Carlito Olivero
Introduction
- Not to be confused with Adrián Carlos Olivares, another member of Menudo.
Carlos Emmanuel Olivero (born July 16, 1989), better known as Carlito Olivero, is an American singer and actor of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. From 2007–09, 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 in 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 from Puerto Rico and a mother from Mexico. He started singing very early, after since his parents bought him a karaoke machine, and he sang along with it. His father and his aunt 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)

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.
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, JC Gonzalez, 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.
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. He was mentored by Paulina Rubio and finished the season in 3rd place overall.
Olivero's performances include:
| Day of broadcast | Show | Theme | Song | Original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 12 | Audition | Free choice | "Stay" | Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko | Through to Four-Chair challenge |
| October 9 | Four-Chair Challenge | Solo performance | "Dreaming of You" | Selena | Advanced |
| October 29 | Live show 1 (Top 16) | Act/Mentor's choice | "Maria Maria" | Santana ft. The Product G&B | Saved by Paulina Rubio |
| November 6 | Live show 2 (Top 13) | Motown Night | "Stop! In the Name of Love" | The Supremes | N/A |
| November 7 | Live show 3 (Top 13 Redux) | Free choice | "If You're Not the One" | Daniel Bedingfield | Safe |
| November 13 | Live show 4 (Top 12) | 80's Night | "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" | Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine | Safe |
| November 20 | Live show 5 (Top 10) | British Invasion | (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction | The Rolling Stones | Bottom 2 |
| November 21 | Sing-off | Beneath Your Beautiful | Labrinth and Emeli Sandé | ||
| November 27 | Live show 6 (Top 8) | Big Band Night | "La Copa de Vida"/"María" | Ricky Martin | Safe |
| December 4 | Live show 7 (Top 6) | Divas | "Let's Get Loud" | Jennifer Lopez | Bottom 2 |
| Unplugged "stripped down" Songs | "Stand by Me" | Ben E. King | |||
| December 5 | Sing-off | "You Make Me Wanna..." | Usher | ||
| December 11 | Live show 8 (Top 4) | Viewers' choice | "Boyfriend" | Justin Bieber | Safe |
| Duet (with Alex & Sierra) | "Falling Slowly" | Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová | |||
| 2nd song (no theme) | "I Need to Know" | Marc Anthony | |||
| December 12 | Victory song | "Suavemente" | Elvis Crespo | ||
| December 18 | Live show 9 (Top 3) | Winner's Song | "Impossible" | Shontelle | 3rd Place |
| Celebrity Duets | "Stand by Me" | Ben E. King | |||
| Favorite Performance | "Maria Maria" | Santana ft. The Product G&B | |||
| December 19 | Christmas Songs | "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" | Darlene Love |
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 Time Warner cable. He appeared in season 6 episode 9 of Modern Family, as Teddy Keys, dating Alex.
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".
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.
From 2015-2017, Olivero starred in the successful Hulu Original Series, East Los High.In 2018, Carlito starred in the YouTube Red scripted drama series, Step Up: High Water. He played the role of Derek Sandoval in the thriller film Bad Samaritan, directed by Dean Devlin, which premiered on May 4, 2018.
On October 18, 2019, it was reported that Olivero had been cast in the upcoming sequel to the 2019 psychological thriller film Escape Room which will be released on January 1, 2021.
Discography / Videography
Studio albums
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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D.D.B.R.W.S.
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| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1. | "Wrong Way" | Carlito Olivero | 3:12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2. | "Long Ride Home" | Carlito Olivero | 5:26 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3. | "Pon Ya Body" | Carlito Olivero | 3:25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4. | "Not The Only One" | Carlito Olivero | 3:53 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5. | "Supply & Demand" | Carlito Olivero | 3:59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6. | "Never Sober" | Carlito Olivero | 4:12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7. | "Tell Her" | Carlito Olivero | 3:49 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8. | "Find Your Way Back" | Carlito Olivero | 3:35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9. | "P.O.Y.F." | Carlito Olivero | 2:49 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10. | "Put Ya Fire Out" | Carlito Olivero | 3:47 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11. | "A.D.D." | Carlito Olivero | 3:19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total length: | 41:26 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1. | "Wrong Way" | Carlito Olivero | 3:12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2. | "Long Ride Home" | Carlito Olivero | 5:26 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3. | "Pon Ya Body" | Carlito Olivero | 3:25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4. | "Not The Only One" | Carlito Olivero | 3:53 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5. | "Supply & Demand" | Carlito Olivero | 3:59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6. | "Never Sober" | Carlito Olivero | 4:12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7. | "Tell Her" | Carlito Olivero | 3:49 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8. | "Find Your Way Back" | Carlito Olivero | 3:35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9. | "P.O.Y.F." | Carlito Olivero | 2:49 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10. | "Put Ya Fire Out" | Carlito Olivero | 3:47 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11. | "A.D.D." | Carlito Olivero | 3:19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total length: | 41:26 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Solo singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Rain" | — | — | Non-album release |
| 2012 | "Love Letter" | — | — | Non-album release |
| 2015 | "Pon Ya Body" | — | — | D.D.B.R.W.S. |
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Brown Eyed Girl" | 2010 | Royalty | N/A |
| "Hit Me (BBM Me) If You Miss Me" | 2011 | Baby Bash, Printz Board | Bashtown |
| "Tabloid Truth" | 2012 | J. Dash | Tabloid Truth |
| "Art of Love" | 2014 | Danny Olson | N/A |
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Rain" [1] | 2011 | Mike Ho, Carlito Olivero, Jimmy Burney |
| "Love Letter" [2] | 2012 | Mike Ho |
| "Find Your Way Back" | 2014 | Denzel Whitaker |
| "Pon Ya Body" | 2015 | Denzel Whitaker, Maximilian Shelton |