A.J. McLean Biography

Birth name : Alexander James McLean

Also known as : A.J., Alex, Bone

Born : January 9, 1978 (age 33)

Origin : West Palm Beach, Florida, United States

Genres : Pop, R&B, pop rock

Occupations : Singer, songwriter, actor

Alexander James McLean was born January 9, 1978 West Palm Beach, Florida. His parents Denise Fernandez and Bob McLean divorced when he was two years old and his mother and grandparents Ursula and Adolph Fernandez raised him.

Popular as one of the members of the boy band Backstreet Boys, McLean moved to Orlando, Florida with his mother in 1990 to concentrate on his acting and singing career. After many auditions for different Disney and Nickelodeon projects, he got a role in Nickelodeon's Welcome Freshmen. He also got a role in a comedy series called Hi Honey! I'm Home, where he played a character named Skunk. He won a silver medal on GUTS in 1992. In the year 1992, McLean was recruited by producer Lou Pearlman and became a member of the Backstreet Boys. The other members of the band were Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, and Kevin Richardson. The Backstreet Boys went on to become one of the top-selling bands with over 40 million albums sold in the U.S. and 90 million worldwide.

Next, came Kevin. When they heard his voice, they knew it was a perfect fit for the group and hired him on the spot. Now the Backstreet Boys consisted of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Alex McLean and Kevin Richardson. Lou felt the group needed one more member to add more harmony to the group. Kevin explained that he had a cousin, also from Kentucky, who was a typical “boy next door.” He had sung in his church before and sung mostly gospel music. On May 16, 1993, the boys waited at the Orlando Airport for Brian to get off his plane. So the Backstreet Boys got their first gig at Seaworld in Orlando.

The Backstreet Boys moved on to be a household name all over the world and by 2003, they’ve had a decade together winning Grammy’s and having countless fans all over the world. They’ve released six albums total, Backstreet Boys, Backstreet Boys(Europe, Germany only, etc), Backstreet’s Back, Millennium, Black and Blue and Chapter One: The Greatest Hits. Despite the fame and fortune, AJ McLean dived into a deep depression. His best friend became a bottle of Jack Daniels and he smoked pot, and much more. There was nothing anybody could do. Finally, Kevin knocked some sense into him and started screaming at him, he even knocked down his door and AJ finally realized… he needed help.

In July of 2001, AJ checked himself into rehab in Arizona. AJ now leads a good life and has been sober for 3 year. He plans to continue sobriety and make a solo album. He relapsed and started all over again and is now sober since 4 years. His anniversary is Oct. 23 every year if he not relaps again.

In December 2003, AJ appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show with his mother and talked about his recovery from alcoholism, depression, and drug abuse. The biggest surprise of the show was when Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, and Nick Carter appeared and talked about their experiences with his addictions. They offered their support for his rehabilitation. This reunion of Backstreet boys happened after almost two years. The band reunited again for a world tour in 2004 and released their comeback album Never Gone on June 14, 2005.

AJ has also performed in rock/metal clubs around New York under his alter ego, Johnny No Name. He has established a foundation called the JNN Foundation to raise funds for diabetes research and causes like introducing music programs into schools.

AJ as he was known was one of the popular members of the group, and was regarded as the one who finishes up the songs. He sang the songs I Want It That Way, Shape Of My Heart, Drowning, Larger Than Life, and Don't Wanna Lose You Now. He was also one of the guys to start the songs like Get Another Boyfriend, The Call, Incomplete and used his humming ability in the intros for I Want It That Way and Drowning. He was the co-singer with lead vocals in all the Backstreet boys' singles except in As Long As You Love Me, and Anywhere For You.

In March 2008, 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 tour. While creating his solo project, McLean worked with the OneRepublic vocalist Ryan Tedder, producers Dan Muckala and Kristian Lundin, plus the former 'N Sync member, JC Chasez.