He grew up in Tampa, Florida where he fondly remembers digging for clams in the creek behind his grandmother’s house and compared the joy of that childhood memory to the feeling he gets performing for his fans.

Carter released his first self-titled album in 1997. His second album, Oh Aaron, featured the first duet with older brother Nick from the Backstreet Boys. Carter has many hit singles on the radio such as “Crush On You”, “Bounce”, and “I Want Candy.”

He is not only talented as a singer-songwriter and rapper; he has also done many TV appearances on shows notable shows like Lizzie McGuire, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and House of Carters. He is truly a down-to-earth, fun-loving, goofy entertainer.

Times Square was able to have an enjoyable interview with him before his upcoming performance January 19^th at the Gramercy Theatre.

Times Square (TS): It’s been said you felt pushed into the industry too young. What do you think you would have done if you hadn’t gone into music?

Aaron Carter (AC): I probably would have done something with the ocean. It was always my dream to be a marine biologist as a kid...even before I knew what the word meant I wanted to be that. I have always been fascinated digging through things, finding out things and discovering resolutions.

TS: Being famous as a young teenager you were surrounded by many challenging situations. How did you manage to deal with it all?

AC: Sometimes I didn’t manage, sometimes I messed up. But you gotta learn from your mistakes. You can’t learn everything from people telling you what to do. You have to try it for yourself. It’s cool having all older siblings that make mistakes and that I can learn from their mistakes, but I wanted to make them myself. I didn’t want to be living vicariously through one of them.

TS: What advice would you give your younger self if you could have a chance to sit down together?

AC: Oh my god...umm, I would probably lock myself in a kingdom, a palace of some sort and say “stay here, don’t go anywhere for at least ten years.” Haha.

TS: Who is/was your role model throughout your music career?

AC: My role model was always Michael Jackson. I love Michael. He taught me a lot of different things, very valuable lessons in life. One of the most valuable lessons he taught me was that life is very short and we should appreciate every minute that we have. Unfortunately Michael isn’t here to do that anymore, so it is my job to do. Anything for him...

TS: Did you ever feel pressured to succeed in music because you were Nick’s (the Backstreet Boys) younger brother?

AC: Umm not really. I always wondered if he felt pressured because I’m his brother, haha. My brother and I are very different, we have different chemistry...He was in a boy band and I am a solo artist. But I do love my big brother!

TS: Your first solo appearance was actually for his band in Berlin in 1997. Tell me about that.

AC: Being 7 years old opening up for my brother in Germany was like a dream. 50 thousand people is a lot of people...I felt the most free that I have ever felt in my life...A moment where everything feels surreal, serene, and beautiful. That’s what I get when I go on stage [even today].

TS: Your music has evolved a lot since you first started out. What are some things that you’ve learnt along the way?

AC: That you have to be real, yourself. If you want ultimate happiness, you have to do what you want to do in your lifetime. Have fun and enjoy it.

TS: What is something surprising about yourself that your fans don’t know (I was surprised to learn you had a twin sister)?

AC: A lot of them don’t know that [His twin sister’s name is Angel and she is a model]...I am also related to Shakespeare and it’s proven through genealogy. My grandfather is a genealogist and traced it back to our family.

TS: Wow that’s awesome! So you’ve also done many TV appearances and were even cast in an off-Broadway show. Tell me about those; what inspired you to diverge from focusing on music?

AC: I love entertaining. Aside from being a singer, a performer I like to be goofy and make people laugh. That’s probably one of my favourite things to do is make people laugh.

TS: Nice! I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on Justin Biebier. Do you have any advice for him on dealing with the crazy ‘tween’ fans?

AC: Wait, wait, wait...I’m older! Haha. I am sure he knows how to deal with that! Haha. I would tell him to just keep his head up, focus on your career, be real to who you are, and do what you feel before you can’t do that anymore. If I could have a five minute sit-down with him, I probably wouldn’t tell anyone what I would say...haha.

TS: What do you think of the music scene in New York City?

AC: I love it! It’s pretty good. The New York music scene is real; there’s no bullshit. People aren’t worrying about what you’re wearing, or if your eyebrows are waxed perfectly...they just want to hear the music, they wanna have a good time, and they wanna feel it.

TS: What can your fans expect from the show at the Gramercy? Will you be performing any new material?

AC: They can expect me playing music...a little of the old and some new. Some of the stuff that I love and [which] is very dear to me. So if they wanna hear songs they grew up with they should probably come.

TS: Well I wish you all the luck for the show! I grew up listening to your stuff and it has been a great pleasure talking with you.