Source: bang showbiz
Date: 16 May 2008
A.J. 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, A.J. 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.
Now tee-total, A.J. insists the experience sobered him in more ways than one, and also led to him writing a book with his mother Denise entitled 'Backstreet Mom'.
He also said he has some advice for other troubled celebrities including Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears.
"I'm coming up on six years sober," he said. "I just want to sit down with Britney and pick her brain.
"I want to be just someone who can tell her straight. I'll say, 'Hey, do you want to die? Is that what you want?' If that is what she really wanted, she would have done it already. I know that is not what she wants."
Instead of turning his back on The Backstreet Boys, A.J. insists he will never leave his bandmates behind, and is currently undergoing his solo tour in conjunction with the boys' 'Unbreakable' World Tour 2008.
A.J. also revealed the boys have been incredibly supportive of his solo venture.
"We're all really supportive of each other's projects outside of the group, whether it be singing, acting, producing or whatever," he said. "The one thing we've always told each other is that we'll never hold each other back. If anyone's got any dreams or aspirations to go do something on their own, that's cool as long as they can co-exist with the group."
While the boys' comeback tour has not been as successful as their previous ones, it is clear they still have some devoted fans. Lacking former member Kevin Richardson, the boys' most recent album 'Unbreakable' was well received by critics and fans alike.
However, it seems that A.J.'s solo career could take him beyond the realms of boybandom to forge a career as a thoroughly successful solo artist.
With pop tracks and heart-wrenching soulful tracks on the as-yet-untitled album, A.J. is set to prove he has what it takes to succeed in an industry which enjoys victimising boyband 'has-beens'.
BANG Showbiz spoke to the musician on the day after The Backstreet Boys' performance at London's O2 arena, on the night of his solo performance at the IndigO2 - a more intimate concert venue inside the arena.
Q: How was the show with The Backstreet Boys at London's O2 arena last night?
A: The show was amazing - it went off without a hitch. We added a lot of new s**t yesterday - pyro and stuff so it was like because we were doing it for this big webcast for MSN and we are probably going to make it into a DVD as well - we wanted to add a little flair to the show that wasn't normally there. It went off without a hitch - nobody blew up, nobody caught fire! It was really good. There's been moments when that's happened.
Q: Why did you decide to go solo now?
A: I'm ready. A lot of people ask me, 'Why didn't you do it at the height of the Backstreet Boys fame?' But I wasn't ready then. I'm really glad I didn't do it then because I was just getting into my drinking and drugging and I would have probably destroyed my solo career. I mean, I probably would have been in the press an awful lot but it wouldn't have been positive and I want it to be positive and I want it to be right. I also like to think I would have learned as much as I did to write about. I wanted to be so honest with this record. I'm so psyched - I'm ready for this. I'm scared - I won't lie. It's kind of surreal and a little nerve-wracking because you are going to be up there on your own and you turn around a look behind you and there is nobody there - it's all you!
Q: Have you taken it in a specifically different direction that the material you wrote with the Backstreet Boys?
A: Yes, it is definitely a different direction. There are some songs that could be a Backstreet Boys record but then when you hear the lyrical content you go, 'OK, maybe not!' But the melodies and the harmonies - they have that feel to them. For the most part the sound is completely different. It's more rock, funk and soul with a pop feel. But it's me tapping into the start of where I really want to go. I couldn't go where I wanted to go on my first record because I think it would have taken people much too much by surprise. But for my second record, if this one does really well, I'll do the kind of record I want to do which is straight up funk - anything from Creedence Clearwater Revival to Jimi Hendrix - straight up rock funk.
Q: Normally, the album precedes a tour, but you've done it the other way around. Why?
A: I think just because we have talked about when we are going to make another record. We have talked about the sound that we are trying to go for on this next Backstreet Boys record. I think it's just the timing - it just happens to be what is best for me. We are going to wrap up this whole tour in September and then I am going to continue doing shows like this right up until the single release and then do a proper solo tour next year. But it just seems to be the right time.
Q: Have you found your solo music has had a different reception with American and European audiences?
