Former teen idol Aaron Carter, 24, has reached out to One Direction via Twitter to give career advice.
On March 25, 2012, Carter tweeted: “@onedirection You Guys Are DOPE!! Soo far… don’t go gettin corny and sh*t!! Listen to your manager!”
One Direction tweeted this reply: “@AARONCARTER thanks mate! Hope you’re well.”
Crater tweeted back: “No problem! Hope all is well with you guys too! LOVE your new record!”
One Direction came in third place on “The X Factor” U.K. in 2010. Since then, the group has had Top 10 hits in several countries with its first album, “Up All Night”; won a Brit Award; and made music history by becoming the first U.K. group to have its first album debut at No. 1 in the U.S.
The meteoric rise of One Direction has many people wondering if any members of the group will have a downfall like so many former teen idols such as Carter, who has spent time in rehab and has been arrested for marijuana possession. The five members of One Direction are 18-year-old Liam Payne, 19-year-old Zayn Malik, 18-year-old Niall Horan, 18-year-old Harry Styles and 20-year-old Louis Tomlinson.
The lads in One Direction appear to be handling the success very well so far. The true test will come in about five years when the fan hysteria around One Direction may have faded, since many former teen idols say they hit the lowest periods of their lives when they were considered “has-beens.”
So far, the members of One Direction have walked a fine line between having a “squeaky clean” image and indulging in “bad boy” behavior. In several interviews, One Direction has mentioned Harry Styles’ womanizing and that Louis Tomlinson is the biggest partier in the group. (In the U.K., the minimum legal age to drink alcohol is 18, and the minimum legal age to have sex is 16.)
Aaron Carter (the younger brother of the Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter) rose to fame in 1998, around the height of the Backstreet Boys’ success. Aaron used to be managed by his mother, Jane Carter, but they had a bitter falling out, and they reportedly still have a strained relationship. In 2003, Aaron accused his mother of taking about $100,000 from his bank account without permission.
After Aaron’s music career declined, he tried to reinvent himself on reality TV. He and his four siblings starred in the short-lived “The Carters” on E! Entertainment Television. Aaron also competed on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” and Food Network’s “Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off,” but he didn’t last long on either of those shows.
In 2011, Aaron caused controversy when OK! magazine’s Australia edition quoted him as saying that Michael Jackson gave him wine and cocaine when a teenage Aaron used to hang out with Jackson. Aaron denied making this statement and said that the quotes were fabricated.
Although it would be tempting for many people to make sarcastic jokes or mean-spirited comments about Carter and his well-documented problems, it’s important to remember that the Carter family has suffered a tragic loss with the death of Aaron’s sister Leslie, who passed away a the age of 25 on January 31, 2012. She had battled mental illness, and the cause of death was announced as a prescription-drug overdose.
With One Direction experiencing massive success so quickly, it would be refreshing to see all of the members of the group come out of it with their sanity intact, since many people who experience sudden fame at a young age are ultimately not able to handle it well. Having a stable family is the main common denominator of former teen idols who have adjusted well to life after their careers peaked.
