Interviews

Nick Interview from MTV Japan

This article has been translated. You can find the original article here: http://www.mtvjapan.com
With a his highly anticipated solo debut album out, the popular backstreet boy nick carter has just arrived to Japan for some promotions. There were events held, and he got to hold a press conference on a airplane, making the Nick fans of Japan very happy. Admist that busy schedule, Nick agreed to do an interview with us at MTV Japan. On this page, we'll feature more of the interview that we couldn't fit on tv totally uncut. We also put up pictures from the interview and a report from the lucky contest winner, enjoy!
MTV: Hello, Nice to meet you.
Nick: Hello!
MTV: Congratulations on your solo debut. What made you decide to do a solo record?
Nick: It's something I've wanted to do since I was little. I love working with the Backstreet boys(from now on in the interview, BSB) I just wanted to try somethin new. I've always loved rock, so if I had an oppurtunity to ever do a solo record, I definately wanted to do rock. I worked in the studio mixing some tracks and thankfully I got a great response from the fans about the tracks. I made sure it wasn't too crazy. Basically, it was something I wanted to do ever since i was little.(lol he said it twice) I grew up listening to rock, my parents listened to rock, and BSB took a little break so I finally got a chance to fulfill my dream.
MTV: Any musical influences?
Nick: Bryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen, Journey and David Bowie, I love all music. I even have R&B and Rap influences. I love it all.
MTV: So your music's got a wide variety.
Nick: Yup, a very wide variety. But that was my intent. I didn't want the whole album to just have the same sound, I made sure each track was somethin different. I thought that might be a little more fun. I wanted to make sure I had something for everyone. I wanted to make an album that fans can listen to over and over for a long time.
MTV: Your brother told us that your album was gonna be wild like Bon Jovi, but with a touch of BSB.
Nick: Yup.
MTV: It's a great album, it's nice to hear albums that you don't get bored with quickly. What do you think of yourself being a solo artist?
Nick: Right now, everything in the world of being a solo artist is brand new to me. Everything I want to do and everything I want to be is up to me. I want to have fun... however me wanting to have fun did get me into some trouble in the past...(laugh). I had to be a little more calmer in BSB, but now I can be a little more open. I can be crazy and be a little more free during my performances.
MTV: Like kicking the micstand? (laugh)
Nick: Yup, anything. (laugh) I can be me. If I can do that, everything's great. I just want to be me, not someone fake. I hate that.
MTV: So what's the meaning behind the album's title, "Now or Never"?
Nick: "Now or Never" is what I felt when I first went into the studio... There was a point where I didn't know if I was going to go through with the album or not. I was just experimenting with alot of different sounds and there were alot of things going on in my life that I wanted to write about. But because I went into the studio, I got to be more creative and I was able to make something new. And with that, I loved a new aspect of music. And so I thought that would be the time if ever to start working on my album.
MTV: So what was it like in the studio? Was it totally free styling?
Nick: I would just experiment with some lyrics in the studio and have a writer look over them with me, other times I just sang what was on my mind.
MTV: What kinds of situations gave birth to your songs. (lol ok that sorta sounded weird, sorry)
Nick: Alot of different things. Such as my past relationships, watching other people being in love, I wanted to show respect to the ladies(lmao)... just alot of different things. There were so many different things that I had to relisten to everything myself to make any sense out of it. First I just wrote whatever came into my head. I figured it's better to write from the heart than to make something up. I think the fans would get a deeper meaning out of the songs that way too. I think everyone wanted to hear the truth and not lies, definately.
MTV: So the songs on the album are about you or your expriences?
Nick: Yup, my expriences, or things I've seen growing up.
MTV: What song is your favorite? What song describes you the most?
Nick: My favorite song is definately "Do I Have to Cry For You". One of the reasons would be that was the first song that we listened to and first thought that I could actually do this solo thing. When I first got into the studio, no one really knew what I should do with the album. DIHTCFY was one of the first songs I wrote. Everyone liked that song and the record label also liked it and said they would let me do an album. After that I was able to write even more songs. I even remember how I felt when I first recorded that song. People told me that "It really sounds like your hurting when you sing that song, it seems like you're singing something that was in your heart" and that's how I felt. When I sing, I can release what I'm feeling inside. That's the only way I can say how I'm really feeling, through singing. That song is very emotional to me. That's why I love that song.
