2 weeks ago
4
The lad bander tells Jennifer Hudson that the precursor to a afloat medium successful January is simply a "gift" to his longtime fans.
AJ McLean astatine the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards held astatine the Dolby Theatre connected March 17, 2025 successful Los Angeles. Gilbert Flores
AJ McLean has been moving connected his upcoming solo EP for the past 4 years. The Backstreet Boys vocalist popped into the Jennifer Hudson Show connected Monday (Oct. 20) for a chat astir the BSB’s Sphere residency successful Las Vegas arsenic good arsenic his upcoming two-part solo project, the archetypal portion of which volition driblet adjacent month.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
McLean said the Hi, My Name Is Alex EP volition beryllium released connected Nov. 27 — which besides happens to beryllium his oldest daughter’s day — in an unconventional Thursday merchandise to instrumentality vantage of the Thanksgiving holiday. “Because successful my mind, I’m truthful thankful and grateful for fans that person waited truthful patiently for this,” said McLean, 47, who has antecedently performed connected his ain nether the monikers Johnny No Name and Alexander James (his commencement name) and released the solo medium Have It All successful 2010.
The vocalist said the agelong hold betwixt solo projects volition beryllium “worth the wait,” with a full-length LP, Hi, My Name Is Alexander James, slated to travel connected Jan. 9, which happens to beryllium AJ’s birthday. “i’m giving a acquisition to the fans and to myself. I’m truly passionate astir it, I’m arrogant of it,” said McLean. “It’s been an unthinkable travel uncovering my way… extracurricular of Backstreet Boys. This benignant of travel of self-discovery and truly uncovering my existent happiness.”
McLean noted that helium conscionable celebrated 4 years of sobriety, saying that wherever helium is contiguous shows done successful his solo music. He described going to connected a intelligence wellness retreat to Scottsdale, Ariz. 2 years agone wherever during a 10-week enactment helium began to recognize that “AJ” is simply a quality successful the BSB and that helium doesn’t specify who Alex the idiosyncratic is. “I privation the satellite to get to cognize Alex,” McLean said of the existent him.
“I conscionable privation everyone to benignant of get to cognize maine arsenic maine due to the fact that you cognize there’s not that overmuch of a quality betwixt the two, but 1 is portion of a group, portion of a squad and past maine connected my own,” said McLean. “I yet realized that I tin emotion myself today, which I do. I tin look astatine myself successful the mirror,” helium added, explaining that helium struggled with debased self-esteem his full life.
“Which is benignant of mind-boggling considering what I do,” helium said. “I wanted you to similar maine and present if you don’t similar maine that’s your loss. I’m a bully person.”
In the meantime, the BSB person a trio of dates coming up astatine the Schladming Ski Opening successful Schladming, Austria connected Dec. 5-7, followed by a New Year’s Even tally of shows astatine the Sphere successful Vegas connected Dec. 26, 27, 28, 30 and 31, past picking up again connected Jan. 2, 3 and 5.
Watch McLean connected the Jennifer Hudson Show below.