Carlito Olivero


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

Carlos Emmanuel Olivero, 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:

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

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.