He doesn’t re­member being in New­found­land before, but A.J McLean has the scar to prove he was there.

The Backstreet Boys were flying from Florida to Germany and had to stop on The Rock so the plane could refuel.

“Howie just actually reminded us that we were here years and years ago,” McLean said before the guys’ first concert in St. John’s. “I got my earring ripped out by Kevin by accident while he and I were wrestling.”

The boy-band — man-band, really — started its 13-city Canadian tour in New­foundland this week. This is the latest leg in their Un­breakable world tour.
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A.J. McLean is most famous for being the ‘bad boy’ of hit 90s boyband The Backstreet Boys but, with his upcoming solo album, he is attempting to forge a successful solo career.

The 30-year-old singer – who is partly responsible for the band’s hit tracks including ‘(Everybody) Backstreet’s Back’ and ‘As Long as You Love Me’ – insists he isn’t worried about stepping away from the sound which led to his fame.

“We’re calling it a rock, funk and soul vibe. The vocals are pop and R ‘n’B-ish and there’s even a kind of country twang going on,” he said. “It’s eclectic. I think people will be a little shocked by some songs, which is absolutely fine by me. They’ll be thinking, ‘That is what I hoped he was going to do’.”

However, A.J. is arguably more famous for his personal life as for his professional career.
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‘Rehab? The best 30 days of my life’

A J McLean, 30, achieved fame as a member of the American boy band Backstreet Boys. He is currently writing and recording on his own and will be playing in London at the Indig02 Arena on 15 May.

If I weren’t talking to you right now I’d be …
Sleeping. I’m a bit of an insomniac. I go to bed at 5am because I get caught up in watching TV or listening to music at night.
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After selling more than 120 million records with the Backstreet Boys, a group he joined when he was just 15, A.J. McLean has decided to take the plunge. Next month he embarks upon his first European tour as a solo artist, offering us a sneak preview of his debut album, due later this year. Is A.J. feeling nervous? How do his bandmates feel about him going it alone? We gave him a call to find out.

What’s made you want to go solo now?
“It’s about time. I’ve been patiently waiting for a long time for the right music and the right sound to show people who I am outside the group.”
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AJ McLean, the voice that captured the hearts of millions around the world as a member of the group the Backstreet Boys, today announces his debut solo European tour, that will showcase material from his forthcoming debut solo album, scheduled for release in late 2008.

For the last 12 months, AJ has been in the studio writing with One Republic’s Ryan Tedder, *NSYNC’s JC Chasez, as well as industry legends, Mark Hudson and Kristin Lundin to create his debut. The album, which he sees as ’pushing the envelope’, is a departure stylistically and musically from his Backstreet Boys material, and has seen him rediscover an inner sense of himself.

A personal record, the record draws inspiration from his own experiences, including exorcising the alcohol addiction he once suffered.
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