Aaron Charles Carter[1] (December 7, 1987 – November 5, 2022)[2] was an American singer and rapper. He came to fame as a teen pop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among preteen and teenage audiences during the first years of the 21st century,[3] with his four studio albums.
Carter began performing at age seven, after the formation of his brother Nick's group the Backstreet Boys, and released his self-titled debut album in 1997 at age nine, selling a million copies worldwide. His second album Aaron's Party (Come Get It) (2000) sold three million copies in the United States, and Carter began making guest appearances on Nickelodeon and touring with the Backstreet Boys shortly after the record's release.[4] Carter's next album, Oh Aaron, also went platinum, and in 2002 he released what would be his last studio album for over 15 years, Another Earthquake!, followed by his 2003 Most Requested Hits collection.
Carter appeared on Dancing with the Stars, and in the Broadway musical Seussical and the off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks, and made several one-off performances.[5] In 2014, he released a single featuring rapper Pat SoLo, "Ooh Wee".[6] Carter released the single "Fool's Gold" in 2016, and an EP titled Love in 2017. His fifth studio album, also titled Love, was released in 2018. A sixth and final album, Blacklisted, was released two days after his accidental drug-related death.
Early life
Aaron Charles Carter was born on December 7, 1987[1] in Tampa, Florida. His parents, Jane Eleonora Schneck (née Spaulding, previously Carter) and Robert Gene Carter (1952–2017),[7] ran a retirement home. He had an older brother, Nick, a member of the Backstreet Boys, and three sisters: his twin, Angel, a model; Bobbie Jean (BJ) (1982–2023);[8] and Leslie (1986–2012). In addition to his full siblings, he also had an older half-sister, Ginger Lee Carter (1972–2023),[9] and a younger half-brother, Kaden Carter. The family was originally from Jamestown, New York.[10] Carter attended the Frank D. Miles Elementary School and the Ruskin School in Florida.[11]
His parents divorced in 2004.[12] Carter was told about the divorce an hour before he filmed his MTV Cribs episode.[13] According to the California Child Actor's Bill, Carter's parents were supposed to have put 15% of his earnings into a Coogan Account.[14] Per Carter, "I got, like, $2 million when I turned 18 years old. I should have had at least $20 million in my account."[14] After he turned 18 in 2005, Carter learned that he owed $4 million in tax liens.[14] Carter claimed that his earnings had helped his parents to purchase 15 houses and 30 cars; however, he did not get any portion of profits when his parents sold the properties.[15][14] He also claimed that his father shot a .44 Magnum near his ear, which caused him to go 70% deaf in one ear, to coerce him into signing a $256,000 check.[15]
Carter also had a tumultuous relationship with his siblings, and many of their feuds have played out on social media in later years. In September 2019, Carter made allegations of sexual abuse against his sister Leslie, who died of a drug overdose in 2012, saying that the abuse began when he was ten years old and ended when he was 13, and occurred when Leslie would fail to take her prescribed medication for her bipolar disorder. He also accused his brother Nick of life-long abuse, and implied that Nick also abused a female family member.[16] Nick's legal team denied the allegations, which came after Nick and their sister Angel sought restraining orders against Aaron, who reportedly confessed that he had thoughts of killing Nick's then-pregnant wife, Lauren.[17][18]
Career
1997–1999: Music beginnings and self-titled debut album
Carter began his career as the lead singer of Dead End.[19][when?] He left the band after two years because he wanted to perform pop music, while the other members were interested in alternative rock.[19]
Carter made his first solo appearance at age 9, singing The Jets' "Crush on You" when opening for the Backstreet Boys in Berlin in March 1997.[20][21] The performance was followed by a record contract, and in the fall of 1997, he released his first single "Crush on You". Carter's self-titled debut studio album was released on December 1, 1997. The album achieved gold status in Norway, Spain, Denmark, Canada, and Germany, and was released in the United States on June 16, 1998.[22]
2000–2001: Aaron's Party (Come Get It), acting debut, and Oh Aaron
Carter's second studio album, Aaron's Party (Come Get It), was released in the United States on September 26, 2000, under the Jive label. The album sold more than three million copies in the United States and was certified 3× platinum by RIAA.[23][24] The album included the hit singles, "I Want Candy", "Aaron's Party (Come Get It)", "That's How I Beat Shaq", and "Bounce", all of which received airplay on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. He also made several guest appearances on Nickelodeon and performed as the opening act in several concerts for the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears' Oops!... I Did It Again Tour.[25]
In March 2001, he made his acting debut, guest starring on an episode of the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire.[26] That same month, he and fellow teen star Samantha Mumba performed a concert in MGM Studios live on Disney Channel, titled Aaron Carter and Samantha Mumba in Concert.[27] Carter's part of the concert was released to DVD that same month as Aaron's Party: Live in Concert. In April 2001, he made his Broadway debut, playing JoJo the Who in the musical Seussical.[28]
