AJ 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, AJ is arguably more famous for his personal life as for his professional career.

He went to rehab in 2001 to seek help for his alcohol and cocaine addiction after his bandmates Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell and Howie Dorough intervened when they became concerned about his erratic behaviour. Read full article.

We spoke to A.J. McLean earlier this week, and he gave us all the details about his engagement last weekend as well as some information about his forthcoming solo album. While we were talking to him about his wedding, we just had to know if A.J.’s rockstar alter-ego, Johnny No Name, will finally get a gig and play the Backstreet Boy’s wedding after years of living in obscurity.

While we thought this was a good-natured question meant to cause A.J. to chuckle at his past career decisions, A.J. actually took a moment to consider his response. “Um, I don’t think he will, but you never know,” before going into this whole thing about how he, A.J., is really looking forward to crooning away on his big day.

In our research for this blog post today (yes, actual research goes into these posts!), we have figured out just why Johnny No Name can’t come to the wedding: There’s a chance that Johnny Suede might show up. It turns out that long before JNN came into A.J.’s life, Johnny Suede did. JS and JNN don’t get along, and so A.J. will have to pick one before the big day. We just kind of hope all these crazy kids can work it out before then. [Source]

‘I’m really proud of it,’ the Backstreet Boy says of Have It All.

Fans of the Backstreet Boys and ‘NSYNC — once friendly rivals in their heyday — will probably be surprised to learn that JC Chasez helped write A.J. McLean’s first single from his forthcoming solo album.

The album is McLean’s first as a solo artist, although he once toured on his own as alter-ego Johnny No Name. Have It All is due in stores late this year and McLean promises that fans will take notice of the video for his first single, “Teenage Wildlife,” thanks to its slightly risqué vibe. “Wade Robson’s doing the video. He’s also choreographing it,” McLean told MTV News. “It’s his directorial debut, so it’s gonna be awesome. The song’s a song called ‘Teenage Wildlife.’ It was written by JC Chasez.”

McLean plans to shoot the video soon. “I don’t want to give too much away about the video because it’s definitely out-there, but I can say this much to you: It’s gonna be me in a club with a bunch of animals — not actual animals, but that’s why it’s going to be interesting.”

For the album, McLean worked with a number of hitmakers like Ryan Tedder, who also worked with the Backstreet Boys on their latest release, This Is Us. “It’s kind of a cross between a little bit of rock and funk and a little bit of dance,” McLean said of his debut. “It’s a well-rounded record. I’m really proud of it and I’ve been working on it for almost five years. It’s going to be a great, great record.” [Source]

‘I looked at her, and I was like, ‘I’m gonna do it tonight,’ ‘ he tells MTV News of proposing onstage.

On Friday, Backstreet Boys fans everywhere let out a collective sigh when another member, A.J. McLean, went off the market, proposing to girlfriend Rochelle Karidis. The boy-bander spoke to MTV News about the engagement and said he couldn’t have picked a better girl to make his future Mrs. McLean.

While celebrating his birthday last weekend, McLean said he knew it was time to make Karidis an honest woman.

“I have had this on my mind for months now, and there was talks amongst me and some of the friends of mine, and actually, I kind if brought it up to [bandmate] Howie [Dorough] once before, as well as Nick [Carter], about possibly doing it on New Year’s,” he revealed. “I said, ‘No, I’m going to wait a little bit longer.’ Something clicked. We were having dinner at Nobu prior to it, and I was like, ‘I’m just done. I’m done, and this is the one, and she’s absolutely phenomenal.’ ”

He very publicly asked her to marry him at a gig on Friday, which also happened to fall on his 32nd birthday. He admitted that he didn’t have a doubt that she would accept his proposal. “I [wasn't] nervous that she’d say no,” he said. “I was more nervous that she wouldn’t feel comfortable in front of a crowd.” Read full article.

Congrats to Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean and his lady love Rochelle Karidis, who got engaged over the weekend. Although the pair quite literally just got engaged, it’s never too late to start planning a wedding and what songs will play at said wedding. And with the copious number of songs BSB have recorded over the years, it seems like some have to be played at the couple’s forthcoming nuptials. So we’ve decided to sit down and make a few suggestions.

“All I Have to Give”
A.J. McLean arguably has a lot to give. The Backstreet Boys have sold tens of millions of records and tons of merchandise, so we imagine that he has amassed a generous fortune that would probably lead to a very prosperous marriage.

“As Long as You Love Me”
Fittingly, she must love A.J. to see past his pop star persona for the man that he is. So it seems that this touching pop classic would be a great way to reiterate the fact that these two crazy kids accept one another for who they are. Read full article.

A.J. McLean is now officially off the market.

While celebrating his 32nd birthday in Las Vegas on Friday night, the Backstreet Boy vocalist proposed to his girlfriend Rochelle Deanna Karidis on the stage of Hard Rock Hotel’s Wasted Space nightclub.

“He got up on stage and the DJ turned the music off. He asked her to come up on stage and he got down on his knee and she squatted down with him,” an eyewitness tells PEOPLE. “He asked her and she said yes and hugged him. He took the ring out of his pocket and put it on her hand.” Read full article.