Interview with Katrillion.com - Nick Carter is Ready to Rock

Several high profile discs hit stores the same day Nick's album is released. So what separates Nick's music from the rest?

"I'm a song person and there's not one song that sounds the same," Nick tells Katrillion. "I think songs are the most beautiful gifts in the planet. People will not get tired of my album. It's worth the money."

The blond Backstreet Boy has the potential to be one of the most successful artists to break out of a boy band, like Justin Timberlake, whose debut solo effort "Justified" is in stores Nov. 5.

Of 9,000 Katrillion readers polled in our voting booth "VOTE: Do You Crank or Tank the New Christina, Nick, Justin?" the majority agreed that Nick's solo effort will be more successful than Justin's. An overwhelming 47% are most excited about Nick's solo debut, gaining significant edge over Justin's (33%) and Christina's (20%) new discs.

"I don't know if I'm going to be successful," Nick says. "It's not the most important thing. The most important thing is to perform and to make people happy. I don't care if I sell 10 albums or 10 million albums."

For fans like Katrillion reader lucky_sk8ergurl_420, who posted "I love Nick Carter and everything he does," and Katrillion reader angel+princess, who posted "Nick's album is going to be really, really good," Nick's new music is sure to please.

"There's a lot of stuff stylistically that I've been holding in for a long time," Nick says. "Of course, I can't stray too far away from what I have done."

"I added a new element, which I've loved since I was a little baby, grew up to, which was rock music," Nick continues. "I add a little bit of rock with it and it's going to be really interesting to see how the public accepts it."

Some are wondering, what about the fate of the Backstreet Boys? Just because Nick's new disc is due before Backstreet's back, there is no cause for concern, Nick assures us.

"I have been recording for a while now, that's why it's more further along and the Boys album is not further along," he says. "I'm recording with them, too, so I've been doing both."

In fact, Nick says the solo album happened almost by accident.

"I actually had a solo deal at 18, but people at the record label didn't know if I was capable of it," Nick explains. "I started writing songs after the Black and Blue tour. I wrote lots of songs to experiment. The label was worried, whether I had the capabilities. I wanted to mess around, write good songs that I wanted to record. They let me record the songs, work with other writers. It came together and sparked."

"It's not about shining," he continues. "It's something that is helping me out as a person, and it's kind of like therapy to me. I'm able to free myself and express myself."

For acts such as Backstreet and *NSYNC, the future may appear uncertain when its most popular singers break out on their own.

But Mathew Blades, who hosts the syndicated radio show Music's New Generation, isn't counting Backstreet out just because Nick has gone solo "I hope [it's] a bright one," Blades says of Backstreet's future. "The fact remains that they sell millions of CDs every time they put one out. However, bands like the Backstreet Boys, O-Town, *NSYNC are in a strange place. Music is trending towards rock again and unless they conform to that and grow with their fans, they will have enough for one last album. I like all the pop groups in their category, and hope they keep making good music."

The impact of trends isn't lost on this Backstreet Boy.

"This album reflects where we are. Music changes. There was a pop era, now we're in a rock/pop era and R&B."

Blades has good faith that Nick will make his solo career work.

"He is a solid singer and he does have a very loyal fan base," Blades says. "As long as he loses any attitude that he might still have, is grateful at every chance he gets, shows people that he can do this, he will succeed."

Regardless, Nick is pleased.

"I have been blessed," he says. "It's not about selling records, it's about making people happy. People who have problems can use music to escape them. It has value and truth. Music benefits people because it makes them happy."

Thanks to Angela.