1997–1999: Music beginnings and self-titled debut album Carter began his career as the lead singer of Dead End as a 7-year-old. He left the band after two years because he wanted to perform pop music, while the other members were interested in
alternative rock. 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 Canada, Denmark, Germany, Norway, and Spain, and was released in the United States on June 16, 1998.
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. Tracks 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. In March 2001, he made his acting debut, guest starring on an episode of the Disney Channel series
Lizzie McGuire. That same month, he and fellow teen star
Samantha Mumba performed a concert at MGM Studios live on Disney Channel, titled
Aaron Carter and Samantha Mumba in Concert. Carter's part of the concert was released on DVD the 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''. At the age of 13, Carter recorded his third studio album
Oh Aaron, released on August 7, 2001, which 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.
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.
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. 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. 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; however, the suit itself was settled out of court. 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. "
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. 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. 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. 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." 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." 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. 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. In January 2012, Carter was one of eight celebrities participating in the
Food Network reality series
Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. He was eliminated in the first episode. In 2013, Carter kicked off his first tour in eight years, the
After Party Tour. The tour ran from February to December 2013, and included over 150 shows in the United States and Canada.
2014–2022: The Music Never Stopped, LØVË and posthumous releases in New York 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. The tour included 50 dates and ran from September 2014 until January 2015. In July, Carter appeared on
Good Day L.A., where he performed "Ooh Wee", a single featuring Pat SoLo. In February 2015, Carter released an EP through
SoundCloud titled
The Music Never Stopped. On January 31, 2016, Carter released his music video for "Curious" under the name Kid Carter, co-directed by MDM Media's Michael D. Monroe, Ben Epstein, and himself. In April 2016, Carter released the single "
Fool's Gold". Another single, "Sooner or Later", was released in January 2017. Both songs appeared on the EP
LØVË, released in February 2017, written by Carter, Jon Asher,
Melanie Fontana, Taylor "Lakestreet Louie" Helgeson, and Michel Schulz, produced and independently released by Carter on his new venture Rakkaus Records. An
album of the same name was released as his fifth studio album on February 16, 2018. Two days after his death on November 5, 2022,
Blacklisted was released on all music platforms by its producers as a tribute to Carter. The album was originally to be released on December 7, which would have been Carter's 35th birthday. Its posthumous release was however criticized by Carter's management, who had not authorized the release. It was deleted during late November and is now unavailable. Some songs however were later re-released on an EP entitled
The Prince of Pop by Carter's collaborator
3D Friends. On April 5, 2024, a new posthumous release was announced. Entitled "Recovery", it was released on May 24. ==Personal life==