most popular boy bands in history. All I really have to do is whisper Backstreet Boys and you can hear a million girls screaming the fab fives’ names.The fans can tell you almost everything they can about the boys down to their birthdays and their favorite colors. That is if they got the copy of ‘Bop’ magazine back in the late 1990’s with that information.
What many fans have seemed to overlook is some issues that two of the members have had during the long career of the Backstreet Boys and how such things could happen since they were the two youngest members of the group.
Considering that the group officially debuted in 1996 in Europe and 1997 in America; that would make Alexander James ‘AJ’ McLean eighteen years of age and Nickolas Gene ‘Nick’ Carter sixteen years of age when they hit stardom. When the boys formed the band it was 1993. So knowing this, the stress alone of becoming international superstars was overwhelming for kids of that age.
AJ McLean began fighting alcoholism and cocaine addiction in the earlier part of their career. During the Backstreet Boys’ ‘Black and Blue’ tour, AJ had checked into a rehabilitation clinic to seek help after band member, Kevin Richardson, had called an intervention. It was not until two years later, on Oprah, that the boys were reunited.
Nick Carter has been in the news a lot more recently than he ever was in their earlier part of their career. Of course with being arrested in 2002, DUI charges, and dating Paris Hilton; anyone would be in the news. It was not until recent that Nick Carter came onto the ‘Ellen DeGeneres’ show to talk about his recent drug addiction and alcoholism problem and his cardiomyopathy that helped him to change his life around.
So why do these young stars have such problems? Is there something lacking that we, the fans, do not know about?
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Take AJ McLean as the first example. It was rumored for awhile that the reason that he started doing drugs and drinking heavily was due to the death of his grandmother, who helped to raise him and the break-up of first love at the same time. The depression would have sunk in greatly to cause a void that McLean needed to fill. At the time, the group was just not enough and the stress of the ever adoring fans was enough pressure to try and keep going.Nick Carter went through watching McLean through his troubles, helping to go through Brian Littrell’s surgery, his parent’s divorce and his father’s immediate new marriage to a woman that was around Carter’s age. So with problems in the band and at home, it would drive anyone to want to drown out their problems.
I will be honest that I have been a dedicated fan to the Backstreet Boys since I was in high school. I appreciated that were many stars never came out in public to tell the fans of such problems, the Backstreet Boys made it a point to never fail their fans or lie to their fans about what was going on.
What makes me sad is that in many ways, others have failed them when they needed it the most. Like Nick Carter case. Where were his parents when all of this was going on with him and why did anyone not step in for him?
A word to the wise for parents that have children that wants to aspire to stardom, keep an eye on them. Do not allow them a chance to ruin their lives like so many child stars has before them. It is not for the fans that you should do this. It is for your own child’s safety. Do not leave them out there alone.
Comments
If you know anything about Nick Carter, you know that his parents are part of the problem. If there ever was the pushy stage mother, Jane Carter is it. Nick was the "cash cow" for his family from the age of 9. He was pulled out of school at 12 to be in the Backstreet Boys, with only a minimum of in hotel room tutoring since. When it was obvious that Nick wasn't making as much money as a 1/5 member of a group that a soloist would make--in comes little brother Aaron Carter. You could say that Nick was basically physically and emotionall abandoned by his parents after Aaron came. When Nick stopped support payments at 18, his mother made sure Nick couldn't see his siblings. THe psychological warfare played on Nick from then on makes any caring person cry. And don't even start on what may or may not have happened between Nick and Lou Pearlman as some former boyband members and even Jane Carter have alleged. The boy has lived hell on earth for too long and it is a testament to his own fortitude and the love he has seen in the other Boys that he has held together as long as he has.
I completely agree. Nick's parents were a HUGE part of the problem, if not the main one. The article should be edited to say, DON'T THROW YOUR KIDS INTO THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS FOR MONEY. and if they want to go into it, DON'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM AND THEIR MONEY.
I think that is something called people without God ..i think this is because poor people without culture and instruction send their child for this dangerous career!I think that fact that Nick Carter's origins and have many sister a big family his parents only think in money and don't give any educations for this kids ,never put in their minds that you can have a career with education too,like Shirley Temple that became a diplomat too after she leaves Hollywood and go to the university!
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