At the age of 13, Carter recorded his third studio album Oh Aaron, which was released on August 7, 2001, and featured his first duet recording with his brother Nick, and a song with the group No Secrets. Play Along Toys created an Aaron Carter doll in conjunction with the album's release.[29] Oh Aaron went platinum that same year and a live concert at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was released to DVD as Oh Aaron: Live in Concert. His songs "Leave It Up to Me", "A.C.'s Alien Nation", and "Go Jimmy Jimmy" were used in the soundtrack for the 2001 film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.[30]
2002–2008: Another Earthquake, Most Requested Hits, Saturday Night and House of Carters
Carter's fourth studio album, Another Earthquake!, was released on September 3, 2002, during the Rock, Rap and Retro Tour.[31] The album featured the patriotic-themed "America A.O." and the ballad "Do You Remember". He guest-starred on three episodes of the Nickelodeon television series All That and also sang "Through My Own Eyes", the theme song to the PBS animated series Liberty's Kids, alongside Kayla Hinkle.[32]
In 2002, Carter's parents filed a lawsuit against his former manager Lou Pearlman, alleging failure to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties on Carter's 1998 album, which was released through Pearlman's label and production company Trans Continental. On March 13, 2003, Pearlman was declared in contempt of court for ignoring a court order to produce documents relating to royalty payments;[33] however, the suit itself was settled out of court.[34]
Carter's Most Requested Hits, a collection including tracks from his last three albums as well as a new single, "One Better", was released on November 3, 2003.[35]
"Saturday Night" was released on March 22, 2005, and promoted by Carter that summer. The song was released by Trans Continental label, with Lou Pearlman as executive producer. The single was also featured in the soundtrack of the film Popstar, in which Carter starred. The direct-to-video film was based heavily on his own life as a performer. A real-life motocross racer, Carter also appeared in the 2005 film Supercross.[36]
On March 21, 2006, Trans Continental filed a lawsuit against Carter with the Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing that Carter reneged on a recording deal. Carter signed the contract on December 7, 2004, when he was 17; his attorney argued that Carter had the right to "cancel or void various agreements" that were signed when he was a minor.[37]
Carter and his siblings starred in a reality show, House of Carters, which ran from October to November 2006 on E!. The series featured all five Carter siblings reuniting to live in the same house.[3]
2009–2013: Dancing with the Stars and return to touring
In 2009, Carter joined season 9 of Dancing with the Stars.[38][39] He was partnered with Karina Smirnoff; they finished in fifth place. During this time he also released some music online, including the single "Dance with Me" featuring Flo Rida.
On January 23, 2011, Carter's manager Johnny Wright announced that Carter entered a treatment facility "to heal some emotional and spiritual issues he was dealing with."[40] After entering the facility, Carter's first message to his fans was, "The main thing in life is not to be afraid of being human."[41] On February 10, 2011, it was announced that Carter had successfully completed a month of rehab at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California.[42]
On November 7, 2011, Carter began starring in the off-Broadway production of the world's longest running musical, The Fantasticks, at the Snapple Theater Center in New York City. Carter was cast in the role of Matt, the play's central character.[43]
In January 2012, Carter was one of eight celebrities participating in the Food Network reality series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off.[44] He was eliminated in the first episode.[22][45]
In 2013, Carter kicked off his first tour in eight years, the After Party Tour.[46] The tour ran from February to December 2013, and included over 150 shows in the United States and Canada.[47]
2014–2022: The Music Never Stopped, Love and Blacklisted
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In June 2014, Carter went on an 11-city Canadian tour during which he performed new songs from his upcoming album. Carter also announced that he would be embarking on a worldwide tour entitled the Wonderful World Tour, named for a song titled "Wonderful World" off of his upcoming album.[48] The tour included 50 dates and ran from September 2014 until January 2015.[49] In July, Carter appeared on Good Day L.A., where he performed "Ooh Wee",[50] a single featuring Pat SoLo.[51][non-primary source needed] In February 2015, Carter released an EP through SoundCloud titled The Music Never Stopped.[52]
On January 31, 2016, Carter released his music video for "Curious"[53] under the name Kid Carter, co-directed by MDM Media's Michael D. Monroe, Ben Epstein, and himself.[54]
In April 2016, Carter released the single "Fool's Gold".[55] Another single, "Sooner or Later", was released in January 2017.[56] Both songs appeared on the EP Love, released in February 2017,[57] written by Carter, Jon Asher, Melanie Fontana, Taylor "Lakestreet Louie" Helgeson, and Michel Schulz,[58] produced and independently released by Carter on his new venture Rakkaus Records.[59] An album of the same title was released as his fifth studio album on February 16, 2018.[60]
Two days after Carter's death, his final album, Blacklisted, was released on all music platforms.[61]
Lindsay Megan Pagano (born June 22, 1986) is an American singer who until 2003 was signed to Warner Brothers Records. She toured with Dream Street and Aaron Carter for several months. She also performed for the governor of California along with The Eagles and the Backstreet Boys.