A: I don't know. I've done two US shows, at the House of Blues and at the Roxy, and they seemed to love it. There was a lot of European fans there but there was a lot of American fans there too, and everyone seems to really love it. They get it - they see that it's me and that's what I want them to see. And also they take something from it because it's more real music as far as directly what I'm talking about. It's more relatable and it's just people - guys and girls. There were guys at my show, there were guys rocking out - I think it's OK to like Backstreet Boys if you are a guy now and even more so, it is OK to like just good music! It doesn't matter who is doing it - a guy or a girl.
I spent probably about four years making this record. It started in one direction, and then I went in another direction, and then in another direction again. Everything just kind of fell into place.
Q: What do the other boys think of it - are they supportive of you?
A: They love it - they are in full support. They love the record and they think it's going to do really, really well. After I cut a couple of songs I bounced it off a couple of the guys and said, 'Hey, check this new one out, what do you think?' They all have two particular songs across the board which are their favourites which are 'London' and 'I Hate It When You're Gone'. They are going to be there tonight to watch the show. They haven't seen the show yet so they don't really know what they are in for. It's a little different than a Backstreet Boys show.
Q: You started as an actor in the very beginning - have you got any plans to go back to that?
A: I would love to. I mean, obviously I want to put the cart before the horse, but I definitely want to get back into doing my musical theatre, and I actually want to get a flat here in London next year. I love London and I want to move here. I want to move down to the West End, to really be near the theatre district, and I definitely want to get back into acting again - I do. It's something that I would really love to do. I don't know how many parts I can get with all my tattoos though! I don't want to be stereotyped as the prison guy or the bad guy.
Q: What do you think about Britney Spears starring on 'How I Met Your Mother'?
A: I think her performance on the show will do well. I think as long as she can just keep her feet on the ground and just find herself again. She is a little lost but I know she can do it, I believe in her. I believe in anybody who wants to do something for themselves.
Q: Nick found a lot of fame in the US because of his reality show, 'House of Carters' - would you ever consider doing a reality show?
A: I'm not a big fan of reality television. I can openly admit and accept that TV is becoming a great bit outlet with people nowadays, but the layout of a group like us - we have been doing what we've done for the past 15 years without it - we don't need it. We don't need to conform to doing a reality TV show. There is really not much to us to watch the four of us do a reality show - it would be kind of boring. There's not drama, there's not fighting and bickering - there's nothing to watch. It would have to be made up. I do like stuff like 'A Hard Day's Night' that are more like a true documentary, or something like that that shows who you are there - real - it shows everything. That to me is more credible and more respectful. But I don't know - reality television is the big thing right now. I think Nick learnt a lot about himself through his. He was kind of 50/50 doing it - part of it he hated, and part of it, he learned about himself. I don't think he would ever do it again, but who knows?!
Q: You said the Backstreet Boys' show last night was broadcast on MSN and you have found a lot of success with your solo material through YouTube. How much of an impact do you think the internet is having on the music industry?
A: It's huge. I mean, you ask anybody who is an artist and more than likely in the next five years there's not going to be any more record companies - period. There will be one big huge one that has every artist and iTunes and YouTube and the internet is going to run through that. Or you get artists who become their own record companies. There are people now who are just doing distribution deals with people - they are their record company. And that is what every artist has ever wanted when you really think about it - to have complete and utter creative control and all you really need is a great publicist, a great distribution company and a great marketing plan. The rest is you just doing what you love to do. You don't need a record company nowadays anymore. And record companies are becoming obsolete - there's nothing for them to do. But the internet - especially sites like YouTube and MySpace - is huge. MySpace now is going back to what it was originally meant for, which was for new artists in the music industry to promote themselves. You look at people like Ryan Tedder from One Republic - they were one of the biggest MySpace bands in the world and now look at them! They are doing quite well for themselves! But YouTube has been really great for me with my solo stuff because now I think a lot of fans will know a lot more of the words.
