30 Off-The-Record Facts About AJ McLean Every Backstreet Boys Fan Must Know

AJ McLean, the first official member of the famous Backstreet Boys, has always won the hearts of millions of people around the world, with his amazing voice, and outstanding dance moves. He had been striving to establish himself as a solo artist, and has announced plans to release his second album. Still, his overindulgence in alcohol and drugs had a hampering effect on his endeavors. But, with the help of his wife, he successfully fought alcoholism and drugs and is now completely sober. Here are some really interesting facts about the singer that will make you love him more:

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1.  He launched his nail polish line Ava Dean Beauty, on November 30, 2020, inspired by his daughters Ava and Lyric.
2.  He created a character and named it “Johnny No Name,” to use as his alter ego, which he uses while not performing with the other members of the Backstreet Boys.
3.  McLean has occasionally performed in rock/metal clubs around New York as Johnny No Name. He also did a nine-city tour to support VH1 Save the Music as Johnny No Name.
4.  He established a foundation called the JNN Foundation to raise funds for diabetes research and other causes like keeping music programs in schools.
5.  Initially, his alter ego was named Johnny Suede, a name of the character played by Brad Pitt. However, with the studio threatening to sue McLean, he changed it to Johnny No Name.
6.  Alexander James McLean was born on January 9, 1978 to Bob McLean and Denise Fernandez in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is an only child.
7.  His parents divorced when he was two years old, and he was raised solely by his mother and grandparents – Adolph and Ursula.
8.  He first met his father when he was 10 years old and then again when he was 12. He reunited with his father at the age of 17.
9.  His father had been following him throughout his career, and since 1997, they have been in regular contact.
10.  His father Bob is of Scots-Irish and English descent, while his mother Denise is of Cuban-Puerto Rican and German ancestry.

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11.  A DNA test described his genetic ancestry as Iberian, Central and South American, North, West and East European, North African, Nigerian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Middle Eastern.
12.  During his childhood days, McLean had speech impediment, which gave him a lisp and a tendency to stutter.
13.  He also discovered his love for performing, and started pursuing a career in acting, dancing and singing. He started focusing on his love for dance at the age of four.
14.  He started taking dance lessons every day for two hours. He took ballet for four years, jazz, tap, hip hop, rhythm tap, rhythm hip-hop, contemporary, ballroom, salsa, merengue, and gymnastics.
15.  When he was just 5 years old, his mother got him into modeling and he was featured in J.C. Penney catalogs and runways.
16.  He learned to play piano from his grandmother, who started to take him to various auditions while he was growing up.
17.  When he was only six years old, he was part of a school play, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in which he played Dopey. Before he turned 12, he had performed in 27 classic school plays.
18.  Around this age, he started his first dance troupe and would take part in various dance competitions, which was a valuable experience even though they didn't win.
19.  He attended a private acting school, the Florida Academy of Dramatic Arts, for four years, acted in the drama club and small plays, and modeled periodically.
20.  He acted in his first ever role as Little Mike, when he was 8 years old, in the 1986 movie “Truth or Dare?” His mother and grandparents moved to Kissimmee, Florida, so he could pursue his acting career.

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21.  At the age of 13, he saw an ad for a Latin Festival in the newspaper and decided to audition, as his grandfather has Latin roots.
22.  He won first place and a $1,000 prize. He was also hired by the producer of the festival to perform a 45-minute one-man show, in which he did a puppet show.
23.  It was at the Latin Festival, that he met young 16-year-old Howie Dorough – Tony Donetti, for the first time, through a mutual vocal coach.
24.  Later, he again met Howie D and Nick Carter, in one of his auditions with the Nickelodeon. This formed the roots of the group that became the famous Backstreet Boys.
25.  In March 1992, he responded to an ad in a newspaper, seeking young men between ages 16-19 for a new music group, although he was just 14.
26.  He officially became the first member of the group – Backstreet Boys in April 1992, and then completed the remaining three years of high school through correspondence courses.
27.  In 2019, he voiced the character Lucy the Fairy in the episode "Cedric & the Fairies" of “The Bravest Knight,” an animated series.
28.  On his birthday – January 9, 2010, he proposed to Rochelle Deanna Karidis, a model and makeup artist/hairstylist, at a club in Las Vegas. He first met her in October 2001 at Choreographer's Carnival where she was a Halloween dancer.
29.  The couple got married on December 17, 2011, at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California, with the rest of the band members in attendance. They have two daughters together.
30.  In August 2020, McLean was announced as one of the celebrities competing on season 29 of Dancing with the Stars.
31.  AJ McLean Net Worth: $30 Million