AJ McLean’s name change has kickstarted a new chapter in his life. For a long time, the Backstreet Boys member has built a persona around the name “AJ McLean.” However, he recently expressed his desire to now go by his full name “Alexander James McLean.” The musician opened up about the name shift in the latest episode of fellow boy bander Lance Bass’s Frosted Tips With Lance Bass podcast. Bass began the conversation with McLean and actor Brian Austin Green, saying, “I hear you want to start going by Alex more than AJ.”
In response, Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean revealed he learned that the name AJ was simply a persona. “AJ, I’ve now kind of learned is a persona, is a character if you will,” he said while calling that old version of himself “one-fifth of the Backstreet Boys.” The singer noted that he spent ten weeks at an intensive outpatient program called The Meadows for a little self-journey last summer. “Not so much for my sobriety,” McClean, who struggled with addiction in the past, shared. “But really to kind of get to the roots and clean out the pipes, and you know, deal with some past traumas and whatnot.”
McLean admitted that he learned two keywords there — boundaries and authenticity. Moreover, author Brené Brown played a part in AJ McLean’s name change. According to the singer, she greatly inspired him, hence his decision to tattoo her mantra, “braving” on his arm. “Which stands for boundaries, reliability, accountability, fault, integrity, non-judgment, and gratitude,” McLean explained. Most importantly, he said that Alexander James was him being his true, authentic self. Meanwhile, the 46-year-old also added Alexander James as his name on his Instagram. While fans may find it hard to adapt to AJ McLean’s name change, he won’t go back on it.