MTV: Do you ever sing a song for a special someone in your life?
Nick: (laughs) Right now, with all the promoting and stuff going on, I don't really have time to do much. But when I'm at home I do go to my friend's bar and sing. I love singing in a small place like that, to be so close to the crowd. I even sing to people that probably don't even like me. I'm hoping that I can get them to like me somewhat, even if they didn't like me at first ya know? I think that's possible with music. I think there's some people that don't like me, but like my music ya know? Even on my promotional tour now, there were some people that didn't like me or my music until they heard it and then they decided that my music wasn't bad at all.
MTV: So what's the difference between being solo and in BSB?
Nick: I think the biggest difference is obviously the music. When I'm solo, I sing more rock, while in BSB we sing more of a R&B flavored pop and we dance. When I'm solo, I play instruments, I'm on stage alone and I don't dance much. It's like a rock band. Those would probably be the major differences, but I'm having fun.
MTV: Do you feel more free?
Nick: I love what I do with the BSB. I still want to be with them and I'm not giving it up. Doing solo work is something completely new to me and I hope it connects with things I do in the future. If everyone likes the album, I would love to do more albums.
MTV: Maybe you can do even harder rock.
Nick: Could be, you never know.
MTV: We know you support your brother Aaron as well, but what do you think of his works as an artist?
Nick: He's still really young and he's got alot to learn.(he didn't mean this in a negative way) But I'm sure he's gonna make it really big. he's got a very open lifestyle and he's sorta like me. I still have alot to learn myself. He's still a kid so he has plenty of time to learn alot of things about music and he'll have alot more experiences. I think he's gonna be a totally great artist.
MTV: What do you think about his records?
Nick: He sings pop so it's a little different than me but I like it. He doesn't really write his own songs yet but BSB didn't either at first. He'll probably grow as an artist soon.
MTV: It seems that you're gonna have a fan conference on a plane, how do you feel about being able to meet some of your fans?
Nick: It's one of the best things about being solo. I can be closer to fans and if I get a chance to sign stuff for fans, I have more time to do it. When I'm with the group, I have the other members around as well so I don't always have time to stop and sign things because of our schedules. If four of us want to go home and only one of us want to stay, everything doesn't work out exactly. But when I'm by myself, I have a little more time and I can say I'd like to take a little more time with the fans. To me, fans and my music are everything. I'm really happy.
MTV: Everyone's gonna be happy about that.
Nick: Me too. (laugh). If I'm happy, and if everyone else can be happy, then we can all be happy (laugh).
MTV: Your fans have cultures from all over the world, what do you think about that?
Nick: It's great. It's a wonderful thing. It's a great thing that music can bring so many people together and they can all share the love of that music. I didn't realize it when i was really young but musicians touch alot of people. A good song isn't just when someone says it's good, but a really good song is something that can give anyone some positive energy, and I think that's our job. I believe that energy makes the world go round, but right now there's so much negative energy in the world. Not everywhere, but there's alot of places. My job as an artist is to spread more positive energy throughout the world. I would love to spread the positive energy and hope that it helps the world even a little bit. I believe all music has the power to do that.
MTV: I believe that you can definately do that.
Nick: The chance came up, so I can't just let it go to waste.
MTV: So what are your plans coming up?
Nick: Right now, I'm just seeing how this goes, being solo. After this, I'm going back to America to do more promotions and I'm gonna be shooting a video.(this was from when he was first in japan, so it's not a new video i don't think) Right now, I'm trying to decide on the next single. It's really hard. The record label likes all the songs on the album so we're having a hard time trying to decide on what should be the next single. That's not exactly a bad thing though. After I shoot the video, I'm thinking about doing a tour. Then I can hopefully come back to Japan. I also want to attend the MTV Japan Awards. If there's a place someone wants me to come, I'll gladly go.
MTV: How bout a message for the fans in Japan?
Nick: To all the fans in Japan, thank you for all your love and support and "arigatou"(thank you in japanese). I really appreciate all the support you give to me as a member of the BSB and as a solo artist. I love you. Aishitemasu!(I love you in japanese...lmao he says this alot...aww) I hope you guys like the music I made for all of you guys. I can't wait to come back to Japan, Thanks for everything. Arigatou.
Thanks to whomever took the time to translate this.