Backstreet Boys Nick Carter is unmasked as soloist

Nick Carter has had a blast in the Backstreet Boys lineup, grooving in unison and performing the group’s hits to its fervent fans around the world.

But Carter is more than that. He’s a father of two young kids and an artist forever seeking new horizons. He’s also a pink crocodile, or has been, during his adventurous run on “The Masked Singer.”

Carter finished third in Season 4, to champion Lee Ann Rimes (Sun) and second-place finisher Aloe Blacc (Mushroom).

In his “Masked Singer” run, the costumed Carter navigated uncharted waters, through “It’s My Life,” by Bon Jovi; “Toxic,” by Britney Spears; “Bleeding Love,” by Leona Lewis; “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” by Aerosmith; and “Open Arms,” by Journey.

Carter took on the show because it allowed him to step outside of his Backstreet Boys persona, and also perform alone in anonymity for a national-TV audience. The Izod-like character actually afforded him some freedom.

“For me, as an entertainer and solo artist, I have always questioned who I am as an individual,” Carter said during a phone chat this month, just before release of his new single, “80s Movie.” “I’m one of the boys in the group. I love being a team member, but as an individual I just love all sorts of music and like to sing all sorts of music.”

Carter has been hunkered down with his family in Las Vegas, pining to create and perform.

“I was able to use that disguise and just discover who I am as a performer and grow and experiment,” Carter said. “Just the freedom to do whatever I wanted to do, and sing the songs I wanted to perform, was liberating. It made me feel free and I was really able to just enjoy performing.”

Carter has lived in Las Vegas since the early stages of BSB’s 80-show residency at Zappos Theater, which ended in April 2019. The guys and Caesars Entertainment officials have never said no (double-negative reference aside) to BSB returning to residency, over the long horizon.

Carter is adapting to the city in myriad ways. He’s been recording at Hideout Recording Studio in Henderson. He’s become an ardent supporter of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, the state’s only pediatric cancer treatment center. He hadn’t anticipated staying in town too long, but found Las Vegas has its merits.

“We thought we would be here for a year, and we’d like to be close to the show, and it was easier to be in Las Vegas than travel back and forth to L.A.,” Carter said. “Then we got this house, and we fell in love with the area, the people, the community. Once we ended at Zappos, we thought, ‘Where else would we want to be?’”

Carter has been delving into classic R&B, rock and pop during his down time (he casually mentions Kool & The Gang and the Brothers Johnson’s “Stomp” as examples). He also plays drums and guitar, even anonymously. Carter has hit the streets, wearing just a ball cap, and played acoustically, though not (yet) in Las Vegas.

“I’ve done it before, picked up a guitar and sat on a street and nobody knew it was me,” Carter said. “It’s fun.” Would he entertain the chance to entertain in such a way in his new hometown? “Totally, totally,” said the Backstreet Boy who is a man of many hats.

‘Sexxy’ at NYE

“Sexxy,” the Westgate Las Vegas residency revue that continues to keep sharp despite being sidelined, has four performances set for New Year’s Eve at Larry Flynt’s Hustler club. Numbers are performed at 9 p.m., 10 p.m., 11 p.m. and midnight. The show is also performing New Year’s Day and Jan. 2 at 10:30 p.m. Jen Romas’ topless production has been extended Thursdays through Saturdays in what is billed as a limited engagement.

Groove and groom

The Barbershop Cuts and Cocktails at the Cosmopolitan is celebrating NYE with its ambient house band, Luna Park. Doors are at 8 p.m. an reservations are “strongly encouraged.” It’s good to expect reservations, generally, for any venue offering food and background music. Hit up the hotel for details.

Circa buzz

Somebody told me that a big name in VegasVille, and anywhere, is in talks to perform at Circa’s NYE party. The made-for-TV event is hosted by Chris Phillips of Zowie Bowie, and being broadcast across the west on CBS’s Nextar-owned affiliates. Hopefully, this will work out.

Great Moments In Social Media

Hugh Grant, who turned in a killer performance in “The Undoing” mini-series on HBO, re-tweeted Vegas vocalist Daniel Emmet’s comedic coronavirus anthem, “Nessun Dorma … Alla Corona.” Emmet performs the song, an ode to pandemic shutdown, to the operatic classic “Nessun Dorma.”

Moving. pic.twitter.com/h5upj0XS4s

— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) December 27, 2020

Grant arrived out of the dark Sunday to re-tweet the song, which Emmet first posted on YouTube in April. Grant’s one-word review: “Moving.”

That line

The mention of Rimes earlier in the column reminds of a great one-liner from Carrot Top. “LeeAnn Rimes? No, it don’t!”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.