| AJ McLean | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alexander James McLean |
| Also known as | AJ |
| Born | January 9, 1978 |
| Origin | West Palm Beach, Florida, United States |
| Genre(s) | Pop, R&B, Pop Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, actor |
| Instrument(s) | Singing, Bass Guitar, Piano, Acoustic Guitar |
| Years active | 1993 to present |
| Label(s) | Jive |
| Associated acts | Backstreet Boys |
Alexander James McLean (born January 9, 1978[1]) is an American musician and member of the singing group Backstreet Boys.
Contents |
Biography
Early life
McLean was born in West Palm Beach, Florida to his mother, Denise Fernandez, and father Bob McLean. His parents divorced and his father left the family when McLean was 2, and he was raised by his mother and maternal grandparents, Ursula and Adolph Fernandez.[1] In 1990, he moved to Orlando, Florida with his mother and grandparents to concentrate on his acting and singing career. After numerous auditions for various Nickelodeon and Disney projects, including the Nickelodeon show "GUTS," he landed a role in Nickelodeon's Welcome Freshmen, and in a comedy series called Hi Honey, I'm Home! on which he played a character named "Skunk". However he was soon replaced by the producer's nephew.
Substance abuse issues
Rising to fame in his early teens, McLean became known as the bad boy or rebel of the Backstreet Boys. In 2001, the other band members reportedly became distressed by A.J.'s self-destructive behavior. Following an intervention, McLean entered rehab for alcoholism, cocaine abuse, and depression in July of 2001 during the Black and Blue tour, which was temporarily put on hold. After being sober for almost 2 years, he then had a relapse. His sobriety date is October 23, 2002. As of October 2008, McLean was 6 years sober. His mother, Denise McLean, authored the book Backstreet Mom in 2003/2004, describing A.J.'s life before, during, and after rehab.[2]
In December 10th 2003, McLean and his mother appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to talk about his recovery from clinical depression, alcoholism, and drug use. He was one year sober. Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, and Nick Carter surprised McLean by appearing on the show to talk about their experiences with his addictions and to offer their support for his rehabilitation. This was the first time all five Backstreet Boys had appeared together in public in almost two years.
On January 27, 2009, reports of McLean losing his battle with alcoholism surfaced. He was filmed in an apparently inebriated state by TMZ and was also called out by current girlfriend Wendy Rice in an additional video[3].
Alter ego
McLean created a character, whom he named "Johnny No Name", to use as his alter ego. He uses it as his name when not performing with other members of the Backstreet Boys.[4] The character has similarities to McLean; for instance, both had single mothers, and lived with their grandparents from a young age. There are also differences - Johnny has been to prison[5] whereas AJ has not.
McLean has occasionally performed in rock/metal clubs around New York under his alter ego, Johnny No Name. He established a foundation called the JNN Foundation to raise funds for diabetes research and other causes like keeping music programs in schools. McLean also did a nine-city tour to support VH1 Save the Music as Johnny No Name.
Originally McLean's alter ego was named Johnny Suede. It shared its name with a character played by Brad Pitt and when the studio threatened to sue McLean, he changed the name to Johnny No Name.[citation needed]
Personal life
AJ McLean's first girlfriend was Stephanie E. Hirsh, a long distance relationship that lasted two and a half years. Despite the distance, she was his first love and the inspiration for his early songs. He then dated Marisa Jackson, daughter of Backstreet Boy's former manager Donna Wright, for 6 years before they split on Valentine's Day in 1997. Between 1998 to 2000, he dated Amanda Latona who is a former member of a girl band, Innosense. They had a house together in Orlando, Florida. McLean was once engaged to former child actress Sarah Jo Martin in 2002. The two had dated since 2000 and were set to wed on Valentine's Day of 2003 but publicly broke off their engagement in that same year. In 2005, he had an on and off relationship with pop singer, and one time Backstreet Boys opening act, Kaci Brown. McLean sold his home in Malibu, California in December 2006. He now has homes in Los Angeles, California and in Orlando, Florida.
Solo Project
On March 23rd and 24th, 2008, AJ McLean performed his first two solo shows (as himself) at the Anaheim House of Blues and The Roxy in Los Angeles. The show consisted of his solo material and a solo version of the Backstreet Boys hit, 'Incomplete'. The solo tour continued through Europe in May and June, in parallel to Backstreet Boys Unbreakable World Tour, and in support of his as-yet-untitled solo album. On a live Video Chat on November 22nd In Las Vegas, He announced his solo record will be release in Jan/Feb of 2009, first in Japan, Europe, and UK. In the US, he plans to have to released in the early spring. Two rumored titles are "Kinky Advice", and "RMWD" which is assumed to stand for "Real Men Wear Dresses." If the latter is the title he has mentioned that he will pose in a dress or skirt for the album cover.
The first single, due out by summer, is rumored to be the either 'Drive By Love' or 'London': 'Drive By Love' being the song McLean performed as his solo during the Backstreet Boys Unbreakable World Tour. During a solo show in Cologne (May 25th, 2008), McLean mentioned he was seriously considering 'London' as his first solo single. YouTube has played an integral part in distributing the new solo material, with thousands of fans logging on to hear what McLean has written himself. The track 'Sincerely Yours', as described by McLean, is a missive directed at his father and the non-existent relationship they have had for the last thirty years. McLean performed the song in front of his estranged father at a concert in Paris, June 3rd, 2008.
Other songs performed by McLean as part of his solo set list include: 'Gorgeous', 'Have It All', 'I Hate It When You're Gone', 'Love Crazy' (written with JC Chasez of *Nsync), 'What If', 'Life Is Just' and 'What It Do'. It is widely assumed that these songs will form the tracklist for the upcoming album.
While creating his solo project, McLean worked with chart topping producer and OneRepublic vocalist Ryan Tedder, as well as Backstreet Boys producer Dan Muckala, Backstreet Boys producer Kristian Lundin, and former *Nsync member JC Chasez. These collaborations produce an eclectic mix of sounds and songs, blending many of McLean's varied influences into one cohesive style. While not a complete departure from the style that brought him fame with the Backstreet Boys, McLean's solo effort is rougher around the edges in the best kinds of ways and distinctively individual. With this deeply personal record on the way, McLean seeks to not just tick the boxes for the radio friendly set, but to discover himself as an artist in his own right.
Solo Album
- (2009) AJ McLean's Debut album
External links
- BSB Crazyness Source for BSB
- Official site
- Official Backstreet Site
- Official Backstreet Boys Fan Site
- Official AJ McLean Store
- A. J. McLean at the Internet Movie Database
- A. J. McLean at MySpace
Footnotes
- ^ a b Netter, Matt (January 1999). Backstreet Boys * Aaron Carter. New York: Pocket Books. pp. 46–47. ISBN 0-671-03539-8.
- ^ Starbeam Coaching - Denise McLean Solis, Certified Life Coach
- ^ http://www.tmz.com/2009/01/27/mcleans-gf-aj-said-hes-an-alcoholic/
- ^ A.J. McLean talks about "Johnny No Name"
- ^ JNN Foundation - Founding Story
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