How Nick Carter Almost Ended Up In *NSYNC Over The Backstreet Boys

Nick Carter rose to fame as one-fifth of the Backstreet Boys and has enjoyed one hell of a career. As noted by ChartMasters, the group has sold over 59 million records from their albums alone — three of which topped the U.S. Billboard 200 chart — and has been named the most popular boyband of all time, per Us Weekly.

Thanks to the Backstreet Boys' ongoing global success, Carter told Billboard in 2019 that he never expected their careers to have the longevity that they have. "It's satisfying and exciting, because you work so hard after so many years. We never really expected it," the "I Want It That Way" hitmaker explained. He added, "We don't ever expect anything that's been given to us or that happens to us. We're just kind of living in the moment." Outside of the group, Carter has focused on having a solo career and released a country single, "Easy," with Jimmie Allen. "I hope this song helps everyone express how #easy it is to love your person," he wrote on Instagram. With that being said, his days with the Backstreet Boys are far from over. Next month, they will kick off their DNA World Tour with a bunch of shows in sin city.

During the early days of the Backstreet Boys' journey, they were going head-to-head with fellow boyband *NSYNC. While most know Carter for being one-fifth of the Backstreet Boys, his group member AJ McLean revealed that almost wasn't the case.

It seems Nick Carter was in demand during his young years. As previously reported by People, he joined fellow Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean over the weekend at '90s Con in Hartford, Connecticut, where the duo shared the journey to them becoming household names.

McLean informed fans he first met Carter when auditioning for Disney and Nickelodeon in 1992. Later on, he would remember Carter when putting together the Backstreet Boys and asked if he wanted to become a member of the group. However, Carter had a tough decision to make, because he was offered to be a part of "The Mickey Mouse Club." He said, "I got offered a contract, and I turned it down. I was supposed to be on the same team as Britney [Spears] and Ryan [Gosling]. And I got an option to go in for a Backstreet Boys audition. [AJ] was there."

Carter had a contract worth $50,000 from "The Mickey Mouse Club," while the Backstreet Boys, on the other hand, "had nothing really going for it." In the end, he chose to be one-fifth of the unknown (at the time) boy band, who rapidly became an overnight success four years later. McLean stated it was the "biggest decision" of Carter's life, as he could have made it into *NSYNC. With that being said, during a 2020 interview with People, Carter said he will always be "grateful to be in the Backstreet Boys and also grateful to be an entertainer."