.So I don’t know about you guys? But I feel old.
Because today, Nickolas Gene Carter turned 36. (FYI I originally typed 26 before I went back to review this. That’s how in denial my brain is about him getting closer and closer to 40.) There’s a lot of reasons to be a Nick fan. Whether it’s because of how great a singer he is. Or how diverse he tends to be with his music. (I mean look at Now Or Never, I’m Taking Off, Nick and Knight, and now All American.) It could be how he’s just as big a fanboy as we are for him. (Talk to him about Walking Dead or The XFiles.) But beneath how silly he can be, or his tweet fests to fans telling them to have a wonderful day…there’s Nick, the human.
I don’t tend to get personal on here. It’s a fan blog, you know? But I feel like you guys will be able to relate to this. And hell, Nick if you’re reading this then that’ll be amazing, honestly. But I remember the day I became a fan of yours, specifically. Oh I’ve been a fan of the group since 1996. (Holy shit we’re hitting the 20 year fandom mark!) But, you, specifically? It was watching you in As Long As You Love Me. I remember thinking to myself who is that cute and dorky blonde guy? Seeing you in the album booklets wasn’t the same till I saw your personality on the screen.
20 years later…and that still holds pretty damn true.
Back then, the majority of your fans just dreamed to meet you. None of us really believed we would, but we dreamed of it all the same. The first time I met you was on a BSB cruise, singing 10,000 Promises at karaoke as you showed me how to “give them some drama”. (And yeah, there is video of this existing on Youtube.) And you were so sweet and helped me get through my ball of nerves. An experience like that would be enough to set a fan up for life, right?
In 2012, I met you again on your I’m Taking Off tour. It was in Chicago and I’d flown out there to see friends and you cause you didn’t have a Vegas show. I told you how I’d flown out during VIP and your sincerity as you thanked me for coming out that far blew me away. You’re a freaking Backstreet Boy! You’re supposed to be used to that sort of thing, right? But you thanked me several times, sweet as could be. I hadn’t realized how humble you were till then. Later that year, I lost my mother. It was remembering you performing Falling Down in dedication to your sister, and remembering how you went through the same thing, that helped me deal with my pain and loss.
Last year, I started this blog. I blogged Dancing With The Stars with my coblogger Jaclyn. We organized live tweets. I helped make sure everyone knew how to vote. Your dedication to the show and your will to win for Sharna touched me. I did it as a fan. I never expected anything. When you DM’d us and others on twitter, thanking us for all our hard work to help you, sending us shirts as gifts? How many artists do that? How many singers take the time to personally thank their fans for the support we’d give even if you didn’t thank us? I was stunned and it meant so much that you’d not only noticed, but took the time to really respond to it. There’s even fan stories about DMing you about their personal issues and you taking the time out to reply and be there for them. That’s rare. I can’t say this enough.
THIS is why we’re fans Nick. You’re so kind and we can tell that you really care.
We, the fandom, have grown up with you Nick. I’ve watched you as a fan for over half my life. We’ve seen you grow, we’ve seen you struggle. We’ve seen you fall and we’ve seen you rise above what life has thrown at you. Your book I could relate to for a lot of reasons pertaining to family. You’ve helped so many people with that book. I don’t know if you realize it, but you’re an inspiration to countless people in the fandom. So for that, thank you.
We know you’ve had a rough time this month.
But that’s okay. The fact you’re facing what happened head on, only shows how strong a person you are. You are human, and your fans know this. We understand. And of course we’ll continue to stick with you on your journey. The fact you get back up after you fall is why you inspire so many to begin with. We will support you, we’ll support you the way your music, and you, have reached out to be there for us.
Don’t let your heart bleed out
Just let the sun light in
Let silver light your clouds
I’m on my way again
No you can’t knock me down,
I got my second wind
Don’t let your heart bleed out
Just let the sun light in
I got my second wind
Happy Birthday Nick. We love you, and that won’t change.
In honor of Nick’s birthday, I uploaded a nice chunk of Nick media and created a birthday playlist for the fans to binge on!
The Dark Side 