The videos of yesterday’s The Apprentice finale have been added to the Video Archive. Thanks to Sue. Check it out, it includes great performance footage.

Posted: March 28th, 2008 under Video.
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Ishé kindly shared some of her fantastic photos of the Boys in Mexico. Thank you! They’re really good, so be sure to check them out in our Gallery.

Posted: March 27th, 2008 under Photos.
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‘Boy’ A.J. McLean grows up — if his fans will let him. The singer ventures beyond the Backstreet with an enthusiastic and promising launch to his solo career.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this ain’t no boy band,” the announcer exclaimed as A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys rolled onto the stage Monday at the Roxy. It certainly wasn’t. McLean generated boy-band-worthy shrieks from female fans but created a rock ‘n’ roll mood, sporting black nail polish and eyeliner, and celebrating the night’s lack of PG-propriety by cursing and being sexually provocative. But given a 90-minute set that was all over the place stylistically, he is still figuring out who he is on his own.

The performance, which showcased material from his solo debut due later this year, was only his second solo date. His band, which included four members of the Backstreet Boys’ touring band as well as a three-piece horn section and two backup singers, sounded under-rehearsed. But McLean displayed winning enthusiasm and a humility remarkable for someone who has sold millions of albums and charted numerous times with his other group, which is about to embark on a European tour. He introduced each song by explaining his inspiration and giving ample credit to his co-songwriters, including sometime Backstreet Boys producer Kristian Lundin.

The set ranged from the kinetic, horn-laden sound of “Love Me Crazy” to the electro-rock vibe of “Have It All” and the earnest ballad “I Hate It When You’re Gone.” McLean’s vocals were strong, but he sounded more like a performer than a singer expressing his own voice and personality.

If McLean is experiencing growing pains, it’s also unclear whether fans will let him mature. Many on hand were almost more interested in seeing him strip than sing. They went crazy for any Backstreet Boys mention, including a moody, rock version of the group’s “Incomplete.” When he sat to play acoustic guitar on the blues pop ballad “Life Is Just,” fans chatted loudly.

Several pop numbers were good fun, especially when he delivered a Prince-worthy falsetto during “Gorgeous,” which could be summer’s guilty pop pleasure. McLean finally bared real emotion and pushed his vocals during an intense power ballad, “Sincerely Yours,” about his painful relationship with his absent father. McLean clearly has personality to spare and a devoted fan base. Now he needs to find his solo music persona or a way to just be himself in his songs.

[Source]

Posted: March 26th, 2008 under In The Press.
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We now have more than 100 photos of AJ’s concerts in Anaheim and LA. Credit goes to WireImage, Laura, BSBFanatic935 and Harleyquinn. Check them out!

Posted: March 25th, 2008 under Photos.
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Part one of the Celebrity Apprentice Finale was aired on March 20. You can now download the video of the Boys’ part in our Video Archive. Thanks to Kaos Online.

Posted: March 24th, 2008 under Video.
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Taking a long-awaited side trip, A.J. McLean says his first solo project will let fans know “who I am outside of the Backstreet Boys.”

“It feels good, man. It’s really been 15 years in the making,” McLean, 30, tells PEOPLE.

While he’s not leaving the group, and will soon be heading out on a European tour with his band-mates, McLean is stepping out on his own for two concert appearances this Sunday and Monday in California, performing songs from his album that comes out later this year.

“Once I got sober things really kind of kicked into gear for me,” says McLean, a recovering alcoholic now six years sober. “Everything I was feeling, I started just putting it down with pen on paper and applying music to it.”

Audiences who catch his solo shows (including shows at small venues throughout Europe after the Backstreet tour ends May 15) won’t get a boy-band show.

“There are no dancers, no big flashing lights – it’s just about the music and about me.” he says. ” I can speak my mind, say whatever I want to say, and not feel like I have to be censored. It’s me being myself and I’m not a kid anymore. If I want to say the S-word on stage I can do that. I’m 30 years old. I can talk about what I want to talk about.”

