We first met Nick Carter, the sweet, blonde, blue-eyed member of the Backstreet Boys, about seven years ago. He knocked the socks off of girls and boys alike worldwide while receiving innumerable praise and awards from the music industry. Now that he is a bit older, we find him digging a little deeper to show us a side we’ve never seen before. Nick Carter is getting up to his own things these days. It’s his chance to break out and share a more personal side of himself while still doing the thing he loves - music. Making music that comes from his heart is something this 22 year-old has been yearning to do for quite a while. On his debut album, Now or Never, Nick brings a cathartic pen to paper to release what he says he’s “been holding inside for a long time.” We begin to watch the layers unfurl on each track as we hear a young man’s tales of life and love and growing up. His deepest thoughts and confusions, as well as his passions come across in the album’s songs. “It’s a release of energy – all sorts of energy that I’ve held inside for God knows how long;” Nick says, “now I get the freedom to do everything that I, myself want to do.” After fifteen years of performing, it is certainly his time to shine, but Nick is very modest about his success. “It’s not about shining,” he says, “it’s more so 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.” He describes this move to do his own thing as a kid going off to college. He is breaking away from the family within the Backstreet Boys to spread his wings. This endeavor did not begin with a plan to make a solo record. It just so happens that Nick was messing around in the studio with the production team, KNS (Josh Schwartz and Brian Keirulf) and they came up with the song “Do I Have To Cry For You.” When the folks at Jive took a listen they were blown away, and so began the idea to make Now or Never. His work (and play) with KNS allowed him to experiment with writing for the first time. He co-wrote “Do I Have To Cry For You” as well as “Girls In The USA” and “I Stand For You” with them, and “My Confession” and “Is It Saturday Yet” with producers Gary Clark and Martin Brammer. Although he admits that he hasn’t reached his potential as a writer, he is very excited about the prospect of exploring his artistic side During the making of this record, Nick took to Sweden to work with good friend and songwriter extraordinaire, Max Martin (best known for his work with Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys and Celine Dion). Before the recording process began, the two got into deep discussions about life and what Nick was going through at the time. The songs Max came up with and produced with partner, Rami, were closely related to Nick’s emotions so they were a perfect fit for the record. Now or Never has also been graced by the production skills of The Matrix, Steve Mac, Matthew Gerrard and Teddy Riley. “It’s a very personal album,” Nick says of the songs chosen for it, “every one has a connection of some sort.” While Now or Never delves into some deep topics, it doesn’t take itself way too seriously. It has the ability to transport you to the open road for a long drive while you sing every song at the top of your lungs. It reflects the freedom and passion that it is meant to reveal. “Help Me,” the first single from the album, was written by Matthew Gerrard and Michele Vice-Maslin and produced by Matthew Gerrard. It’s a fun ditty that we can all relate to. In it Nick sings about his confusion and appreciation of life and relationships while he begs the questions we all ask ourselves everyday. The tender ballad “Do I Have To Cry For You” works its way into a passionate and raw plea for some middle ground in a less than normal relationship. “Confession” is a very sweet and pleasant sonic journey that expresses honest affection towards a new love. Its bouncy guitars and textured beats are candy to the ears. Nick truly loves American Rock, and its influence shows up on the guitar-driven anthem “I Stand For You.” You can tell he was reared on a healthy serving of Bruce Springsteen, Journey and Bon Jovi. His rebellious lyrics like, “I’m gonna have an attitude,” are spoken with that sense of youthful invincibility and fervor. We see his compassionate side on the ballad “Heart Without a Home (I’ll Be There)” while the song “I Got You” calls out the words “they can’t touch me…now that I’ve got you” over a lush landscape of chimes, beats and subtle guitar wisps. It’s not all work for Nick Carter though. When he is not recording or touring he likes to rest – a lot. The ocean is another obsession of his. He enjoys taking his boat out and swimming or scuba diving as often as possible. He also makes it his priority to do his part to preserve the ocean, so much so that he began Nick Carter’s Ocean Campaign. He feels very strongly about the environment and intends to get more involved to protect it. As a result of his upbringing, he learned and experienced a lot more than the typical American teenager. This, he says, has made him “much more caring when it comes to the world and the place we live in.” He is more open now and would like to learn and share his experiences with as many people as possible.