Carlito Olivero

Not to be confused with Adrián Carlos Olivares, another member of Menudo

Carlos Emmanuel Olivero (born July 16, 1989 in Chicago), better known as Carlito Olivero, is an American singer and actor of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. He sings in English and Spanish. From 2007 to 2009, he was part of the Latin boy band Menudo after taking part in MTV's Making Menudo. Moving to Los Angeles in 2009, he appeared various singing and acting events and in 2012 appeared in the film We the Party directed by Mario Van Peebles. In 2013, he auditioned for season 3 of the American singing competition series The X Factor and finished 3rd in the competition, He was mentored by Paulina Rubio.

Beginnings

Olivero was born and raised in Chicago to a father of Puerto Rican origin and a mother from Mexico. He started very early ever since his parents bought him a karaoke machine and he started singing to its tunes. His father and some of his uncles and aunts were break dancers. From grade one onwards, he started taking part in competitions singing mainly Elvis Presley, 'NSYNC and B2K songs.

In Making Menudo (2007)

2007-2009 lineup. L-to-R: José Bordonada Collazo, Monti Montañez, Emmanuel Vélez Pagan, Carlos Olivero, Chris Moy

In 2007, Carlito Olivero took part in an MTV reality series titled Making Menudo to earn a spot in the reconfigured famous Latin boy band. Ricky Martin and Draco Rosa were two of many who rotated through the band over the years. Making Menudo launched as a primetime series on October 25, 2007, but was later pushed to afternoons due to low ratings.^[1]

The initial Menudo five chosen in the program (JC, Jorge, Monti, Jose and Chris) were put to compete against four other aspiring candidates who didn't make the cut (Antony, Pena, Trevor and Carlos). Eventually Carlos [Olivero] was chosen to be included in Menudo's "final" set-up

In band Menudo (2007-2009)

The "new" Menudo band was made up of:

• Carlos Emmanuel Olivero
• José "Monti" Antonio Montañez
• Emmanuel Jose Vélez Pagán
• Christopher Nelson Moy
• José Bordonada Collazo

The act was signed to a multi-album contract with SonyBMG label Epic Records. The group continued for two years starting in 2007 with their debut singles "Lost" and "More Than Words". The new Menudo disbanded in 2009.

Acting career

After disbandment, Olivero relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a singing / acting career. He appeared in small roles in TNT network series Rizzoli & Isles and in an advertisement for Starbucks. and Times warner cable

In 2012, Olivero appeared in a main role in We the Party, a film written and directed by Mario Van Peebles. The film is a revealing look at contemporary youth culture, showing teenagers as they are, not as adults would like them to be. A comedy set in an ethnically diverse Los Angeles high school, it focuses on young friends as they deal with "romance, money, prom, college, sex, bullies, Facebook, fitting in, standing out, and finding themselves".^[2] capturing the hopes, confusion, challenges and dreams of today's teenagers as they plunge headlong into an uncertain future. Credited as Carlito Olivero, he plays the role of Paco in the film.

The X Factor (2013)

In 2013, Olivero auditioned for season 3 of the American The X Factor. At the time he applied, he was employed as a server in a coffee shop.

On an episode broadcast on September 12, 2013, he auditioned with a soulful rendition of Rihanna's "Stay" getting four "yes"es from the four judges, Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio. He was picked for the Final 40 "four-chair challenge" round, one of just ten in the "Boys" category and is being mentored by Rubio.

Olivero has made it into the top 16 contestants on The X Factor season 3. The 24-year-old singer from Chicago, will join Carlos Guevara, Josh Levi and Tim Olstad on the ‘Boys’ team, which is being mentored by Paulina Rubio.

Olivero's performances include:

^Note 1 Olivero was in the bottom three and had to sing for survival. However, he survived the final showdown against Tim Olstad.
^Note 2 Olivero was in the bottom three and had to sing for survival. However, he survived the final showdown against Rion Paige.

Discography / Videography

• 2011: "Rain"
• 2012: "Love Letter"

featured in

• 2010: "Brown Eyed Girl" (Royalty featuring Carlito)
• 2011: "Hit Me (BBM Me) If You Miss Me" (Baby Bash featuring Carlito and Printz Board)
• 2012: "Tabloid Truth" (J-Dash featuring Carlito)

Filmography

• 2012: Rizzoli & Isles (TV series, 1 episode "Virtual Love" as Reuben Sanchez)
• 2012: We the Party as Paco

References

External links

• Official website
• Twitter / YouTube
• Carlito Olivero at the Internet Movie Database