AJ McLean
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| AJ McLean | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Alexander James McLean | |
| Born | January 9, 1978 (age 29) West Palm Beach, Florida, United States |
|
| Genre(s) | Pop | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, actor | |
| Instrument(s) | Singing, Bass (Plays in "Live in Orlando" Concert), Piano | |
| Years active | 1993 to present | |
| Label(s) | Jive | |
| Associated acts |
The Backstreet Boys | |
Alexander James McLean (born January 9, 1978[1]) is an American musician and member of the boy band Backstreet Boys.
Contents |
McLean was born in West Palm Beach, Florida to Denise Fernandez and Bob McLean.[1] His parents divorced and his father left the family when McLean was two, 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 to concentrate on his acting and singing career. After numerous auditions for various Nickelodeon and Disney projects, he landed a role in Nickelodeon's "Welcome Freshmen" and in a comedy series called "Hi Honey! I'm Home," where he played a character named Skunk. He also won a silver medal on "GUTS" in 1992.
In 1992, McLean was recruited by producer Lou Pearlman to become a member of the Backstreet Boys. Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell were chosen as the other members of the band. The Backstreet Boys became one of the top-selling bands of their era, selling over 40 million albums in the U.S. and 90 million worldwide.
AJ is one of the most popular members of the group, often being the one who finishes up the songs ('I Want It That Way', 'Shape Of My Heart', 'Drowning', 'Larger Than Life', 'Don't Wanna Lose You Now'), being the one who starts off some of them too ('Get Another Boyfriend', 'The Call', 'Incomplete' and humming in the intros of both 'I Want It That Way' and 'Drowning'). He's co-sung lead vocals in all of the boys' singles so far except for 'As Long As You Love Me' (although during the ad-libs at the end there are some line which are only by him) and 'Anywhere For You' .
In 2005 the 'Boys' released their 5th studio album, Never Gone which sold millions of copies within the first month. The group is supposed to release their next album in June 2007.
Rising to fame in his early teens, McLean became known as the "bad boy" of the group. In 2001, the other band members reportedly became distressed by AJ's self-destructive behavior. Following an intervention, McLean entered rehab for alcoholism and drug abuse. His mother, Denise McLean, later authored the book Backstreet Mom, describing AJ's life before, during, and after rehab.[2]
In December 2003, McLean and his mother appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show to talk about his recovery from depression, alcoholism, and drug use. 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.
The band reunited for a world tour in 2004 and released a comeback album entitled "Never Gone" on June 14, 2005.
McLean created a character, who 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.[3] 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[4] 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 into schools.
McLean has appeared in animated show called Static Shock on the Kids WB/Cartoon Network channel as himself. He finished second in the Nickelodeon GUTS contest
- ^ a b c Netter, Matt (1999). Backstreet Boys * Aaron Carter. New York: Pocket Books, 46-47. ISBN 0-671-03539-8.
- ^ http://www.backstreetmom.com
- ^ A.J. McLean talks about "Johnny No Name"
- ^ JNN Fountation - Founding Story
Current members: Brian Littrell · AJ McLean · Nick Carter · Howie Dorough
Former member: Kevin Richardson
Studio albums: Backstreet Boys · Backstreet's Back · Millennium · Black & Blue · The Hits: Chapter One · Never Gone
Singles: "We've Got It Goin' On" · "Get Down (You're the One For Me)" · "Anywhere For You" · "Quit Playin' Games (With My Heart)"
"As Long As You Love Me" · "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" · "I'll Never Break Your Heart" · "All I Have to Give"
"I Want It That Way" · "Larger Than Life" · "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" · "The One" · "Shape of My Heart"
"The Call" · "More Than That" · "Drowning" · "Incomplete" · "Just Want You To Know"
"Crawling Back to You" · "I Still"
Related articles: Discography · Awards · Jive