Wow; we didn't see this coming! Troubled former teen star Aaron Carter took to Twitter to lift a "burden" he's carried for a long time ...

The singer posted this heartfelt message on social media, addressed to his fans: "To start off, I would like to say that I love each and EVERY ONE of my fans. 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. This doesn’t bring me shame, just a weight and burden I have held onto for a long time that I would like lifted off of me. I grew up in this entertainment industry at a very young age and when I was around 13-years-old I started to find boys and girls attractive. There were years that went by that I thought about it, but it wasn’t until I was 17-years old, after a few relationships with girls, I had an experience with a male that I had an attraction to who I also worked with and grew up with. To me music has always been my temple. Music will ALWAYS be what transcends all of us and myself. The studio has always been my safe haven. But the ultimate goal for me is to be satisfied. I never want to be a figure of disappointment. The best quote to sum: “I’ve never felt as though I didn’t belong, I just acted as though I did. - Boy George.”

It's been a rough road recently for Carter, 29 ... he was arrested in July for driving under the influence and for marijuana possession. Just after, Aaron's older brother Nick took to Twitter to offer help but Aaron slammed him for making it public. Aaron has also struggled with body-shaming and claims his low weight is due to a medical issue that prevents him from putting on pounds, even if he tries. In fact, he was hospitalized in June for the hiatal hernia, with which he was diagnosed at age 19.