A.J.'s Stats

With his slick style, outgoing personality and soulful, heart-melting voice, A.J. McLean is the Backstreet Boy who's got charm for miles. It doesn't take much to see how special A.J. is--in interviews, onstage and just about everywhere else, this 21-year-old vocal powerhouse just has a way about him. Maybe it's his chameleon tendencies (A.J. seriously rates as the guy most likely to change his image in a flash) or his sunny dispostition. Whatever the case, A.J. has got a certain something that makes fans go wild.

In Backstreet Boys, A.J. is the talker of the bunch who gets everybody hyped about things. But even though he's had time to get used to BSB's success, A.J. has moments where he gets overwhelmed by their amazing achievements. "The fact that things are going so quickly is what's blowing my mind," he says about Backstreet's mega-platinum, chart-topping hits. Yet, at the end of the day, what really matters to A.J. are not accolades or honors--it's making good music with his best friends. He's especially pysched about the great work they've done on their upcoming album, Millennium. And this outgoing showstopper doesn't mind the quiet environment of the recording studio. Actually, it's where he thrives the most. "You can do anything you want in there--create your songs, create your sound to be the Backstreet Boys sound." And it's a sound we'll be hearing for a long time to come.

Ever since he was small, A.J. McLean has always attracted attention. With his style, singing skills and showbiz savvy, it's not hard to see why!

Alexander James McLean came into the world on January 9, 1978 in West Palm Beach, Florida. From the start, his friends and family including mom Denise and dad Robert) knew that this bouncing baby boy had a lot of energy. And by the time he was in kindergarten, A.J. was showing signs of being a natural-born performer. "I'm a big ham and I gotta be out there and doing crazy stuff for no apparent reason," A.J. says of the wild and wacky personality that's always made him stand out from the crowd. Did you know that at just five years old, adorable little A.J. was already modeling in J.C. Penney's department store catalogues?

When A.J. was six, he snagged the spotlight as 'Dopey' in a production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. That's when plenty of folks started noticing that A.J. had a gift for singing. A.J.'s mom Denise (who's had a huge impact in the Backstreet Boys organization initially as a costume person and now as their publicist) nurtured her little boy's love for performing and encouraged him to take singing, dancing, and acting classes. If it wasn't for her unconditional support, A.J. admits, he definitely wouldn't be the star that he is today!

By the time he was 12, A.J. was a veteran stage performer, appearing in 27 plays like The Nutcracker, The King And I and Fiddler On The Roof. And with his extensive training, A.J. was wowing audiences as a singer, dancer and actor! He knew exactly how to get an audience on it's feet, even back then. Because A.J. was so serious about the arts, Denise decided to enroll him in an Orlando performing arts school to foster his talents. Though he was big on singing, A.J.'s particular fave was dance. "Tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, gymnastics--you name it, I've done it," he explains. No wonder he's the best dancer in the Backstreet crew!

With his flair for the dramatic, A.J. was also a budding thespian. Denise and A.J. would regularly head out on the audition trail after school. One of his earliest roles was the part of "Skunk" on the Nickelodeon series Hi Honey, I'm Home. A.J. had to shave his hair into a mohawk and bleach it yellow for the role. Actually, he didn't mind--it was the start of his lifelong fascination with changing his hairstyles. Besides Hi Honey, I'm Home, A.J. was an extra on the show Welcome Freshman and Fifteen. Here's an odd bit of trivia: A.J. auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club, but didn't make it! Who knows, if it had worked out, maybe he'd be in 'N Sync today with former MMC castmates JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake.

Another professional pursuit A.J. took up was puppeteeting. "I did a lot of talent shows with me and puppets. It just caught on because no one had seen anyone my age that interested and having that much fun doing stuff with puppets. I got a major kick out of it and I still do," says A.J. of his puppet show days.

Of all his artistic attempts, the one A.J. was the least hyped about was singing. But he just kind of fell into it. "I wanted to be a dancer or an actor," he recalls. "I never really wanted to be a singer, but it just kind of went that way." When he met up with Howie and Nick, who were also talent competition mainstays, and harmonized together as a trio, A.J. realized that their chemistry was undeniable.

In Backstreet Boys, A.J. is the guy most likely to take time to chat with a fan. He's such a nice person that it's hard for him not to stop to say hello. After all, A.J. realizes that it's BSB's loyal posse who have made them blow up as big as they have! And when it comes to girls, it's not surprising that treating the ladies right is high on his list of priorities. "I was raised in a feminine household," he explains, "and I was raised to treat women with respect." How's that for sweet? He's utterly romantic, too, the type of guy who'd show up at your doorstep with a beautiful bouquet of roses and a box of chocolate for no particular reason at all. He's also a poet who's written over 75 poems.

When he's on the road with Backstreet, you can be sure that A.J. will hit the coolest stores to satisfy his famous shopping addiction. "I shop more than most women," he says. But what matters more than a new shirt is being the best BSB he can be. We think he's doing a pretty good job.

Say What??

"I talk on the phone like it's a part of me. I guarantee I'm going to be buried with a phone next to my head!"

"The only sport I'm into--if you consider it a sport--is billiards. I'm, like, really good at pool. I'm trying to be into basketball. On a scale of one to 10, I'm like an eight. And I'm getting better."

"I love women! They shop, I shop. They like clothes, I like clothes. I like understanding, modest, mature, faithful, caring, honest, trustworthy girls."

"When we're touring, I bring my own pillow, my CD player and a Beanie Baby dog." (Awww!!)

"Coming from a person my age, a lot of what you write is about past experiences. I'm single now, so I write a lot about my past relationships. Maybe not good stuff, but it's always good to write what you feel inside. It helps a lot for when we write songs because a lot of my poetry becomes a song."

"The five of us keep ourselves in check. Our parents and the five of us. Offstage we're still pretty much--if you want to consider us normal--just normal people."

"The fast pace of success--it's like, slow down and give me a little time to have a life."

"I like their eyes. Honestly. I know that most guys would not agree with me, but the first thing that I look at is eyes. I have to look into her eyes because if I could look deep past those eyes it's like, 'Wow!' And I like long hair. Short hair is just as nice, but I like long hair. I don't care if they are fat, skinny, tall, or short."

"I never went to my prom. I never went to high school, I mean, I had to get tutored. I have my ring, I graduated, but I graduated in my hotel room."

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