Who is AJ McLean? And why is he starring on Dancing With The Stars? We have all the details about who he is, and where McLean now in his career and in his personal life. He was previously a tutor on the show to country singer Lauren Alaina.
1990s kids may remember McLean from the Backstreet Boys. The band went viral for "I Want It That Way," which has since been immortalized as a Brooklyn Nine Nine cover. McLean guest-starred on Static Shock in season 3, where his concert became the talk at Virgil Hawkins' school and the worst-kept secret. He's going to be on season 29 of Dancing with the Stars, which features celebrities showing off their dance moves in front of a giddy audience and a panel of judges. Everyone is excited to see the 42-year old, and guesses range for who his partner will be. Cheryl Burke is a likely contender to tear up the dance floor with him.
During an interview with ET Canada, McLean he has grown from being a boy band sensation or a teenage heartthrob. Most importantly, he has embraced sobriety. McLean started dancing when he was five, learning that he had a natural gift for various styles, including ballet and hip-hop. He started with musical theatre as his specialty but admitted that he wanted to become a backup dancer for other celebrities of the time. The reality, in a rare turn of events, shot much further than his dreams: at 14, McLean became a Backstreet Boy and soon was singing for young girls. He got to sing and dance, showing off both of his talents.
In 2001, McLean went to rehab, for various addictions. He's suffered from alcoholism and is very happy to be sober now. His partner knows, and they have talked for a while before they get into performing onstage. Having two kids -- Ava and Lyric -- helped him focus his priority because he wants to be a good dad. That means keeping his body healthy, so he can watch them grow up. Songwriting helped him focus his feelings, about what it was like to grow up too early, and he admits he doesn't want them to lose their childhood too quickly. McLean regrets that, due to his career, he rushed growing up and missed out on some good parts of his childhood. He believes that Ava and Lyric deserve the chance to have a proper childhood.
In fact, his kids are why McLean is doing Dancing With The Stars. He wants to show them that you can achieve any goal once you put your mind to it. To do so, he lost fifteen pounds to get in shape for filming, with the help of a personal trainer. Ballroom dancing will be one of the challenges since he had to retrain his muscles for that and to become more restrained. McLean plans to have fun regardless and to not overthink how the competition will go.
We admit that McLean has stiff competition. He is a good dancer and a great sense of rhythm, and years of knowing how to charm crowds. The boy band backstory definitely helps with the stamina, given how many concerts the Backstreet Boys were doing in their heyday. His previous celebrity will definitely endear him to the audience, as it has with stars such as Bill Nye the Science Guy. We all want McLean that way: sober, healthy and happy.
Dancing With The Stars airs Mondays at 8pm EST on ABC.
Source: ET Canada
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