Island boys next teenage heartthrobs?

Now at 19, he and his twin brother, Josh, have released their first single, "Heart Like Memphis," and are earning fame in the country music industry.

The twins, who graduated from high schools on Hilton Head Island in 2008, signed a 10-year contract with country music cable network CMT last year and are releasing a debut album in August.

They are on a radio tour and traveling to the Northeast this week after a two-day break on Hilton Head. While here, the two decided to return to Josh's alma mater, Hilton Head Island High School. Zach graduated from Hilton Head Christian Academy.

On Monday afternoon, the twins performed a free concert for the school and spoke to students about pursuing their dreams.

"I know it sounds cheesy, but don't give up on your dreams because they really can come true," Zach told the crowd. "I know being on this small island, you wonder if you'll ever get off it to do something big, and you can."

Josh told his former classmates that although being on the road is fun, it's not always glamorous. They travel for days, often without showering.

That didn't seem to bother many of the girls in the audience. As soon as the band began to play, they smiled and bobbed their heads. Some sang along.

The Carter twins moved from Ohio to Hilton Head at age 15.

Their family has always enjoyed singing. Their mom, Deb, played the guitar and piano and worked as a sales manger for a country music station.

On a "take your child to work day," Deb Carter said she brought Zach along and had him sit at her cubicle while she conducted a sales meeting. In the middle of her meeting, she heard his voice coming from the studio.

"Zach was on the air talking about how he loves Shania Twain," she said laughing. "From that day, he would say, 'Mom, I'm going to be on the radio.' "

When the boys turned 13, Josh asked his mom if she would teach him how to play the guitar.

"Josh asked me, 'Do girls like guitar players?' " Deb said. She responded positively, and Josh then asked her to teach him the Led Zeppelin classic, "Stairway to Heaven."

"I asked if we could start with something like, 'Michael Row, Row, Row Your Boat,' but he was insistent," Deb said.

The same year, Deb said, she got a baby grand piano for her birthday, which Zach wanted to learn to play immediately.

"It became a competition about who could be better and who could impress the girls," Deb said. "Both were very good."

As they progressed musically, they also began writing their own songs.

Deb and her husband, Scott, started taking the boys to song-writing conventions in Los Angeles.

Last year, while attending a convention, the Carter twins decided to play on the promenade in Santa Monica, Calif.

One of the passersby happened to be married to a senior executive at MTV. The boys performed for MTV, which then set them up with CMT.

From there, they moved to Nashville days after graduating to start writing and recording. They are now nominated for two CMT awards: Duo of the Year and Breakthrough Video of the Year. Country music fans vote for the winners, who will be announced live June 16 on CMT.

The twins say they are in awe of their fans and what's happened to them over the past year. They've done "meet-and-greets" in some areas where 500 people have lined up to get their autographs and take their pictures.

They have performed in large arenas and with some famous musicians, but Josh said going back to visit his high school was more nerve-racking than being in front of a large crowd full of strangers.

But both enjoyed seeing their friends and former teachers.

In a question-and-answer session after the show, some students wanted to know if they are single -- yes.

Others wanted to know why so many of their songs are about girls.

Zach said one of country music's major demographics is women.

"Country music is a lot of twang," he said, adding that he and Josh aren't going to write about turkeys, trucks and sunburns. "Girls are really easy to write about."

So are they the country version of the Jonas Brothers? one student asked.

"Not even close," they said.

One student took it a step further. "If the Jonas Brothers and you got in a fight, who would win?"

"Not the Jonas Brothers," Zach said. "They couldn't win in their tight pants."

Regardless, some of the girls say the Carter twins will become new teenage heartthrobs.

"They're gorgeous and they have really great voices," said Alex Meeks, 16. "They have it all."