She is mostly known for her 2001 song "Everything U R", which was originally on an AOL commercial before being the theme song for the WB show Maybe It's Me. She was signed to represent Reebok. Pagano stated in a 2004 interview with Vainquer Teens Magazine that she was in the process of recording a new album, but did not release any new material until 2008.
She appeared as a cartoon version of herself in the What's New, Scooby-Doo? episode "Riva Ras Regas", originally aired on Kids' WB on November 2, 2002. She performed three songs. In 2002, she became known as the AOL Girl due to her song being picked for their national commercials.[1]
Pagano signed up as the first artist on The Matrix's label Let's Hear It Records, but the label closed before Pagano released any of her material.
Pagano is of Italian and Jewish descent. She resides in Philadelphia.
In 2009, Pagano began to release new songs via YouTube. In 2014, she announced on Twitter that she auditioned for the sixth season of The Voice. She performed on the show under Team Shakira for 3 episodes. As of 2021 Lindsay Pagano is became a member of the Big House Band, performing along the East coast of the United States.
The Voice
On the third episode of the Blind Auditions broadcast on March 3, 2014, she performed Labelle's song "Lady Marmalade." Only Shakira turned her chair, thus she defaulted to Team Shakira.[2]
Dream Street is an American pop boy band[1] that was formed in 1999 by Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. The band disbanded in 2002 following a legal dispute between parents of the band members and the band's managers. In 2023, the band was revived with members, Greg Raposo, Frankie J. Galasso, and Matt Ballinger returning.
History
Formation and debut album
The group was initially put together by music producers Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. Originally named 'Boy Wonder' (a name borrowed from the nickname of comic book character Robin from the Batman comics and films), the band featured several boys aged 12–14 from the New York Broadway/Acting scene.[2] Baldonieri and Lukow hoped to make an impact on the pop music industry by introducing a group of teenagers to the scene, all of whom had prior stage-singing experience. Among these original members were former The Broadway Kids members Greg Raposo and Chris Trousdale, who would continue on into the remade group from 1999 until 2002. The lineup was changed not long after they debuted the show in front of several talent agents and record label reps. Their debut included a tap dance number and a jazzy theme song, both of which were sacked quickly after. It also included a cover of the popular song from the musical Rent "Seasons of Love".
Matt Ballinger, Frankie J. Galasso, and Jesse McCartney soon join the band with Raposo and Trousdale as they would become the new faces of the group and were given the name "Dream Street", which was the name of Lukow and Baldonieri's recording studio in New York City.[3] With the new group members added, and with most of the jazzy Broadway songs scrapped, the only original song Lukow and Baldonieri kept for the band was titled "Jennifer Goodbye", which was initially written for Lukow's fiance, then was changed into its teen-pop incarnation months later. On July 18, 2000 the soundtrack for Pokémon the Movie 2000 was released featuring their song "They Don't Understand (Pokemon Version)".[b] Their eponymous debut album was released on July 10, 2001. It was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA peaking No. 1 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart and at No. 37 on the Billboard 200. The songs, "It Happens Every Time" and "I Say Yeah" were frequently played on Radio Disney. The boys soon made appearances to perform on various talk shows and television events. In late 2000, Dream Street made an appearance on a show that fellow member McCartney had a recurring role on, ABC's All My Children.[5][6] The final Dream Street release was the soundtrack album to the 2002 film The Biggest Fan, which starred Trousdale.
