Gala Magazine

 This article has been translated so it may not be accurate.

He's still cute although he doesn't like to hear that for sure. Nick Carter, 22, the "baby" of the Backstreet Boys is going his own way now. At the age of 22 the singer wants to get away from the softy image. Physically with tattoos and wild outfits, musically with an album that sounds like something between Bruce Springsteen and Blink 182. His album has the promising title "Now or Never" and is going to be released on October 28th. At a photo shoot in Cologne, the heartthrob spoke to us.

Gala: The Backstreet Boys Baby is going rock, did we always misjudge you as a crooner?
Nick: I always had a wild side in me but I couldn't let that out in the group. You could almost say that I have a split personality. I'm a quiet guy, but when I go on stage, I change. That was sometimes a problem with the Backstreet Boys. The guys had to stop me on stage to get me under control. But I don't like to be under control, I wanna be wild.

Gala: The new album shows your real personality then?
Nick: If it would've been my decision, the album would've been even more rock. But since I come from a pop band, it didn't work. The change would've been too drastic, people wouldn't have accepted that.

Gala: But still people are going to put you in the Boyband genre ...
Nick: I'm sure that's what's going to happen at the beginning, but later on that'll change. Even Michael Jackson was the Jackson- Five- Baby in the beginning and Robbie Williams an Ex- Take That member.

Gala: Is Robbie Williams something like a role model for you?
Nick: I respect him very much. He didn't chose the easiest way to reach his goal. And yeah, I'm comparing myself to him. Honestly, it would've been easier for me to record songs that sound like the Backstreet Boys to be sure about the success. But that's something that I didn't want. Me and Robbie do what we feel is right, no matter what other people might be thinking. I think that this boldness is going to pay off.

Gala: Many Boygroup stars have drug problems, among them are Robbie Willams and your bandmate AJ McLean. Why didn't it catch you?
Nick: That was the good thing to be the youngest, you could learn from other's mistakes. I knew that I don't want to end like this. But I'm 22 and I still want to have fun, I want to be young and crazy. This is going to be a hard test for me.

Gala: Can you tell us about your bad characteristics?
Nick; I like to pick around in my face. That is driving the Make Up people crazy. I also like to pick on others. I can be a real pain in the neck.

Gala: Doesn't sound too exciting. Other Rockstars would mention their weakness for groupies and parties ...
Nick: I don't have time for girls. I like to party, though. I like to go clubbing, especially when live bands are playing. Sometimes I'm jumping on the stage and sing old Grunge songs, but also oldies like Elvis, the Beatles or Elton John.

Gala: What would you sing to seduce a woman?
Nick: Probably a Frank Sinatra Song.

Gala: Good Choice. Are you a ladies' man?
Nick: Yeah, maybe. You'll have to decide for yourself (winks).

Gala: The glance is already perfect. Tell me about your tattoos, what do they mean?
Nick: I have too many! On my legs, on my back, on my shoulder blades ... I have two black feet on my chest because I have blackfoot indian blood in me. And the shark on my arm stands for danger and the ocean. I love the danger, I surf, I scuba dive and I go fishing. I live on a small island on the Florida Keys and I'm on the water a lot.

Gala: It's been quiet in Backstreet Land, do you still see the other guys?
Nick: Sure, but we're more colleagues than friends. Some of the guys have their own lives now. AJ is going to get married and Brian is about to have a baby.

Gala: Are you ever going to record together again?
Nick: We thought about it. But I want to do my own thing first, it's just begun. I want to go on tour in January, only small venues with 2000 or 3000 people. I want to start from the beginning and also build up a new fan base without losing the old. And I want to be closer to the audience, which sometimes was hard in the huge arenas the Backstreet Boys were playing in.

Gala: If you think back to the time with the Backstreet Boys, is there something that embarasses you today?
Nick: Oh yeah, whenever I look at pictures and see my old hair styles. But I think everybody knows something like this. Look at old pictures of Madonna. I'm sure she often thinks, "Oh my god, how could I?" now.

Translated by Sandra.