‘The Masked Singer’: Nick Carter Speaks out After Appearing as the Crocodile

Nick Carter is basking in the glow of his Masked Singer run. The Backstreet Boys singer placed third during Wednesday’s season finale after performing anonymously as the ostentatious pink Crocodile before being unmasked during his elimination. Following the big reveal, Carter took to Instagram with a heartfelt note about his journey, calling his time on the Fox singing competition one of his “most memorable experiences.”

After almost 28 years as an entertainer, the former child star, now 40, wrote he “never knew how far this journey would have taken me and all the wonderful and incredible things that I would have experienced and seen.” Praising his time on the show as a memory that will stick with him forever, the “Larger Than Life” singer wrote, “I am extremely grateful to have been a part of something so special.”

The “cherry on top of all of this” was being able to share one of his projects with his kids, son Odin, 4, and daughter, Saoirse, 1. “Seeing how excited they were to see the Croc on stage made this experience ten times more meaningful,” Carter shared.

Thanking fans for sticking with him through the “ups and downs” of life, the boy band member also thanked The Masked Singer “for allowing me to share the stage with so many talented individuals. Being able to be front row for all these performances made this not feel like a competition but more like I was hanging out with friends.” He concluded, “I’m so lucky this is my job and happy I could bring some joy to you all during such a crazy time. Until I see you back on the road…”

Following his elimination, the “Everybody” singer told Entertainment Weekly that he had been inspired to start recording solo music. “The Masked Singer definitely inspired me to kind of put a little bit of trust into who I am as an entertainer and as a solo artist,” he explained. “I feel as if I just really never broke out with any of my albums that I’ve done in the past and stuff like that. Of course I love being a part of the Backstreet Boys and love being the little brother in the group. But it was uncomfortable to be kind of outside the safety net of my group, as far as just being exposed as a solo artist and just from my voice.”

Watching his performances as Croc, Carter said he started to realize his talent had “matured” to the point he wanted to give it another chance with a new solo song. “’80s Movie,” which will be released on New Music Friday on Spotify, as well as anywhere else you find music, has a “warm and nostalgic” feeling, Carter shared: “I feel like it’s the best song I’ve ever done as a solo artist.”