How do the other Backstreet Boys feel about it? “The group is very supportive of him,” says a source close to the band. In fact, the source adds, “You will most likely see the group members at the shows in Los Angeles and London.”

[Source]

Posted: March 22nd, 2008 under In The Press.
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Backstreet Boys performed to a 10,000-strong crowd in Sunway Lagoon recently. LIN MEI ZHEN talks to A.J. McLean about the group’s continued popularity.

The Backstreet Boys has not faded into obscurity like its peers from the 90s— LFO, 98 Degrees and BBMak.

Instead, the group has defied the odds and remain an active music act still releasing albums regularly, gaining airplay in Malaysia and touring.

The group currently comprises Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough and A.J. McLean. Kevin Richardson left in 2006 to pursue stage acting.

Says McLean of the band’s longevity: “It’s pretty overwhelming. It’s flattering to have success in countries where the fans may not speak your language, but they know all the words to your songs and all the dance moves! We have the best fans.”

But age catching up is something that isn’t lost on McLean and his fellow “boys”. He admits to things being different now and says the group is not likely to pose in wet T-shirts like it did back in the 90s.

“Oh my lord, what were we wearing? The only guy who isn’t in his 30s yet is Nick, but we all definitely see things differently now,” says McLean, laughing.

While they may not have the same level of fame they used to, McLean says it doesn’t really matter.

What the group now has is more than enough to sustain it for a while.

“We still have fans interested in seeing us. We want to do this for another 10 or 15 years.

“Who knows? Maybe even many more years. But we may not dance as much and we may have walkers on stage,” jokes McLean.

Beyond the group’s own effort to keep going, McLean has noticed that there is a new wave of pop acts out there keeping pop music alive today.

Pop music started taking a back seat in the last few years, giving way to hip hop and rock acts. The new wave of pop would be thanks to artistes related to High School Musical and American Idol graduates.

“There’s definitely a positive new wave of pop resurfacing,” says McLean.

Beyond Backstreet Boys’ most recent release, Unbreakable, fans of the group can look forward to more solo releases.

“My solo album is done. I’m just waiting for the record label to release that.

“Nick and Brian are working on new ones too. Howie has his Latin pop album in the works.

“Musically, mine will reflect my influences who are musicians like Prince, Al Green and Lenny Kravitz,” explains McLean.

[Source]

Posted: March 20th, 2008 under In The Press.
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Several photos of the Boys performing in Monterrey, Mexico have been added to the Gallery. They’re great quality, so be sure to check them out. Thanks to BSBSquad.

Posted: March 19th, 2008 under Photos.
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Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean put tickets on sale Tuesday for two sneak-preview solo concerts this coming Sunday and Monday in the Los Angeles area.

On Sunday, McLean will play the House of Blues in Anaheim; and on Monday the famous Roxy on L.A.’s Sunset Strip.

“After 13 years with the Backstreet Boys, and 75 million records sold worldwide, A.J.’s excited to take a step out on his own and present his music, in his style,” his manager, Eric Podwall, tells PEOPLE. “He’s excited to connect to his fans on a one-on-one basis at smaller venues – something you can’t do in large arenas – and to give them a taste of some of the music that will appear on his first solo record later this year.”

McLean’s record, expected to be released toward the end of the year, will include songs such as “What If,” “I Hate It When You’re Gone,” “London,” and “Drive-By Love,” a tune that McLean has already been singing at Backstreet Boys shows.

Following his own two shows, as well as the Backstreet Boys’ European tour wrapping up May 14, McLean is set to play a series of solo shows in small venues throughout Europe before returning the States to continue working on the record.

But Backstreet Boys fans need not fret. A source also confirms that McLean is planning to record another album with the group next year.

[Source]

Posted: March 19th, 2008 under In The Press.
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Some more European solo shows have been added to AJ’s schedule. Check the schedule in the sidebar for the exact dates and locations…

Posted: March 18th, 2008 under AJ, News.
Comments: 7