Aaron Carter says his relationship with girlfriend Madison Parker ended because she didn’t understand his sexuality.
In a statement he shared on Twitter on Aug. 6, Carter came out as bisexual.
“There’s something I’d like to say that I feel is important for myself and my identity that has been weighing on my chest for nearly half of my life,” he wrote.
“When I was around 13 years old I started to find boys and girls attractive.”
In a radio interview this week, Carter said he and Parker split because “she didn’t really understand it and she didn’t want [to].
“And that was it," he told The Bert Show. "So we left it mutual and parted ways.”
Carter, 29, said he knew he was bisexual in his early teens but kept it to himself. “No one really knew,” he said. “It wasn’t until I was about 17 until there was somebody that I had a small relationship with.”
MORE: Why It's Not Wrong To Like Aaron Carter
The pop star said he was shocked by the support he has received since making his announcement, including from close heterosexual male friends.
Carter said he is currently single — and ready to mingle.
“I would like to have a relationship,” he said.
“I’m really looking forward to the future right now and whether I choose to be with a man or a woman is my decision, no one else’s.”