The Mycenaean

Aaron Carter was the epitome of a 90’s teen pop singer. His dreamy voice and melodic lyrics melted the hearts of the young girls of the late 20th century.

Aaron became famous after doing a cover of The Jets’ song “Crush on You” while opening for The Backstreet Boys. After the gig, the song was released as Aaron’s first hit single; the song became an international hit.

As his music career progressed, Aaron produced more and more songs. “I Want Candy” and “Aaron’s Party” were just two of his more memorable hits. Eventually, he was contacted to star in TV shows and movies such as Lizzie McGuire, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Fat Albert and 7th Heaven.

2002 marked the end of his dreamy, teen pop-star claim-to-fame. Throughout the next three years, Aaron would attempt to salvage his career. He released another song, “Saturday Night”, in 2005, but it did not create any more opportunities for him. In 2006, he starred in a reality TV show called House of Carters where Aaron and his family reunited to live together and allow cameras to record them. The show did not last long.

Years after the falling-out of his career, it seems as though Aaron has disappeared from the world of music and media. The “‘90s girls” who spent their early years drooling over Aaron Carter have not forgotten him, though.

Claire Coward, junior, was a huge Aaron Carter fan. “I was kind of obsessed with him. I always thought I’d end up marrying him.” Coward considered Aaron to be a “hardcore rapper” of the 90’s.

“Aaron Carter and his music will always remind me of my childhood. It makes me think of my old house and friends, and the simplicity of being a kid,” said Coward.

After talking about Aaron’s music career and how he seemingly fell off the face of the earth, Coward pointed out that she recently found him on Twitter. “He barely had any followers,” she said. “It was actually kind of sad.”

The downfall of Aaron Carter brings with it the end of an era. Although a face that any 90s- girl will never forget, he is only another name to be lost in the spotlight.

Just as the ‘90’s girls had a teen heartthrob, their teachers, as well as their mothers, had their own “Aaron Carter.”

Mrs. Beaver said that she could not think of one single artist that was the “Aaron Carter” of her time, though she was very quick to answer with New Kids On The Block.

“I had posters of them all over my room, and I also had a New Kids On The Block lunchbox,” she said. For a girl in her young tween years, the “kids” were absolutely dreamy. “They were all so young and cute, but now they are old and not so cute…”

NKOTB, as they were often referred to, were a popular boy band of the early 80s. The group consisted of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood.

The group was at the peak of their career in the ‘80s, selling 80 million records and winning two American Music Awards. Their first songs “Be My Girl” and “Stop it Girl” were not immediate hits. However, next album was more successful and contained a song that would become #10 on the Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Chart. “Please Don’t Go Girl” was less “bubblegum pop” and more of a ballad.

Even more of a hit then “Please Don’t Go Girl”, their song “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)” reached #1 on the Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Chart. NKOTB continued to produce hit songs such as “Cover Girl” and “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)”. With one last successful album, Step by Step, the boys disbanded in the early 90s. Allegations of lip syncing surfaced and it seemed as though the group was done forever. After many failed attempts to reunite, NKOTB secretly got back together in 2007 to record a new CD. After the album, they went on tour with the Backstreet Boys in the summer of 2011. Once again, NKOTB have seemingly disappeared.

According to my mom,  Shaun Cassidy was the “Aaron Carter” of her tween years. Cassidy was an actor and singer back in the day. He began his career while in high school, and he began recording music that was released in Europe and Australia before it eventually made its way here to the U.S.

His single “Da Doo Ron Ron” became a number one hit in the United States and shortly after, Cassidy was nominated for the Grammy’s Best New Artist award.

His next album, Born Late, featured a remake of the popular song “Do You Believe in Magic” by John Sebastian’s group, The Lovin’ Spoonful. This song became a “moderate” success for Cassidy.

In addition to his music career, Cassidy also acted. He starred in the famous TV series The Hardy Boys Mysteries and Breaking Away. He even had his own character doll.

By the late 70s, after the release of his third album, Cassidy’s popularity began to fade. After several failed attempts to rekindle his music career, he moved on to stage acting. From then on, Cassidy wrote and produced shows including American Gothic, Roar, Cold Case, Cover Me, The Agency, Invasion, and Ruby & The Rockits. He is also writing the new 2012-2013 show The Frontier for NBC.

All teenage pop-stars go from being #1 to being nothing. Newer music is always coming out, and it’s not possible for every artist or group to adjust to the ever-changing wants of their fans.