AJ McLean Reflects on Daughter’s Comment That Inspired His Journey to Sobriety (Exclusive)
AJ McLean believes that he wouldn’t be where he is today without his 8-year-old daughter, Lyric.
“She’s incredibly bright, but I’m not sure she fully understands that she literally saved my life — because she did,” the 47-year-old Backstreet Boys member shared in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly while promoting his upcoming solo EP, Hi My Name Is Alex. “Four years back, after a trip to Miami for a show, I came home smelling like a bar. I had done a massive amount of cocaine. I was out of control. When I returned home, she wouldn’t come closer than 2 feet. She wouldn’t even give me a hug.”
McLean recalls asking Lyric what was wrong, and her heartbreaking response was, “You don’t smell like my daddy.”
“That moment was a wake-up call,” he explains, realizing he had to get sober. “A light bulb went off, and I thought, ‘What are you doing, man?’”
To this day, Lyric and her 12-year-old sister, Elliott, help keep their dad grounded.
“They’ve never seen me under the influence, and I aim to keep it that way,” McLean, who has been sober since 2021, tells Us. “Trust me, they’re all in my business. If I’m on FaceTime sipping a bottle of Jones [Soda] or even a ginger ale, which is often in a green bottle, they’re quick to ask, ‘Dad, is that alcohol?’”
One of the tracks on Hi My Name Is Alex — which McLean is releasing under his actual name, Alexander James — is called “Arizona.” It’s inspired by his 2023 trip to Scottsdale, where he entered an intensive outpatient treatment program shortly after concluding the South African leg of the DNA World Tour.
“I was sober at that point, but I went there to dig deeper and uncover the roots of my addictions,” he explains. “What many don’t understand about addiction is that it often stems from underlying issues — be it a history of domestic violence or families of alcoholics or addicts. That wasn’t my story; I had a wonderful upbringing and family. But in Arizona, I discovered I struggled with insecurities and low self-esteem. I kept that hidden for a long time.”
McLean acknowledges that he managed to “mask it pretty well” for years, but that approach “worked until it didn’t.”
“During my time there, I truly discovered who Alex was. I had suppressed that person for far too long; it was simply easier to stay in the spotlight and maintain that character. But that wasn’t genuinely me,” he reflects. “The result of that experience revealed that AJ is merely a persona. He’s a character in a band, while Alex represents my true self.”
Now, McLean hopes that “Arizona” will support others battling addiction or mental health challenges.
“To confidently state, ‘I put myself first today,’ is completely valid. There’s a healthy form of selfishness,” he tells Us. “I wouldn’t be a good partner to my wife [Rochelle DeAnna McLean], a responsible father, or a supportive bandmate if I didn’t prioritize myself. The saying, ‘If you can’t love yourself, you can’t love someone else,’ resonates deeply with me.”
Hi My Name Is Alex is set to release on November 27, with a full-length solo album planned for early 2026.
If you or someone you know is facing issues with substance abuse, please reach out to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
