Aaron Carter

Aaron's Party: Come Get It

AAron Carter

Review Score:

(10/10)
Most 12-year-olds collect Pokemon cards, rather than appear on the Pokemon soundtrack. Just as someone must be president, someone must be that 12-year-old. I'm no mathematician, but I know the odds of being that 12-year-old are much like the odds of being a world leader: pretty slim. But having family members in high places can improve one's chances significantly. Nick Carter is a member of Backstreet Boys, a singing group currently enjoying immense popularity. He has a 12-year-old younger brother named Aaron, who also sings and is already quite the success outside the U.S. In fact, if record company promotional materials can be trusted, Aaron has already sold more than a million records oversea.

OK, now imagine, if you will, being an aging singer-songwriter. Years of endless touring have worn down your soul. Your body is tired. You've written dozens of songs in hopes of having a hit. It hasn't happened. Your record label drops you. Then you hear "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)" cranking out of the nearest radio. You wonder to yourself how such a thing occurs. How does a boy only 12 years old manage to do in such a short time what has eluded you your entire adult career?

Yes, it's a great mystery how success works. I've watched that Making Of A Boy Band thing on TV, but it didn't really clear things up. In fact, instead of finding answers, I found only more questions. Oh, the humanity! Aaron isn't a typical 12-year-old. How many 12-year-old kids have their mothers write a book about them called Aaron Carter: The Little Prince Of Pop?

When I finally catch up with Aaron Carter via email, I hope to uncover the secret. But like Confucius, young Aaron is a boy of few words. He dreams one day, like Seinfeld's George Costanza, of becoming a marine biologist. He most enjoyed opening for Britney Spears because "she is nice and down to earth." He calls his American debut album "more mature" than his British debut. "It is about having fun with friends," he explains. Aaron says British fans are "more reserved" than their American counterparts, which I interpret as meaning that us U.S. slobs really know how to party. But that's just me projecting.

To further his music career, the younger Carter (who names '70s/'80s arena-rockers Journey as his favorite group--somewhere, Neal Schon is dialing his agent...) takes voice lessons. He also attends lessons conducted by a tutor, so he doesn't lose any of that critical learning on his way toward marine biology. His brother Nick "is very happy with my success," Aaron claims, but Aaron answers "no and no" regarding whether he's been invited to join the Backstreet Boys, and whether or not he would were he asked.

But before he dives off into the deep for his communion with the dolphins, Aaron hopes to try his hand at acting. Somewhere, a flurry of Hollywood screenwriters are calling their agents, while casting directors dial their cell phones frantically.

Obviously, Aaron Carter is different from most 12-year-olds. For instance, aside from the examples above, it is Aaron who must schedule time to be with his family, whereas most kids his age wait for their parents to plan such familial get-togethers. But then again, how many 12-year-old kids have their mothers write a book about them called Aaron Carter: The Little Prince Of Pop?

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