Leslie Carter
Encyclopedia
Leslie Barbara Carter (born June 6, 1986) is an American
singer.
, Florida
, the daughter of Jane Elizabeth (née
Spaulding) and Robert Gene Carter. She is the older sister of Aaron Carter
and younger sister of Nick Carter
. Aside from her brothers, Nick and Aaron, she also has two sisters: (Aaron's twin sister) Angel (a model
) and BJ. She also has an older half-sister named Ginger, from her father's first marriage
. Carter's parents divorced in 2003 and her father remarried Ginger Elrod on April 1, 2004. From this most recent marriage, she has a half-brother, Kaden Brent Carter, and a younger stepsister, Taelyn.
In 2008 she married her husband, Mike, and moved to Toronto. On July 21, 2010, Leslie announced on her twitter account that she is pregnant with her first child. She is the first of the Carter children to be pregnant, and gave birth to daughter Alyssa Jane Ashton on April 1, 2011.
in 1999 and began recording her debut album. This album was set for release in June 2000, but it was delayed because Dreamworks wanted to test Carter's fan base before releasing the album in order to ensure its success. Her single, "Like Wow!
" appeared on the Shrek
soundtrack
and received minor radio airplay and a low position on the Hot 100. Despite this, she was highly anticipated as the "New Carter" and although "Like Wow!" only reached number 99 in the US, it gradually sold a high amount of copies. With this added exposure and popularity, Dreamworks announced the future release of the album, set for April 2001. However, Dreamworks later canceled the release, allegedly due to beliefs that Carter could not compete with pop performers at the time such as Britney Spears
and Christina Aguilera
. Her debut album was never released, but the whole album can be found online. Her dropping from Dreamworks Records has caused some controversy. A family friend stated:
roots for a more mature, pop rock-oriented
sound. Carter is co-writing her material with, among others, producer and High Holy Days
guitarist Dave Thompson
.
Carter decided in late 2006 to make a band out of her backup musicians, and they now go by the name; "The Other Half". Aside from Carter, The Other Half consisted of Mike Ashton, DJ Porter, Casey Clowater, Paul Davidson, and Dave Thompson
. Carter is seen writing music and performing her own songs for her siblings on the family's reality show House of Carters
.
After several lineup and management changes, the band is continuing to write and record as a four-piece rock band. The current line-up consists of Carter (vocals
), Ashton (drums
), Jason Eldon (Electric Guitar
), and Sean Smit (bass guitar
, back-up vocals).
September 2009, the band mutually decided to split up, not because of a fight, but because they didn't evolve as a band anymore, according to their myspace.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer.
Family
Carter was born in TampaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the daughter of Jane Elizabeth (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Spaulding) and Robert Gene Carter. She is the older sister of Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter
Aaron Charles Carter is an American singer. He came to fame as a pop and hip hop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among pre-teen and teenage audiences during the early-first decade of the 21st century....
and younger sister of Nick Carter
Nick Carter (musician)
Nickolas Gene "Nick" Carter is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, entertainer and actor. He is best known as a member of the pop group, Backstreet Boys. He went on to release a solo album called Now Or Never during their hiatus. He has made occasional television appearances and...
. Aside from her brothers, Nick and Aaron, she also has two sisters: (Aaron's twin sister) Angel (a model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
) and BJ. She also has an older half-sister named Ginger, from her father's first marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
. Carter's parents divorced in 2003 and her father remarried Ginger Elrod on April 1, 2004. From this most recent marriage, she has a half-brother, Kaden Brent Carter, and a younger stepsister, Taelyn.
In 2008 she married her husband, Mike, and moved to Toronto. On July 21, 2010, Leslie announced on her twitter account that she is pregnant with her first child. She is the first of the Carter children to be pregnant, and gave birth to daughter Alyssa Jane Ashton on April 1, 2011.
Early recordings
She signed a record deal with Dreamworks RecordsDreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
in 1999 and began recording her debut album. This album was set for release in June 2000, but it was delayed because Dreamworks wanted to test Carter's fan base before releasing the album in order to ensure its success. Her single, "Like Wow!
Like Wow!
"Like Wow!" is the only official single by Leslie Carter. Since her debut album was never released, the "Like Wow!" single and her promo is the only music released by Carter. The song also samples the drum break of Eric B. & Rakim's song "Paid in Full". The song appears on the Shrek soundtrack and...
" appeared on the Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
and received minor radio airplay and a low position on the Hot 100. Despite this, she was highly anticipated as the "New Carter" and although "Like Wow!" only reached number 99 in the US, it gradually sold a high amount of copies. With this added exposure and popularity, Dreamworks announced the future release of the album, set for April 2001. However, Dreamworks later canceled the release, allegedly due to beliefs that Carter could not compete with pop performers at the time such as Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
and Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
. Her debut album was never released, but the whole album can be found online. Her dropping from Dreamworks Records has caused some controversy. A family friend stated:
"Dreamworks was anything but supportive. She knows she's better off without them. They wanted her to fit into the mold of singers like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and that's not who Leslie is. She wants to do things her own way, and she's not going to conform her ideals to fit into what someone else wants her to be."
The Other Half
Carter started a small club tour in Canada in December 2005, and had a showcase in NYC on January 19, 2006, with hopes it would lead to a new record deal. The songs performed on this tour have her abandoning her bubblegum popBubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
roots for a more mature, pop rock-oriented
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
sound. Carter is co-writing her material with, among others, producer and High Holy Days
High Holy Days (band)
High Holy Days is a Canadian rock band. HHD formed in North Bay, Ontario as the Arcand Band in 1998. In 2000 the name was changed to High Holy Days. The band currently consists of vocalist Marc Arcand, guitarist Bill MacGregor, bassist Chris Amey and drummer Brian Bird. Former members of the...
guitarist Dave Thompson
Dave Thompson
Dave Thompson is a British stand-up comedian and actor, who hit the headlines in July 1997 after being removed from the role of Tinky Winky in the children's television series Teletubbies from a few episodes. The BBC said in a letter to Thompson that his "interpretation of the role was inappropriate"...
.
Carter decided in late 2006 to make a band out of her backup musicians, and they now go by the name; "The Other Half". Aside from Carter, The Other Half consisted of Mike Ashton, DJ Porter, Casey Clowater, Paul Davidson, and Dave Thompson
Dave Thompson
Dave Thompson is a British stand-up comedian and actor, who hit the headlines in July 1997 after being removed from the role of Tinky Winky in the children's television series Teletubbies from a few episodes. The BBC said in a letter to Thompson that his "interpretation of the role was inappropriate"...
. Carter is seen writing music and performing her own songs for her siblings on the family's reality show House of Carters
House Of Carters
House of Carters was a documentary/reality show on the E! cable network, and Much Music in Canada, about the lives of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and his four siblings as they try to revive their careers as well as reconnect as a family. The series premiered on October 2, 2006. Eight episodes were...
.
After several lineup and management changes, the band is continuing to write and record as a four-piece rock band. The current line-up consists of Carter (vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
), Ashton (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Jason Eldon (Electric Guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
), and Sean Smit (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, back-up vocals).
September 2009, the band mutually decided to split up, not because of a fight, but because they didn't evolve as a band anymore, according to their myspace.