Dissolution of band and 2020 tribute
In mid-2002, parents of the band members filed a lawsuit against Baldonieri and Lukow, alleging that the underage band members were "exposed to booze, women, and pornography."[7] While McCartney had left the group prior to the court hearing, Ballinger, Raposo, and Galasso wanted to continue on as a trio and sing Dream Street songs; however, the court did not allow this arrangement because Trousdale was, contractually, still in the group.[8] In August 2002, the court ruled in favor of the five band members' parents, releasing the band members from their contracts.[9] There was a later attempt to create a new Dream Street consisting of Trousdale and four new boys, but this proposal never came to fruition.[10]
After the disbandment of Dream Street, Edel Entertainment severed ties with Sony Music Entertainment and Atlantic Records, leaving the master recordings of audio and video with no distributor in the US. After years of inactivity, Lukow became the president of All for One Media in 2017.[11] Lukow currently retains complete ownership of Dream Street's master recordings through All For One Media. In the second quarter of 2019, All for One Media announced that they were in the process of working on a documentary titled The Rise and Fall of Dream Street, which would include never-before-seen footage of the band and updated interviews of past band members.[12][11]
On June 11, 2020, Ballinger, Galasso, McCartney, and Raposo reunited for a virtual performance of "It Happens Every Time" to pay tribute to Trousdale following his death.[13]
2023 revival
In April 2023, members Greg Raposo, Matt Ballinger, & Frankie J. Galasso were interviewed on the podcast, Frosted Tips with Lance Bass hosted by Lance Bass.[14][15][16][17]
On May 12, 2023, Greg Raposo uploaded a short clip to Instagram of him, Matt Ballinger, & Frankie J. Galasso working on what appears to be new Dream Street music and material.[18]
On June 11, 2023, members Greg Raposo, Frankie J. Galasso, & Matt Ballinger released the single entitled, "Smile" on what would have been former band member, Chris Trousdale's 38th birthday in honor of him following his death in 2020.[c][19][20]
The official music video for "Smile" was uploaded to Greg Raposo's YouTube channel the following day.[21]
On December 13, 2023, Dream Street launched an official Instagram page.[22]
In February 2024, It was announced that Matt Ballinger and Greg Raposo would be attending Pop2000 In Paradise at the Villa del Palmar Flamingos Beach Resort & Spa Riviera Nayarit in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico in the Fall of 2024.[23][24]
Post-break-up careers
- Matt Ballinger did not go solo, he went on to be the lead singer for a band called The Juice, which broke up in 2008. He is currently the lead singer in a band named Open Till Midnight. He has also acted in television and films, including small roles in episodes of Law & Order, Bored to Death, and 30 Rock, and acted on stage in productions of The Sound of Music and The King & I.[25] Ballinger married Danielle Manning, who had interviewed Dream Street when she was 14, on August 24, 2013.[26] He rejoined the group for its revival in 2023.
- Frankie J. Galasso is also a solo singer. In 2009, Galasso auditioned to be on Glee, but did not make it.[citation needed] So far, Galasso has released one album to Amazon on iTunes, containing three songs. Following the breakup of the band, Galasso was in a 2003 movie called "A Tale of Two Pizzas". Galasso has also performed with the First National Tour of Jersey Boys.[27][28][29][30][31] He rejoined the group for its revival in 2023.
- Jesse McCartney has enjoyed a successful solo career releasing four albums and spawning numerous top 40 singles. He topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time through his co-writing of Leona Lewis' 2007 song "Bleeding Love". He's appeared on many television shows, including Disney's Hannah Montana and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, as well as a 2008 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. McCartney had a starring role on The WB's show Summerland, alongside future stars like Zac Efron, and was set to star in Locke and Key; however, the pilot was not picked up for an entire season. In 2008, McCartney was cast as the lead role in the independent film Keith. McCartney had a recurring role in Season 4 of the ABC Family series, Greek, and appeared as a lead in the 2012 movie Chernobyl Diaries, which was a moderate box office success. In June 2011, McCartney released a fragrance for women, "Wanted". McCartney has also forayed into voice acting, performing as Dick Grayson/Robin on the show Young Justice, Terence in the Tinker Bell films, Theodore in the Alvin and the Chipmunks films, and voicing Roxas and Ventus in the popular (English versions) of Kingdom Hearts series of video games. He starred on the hit series Young & Hungry as Cooper. In 2020, he was named the runner-up on the third season of The Masked Singer as the "Turtle".[32]
- Greg Raposo has been continuing his music career, performing in bands called "Raposo" and "Dead Celebrities".[citation needed] He is also a real estate investor and developer.[citation needed] Raposo is currently playing solo, mostly on the east coast but has toured as far as Japan and Costa Rica.[citation needed] Following the Dream Street breakup, Raposo released a self-titled album in 2003 that charted on the Billboard Independent Albums Chart at No. 40 during its opening week. His second solo album, LossLoveLife was fully funded by his fans through Kickstarter and released in May 2012.[citation needed] Fans also funded Raposo's first official music video for the first single off his new album, That Day, which he wrote for a fan with cancer.[citation needed] Raposo has produced for many young artists and signed a licensing deal for his original material. He rejoined the group for its revival in 2023.
- Chris Trousdale since the breakup had started on his solo career, even being in a second movie with Kaila Amariah called "Seducing Spirits". He took a short break from the limelight to be with his family. Towards the end of 2010, Trousdale popped up again to the public eye, when he appeared on Disney's Shake It Up as a parody of Justin Bieber on an episode called "Age It Up". Trousdale also appeared on the show Days of Our Lives, and auditioned for The Voice in 2012, but did not make it past the blind auditions. He died on June 2, 2020, due to "undisclosed illness". Although it was first mentioned via Trousdale's sister-in-law, Tracy Pask,[33] Trousdale died from complications of COVID-19, family and managers later stated it was an undisclosed illness.[34][35][36]