AJ Mclean是90年代最出名的男孩組合新好男孩裏面的“壞男孩”，但是他正在努力做好自己的solo事業，準備發行新的個人專輯。
這位30歲的歌手說他並不擔心會偏離他一貫的音樂特色，AJ擔任了這組合中的很多耳熟能詳的歌曲的主音，包括Everybody(Backstreet's Back)和As Long as You Love Me。
“我們把這稱爲是搖滾，帶鄉村節奏和能夠從心靈上産生共鳴的。伴唱是流行的，R & B的，甚至也有一種鄉村撥弦樂呢，”他說道。“這是有選擇性的。我覺得大家會因爲一些歌曲而産生共鳴，我很滿意這些歌曲。他們會想，‘這正是我們所希望的。’”
但是，按理來說，AJ的個人生活比他的職業人生更爲人們關注。
2001年，AJ被組合其他成員Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell和Howie Dorough發現AJ的一些奇怪的行爲後，一起出面幫助他。於是AJ接受康復治療，尋求幫助戒掉酒精和可卡因。
現在AJ只喝茶了，他說這段經歷，不僅僅一方面讓他自己清醒過來， 這些經歷還促使了他與媽媽Denise一起合作了一本書叫“新好媽媽”。
“這六年來我變得穩重，冷靜了，”他說。“我想給林賽和Britney一些建議”
“我只是想能和布蘭妮直接對話。我會說，‘嘿，你想要死嗎？那是你想要的嗎？’如果那真的是她想要的，她肯定會已經這麽做了。我知道那不是她想要的。”
AJ他沒有對新好男孩置之不理，他說他不會丟下他的成員的，最近他正在進行他的個人巡演，而他的個人巡演正好跟男孩們的2008“unbreakable”世界巡演結合在一起。
AJ也坦白說其他成員對他的個人事業給予全力的支援。
“事實上我們對每個成員自己在組合外的的事業都很支援，無論是唱歌，演戲，創作還是什麽，”他說。“有一件事我們總是會告訴每個人的，就是我們絕對不會對每個人置之不理的。如果哪一個人擁有夢想或者有激情自己去做某件事的話，只要他們能夠與組合並存，那都會很酷呀。”
雖然這次男孩們的巡演沒有以前的那麽成功，但是不可否認的是他們還有一些死忠的歌迷。缺少了前成員Kevin Richardson，男孩們的最新的專輯“unbreakable”很受評論家和歌迷的歡迎。
但是，AJ的個人事業似乎能夠把他帶到組合以外的領域，去完完全全的實現他個人的藝術事業。
還沒命名的新專輯裏有一些流行歌曲和一些令人悲痛的抒情歌曲，AJ已經準備好證明他擁有在曾經流行的男孩組合行業裏成功所需要的一切。在新好男孩倫敦02體育館表演後的一天，也就是在IndigO2體育館裏有他個人表演的晚上，BANG Showbiz跟AJ聊天。
Q:昨天晚上新好男孩在倫敦02體育館的表演怎麽樣？
A:表演太棒了——進行得很順利，沒有中斷。昨天我們加入了很多新的東西——放煙火之類的，因爲我們要爲了MSN搞一個大型的網路播放的，也很有可能製作成DVD——我們想爲表演加一點新奇的創意。表演進行的很順利，沒有停止——沒有人被炸傷，沒有人著火！表演真的很好。放煙火時是很美妙的時刻。
Q:爲什麽你現在決定要solo？
A:因爲我準備好了。很多人都問我，‘爲什麽你麽有在新好男孩鼎盛時做呢？‘但是當時我沒有做好準備呀。我很高興我當時沒有做，當時我因爲有酗酒和毒癮，這樣很可能會毀了我的個人生涯的。我的意思是，我很可能會成爲新聞報導的物件，那是很恐怖的，而且是很不積極的，我想要在最適合的時間做這件事。我會向以前學到很多，得到更多的體驗去寫歌。我要向這張唱片給予真實的一面。我做好了心理準備——我準備好了。我很害怕——我不會說謊。有點覺得很離奇又有一點神經緊張痛苦，因爲你將一個人在上面，當你回頭一看那裏沒有人——只是自己！
Q:你有沒有把它帶進一個特別不同的方向裏，就是一個你自己的，跟新好男孩不同的方向？
A:有啊，這個是肯定不一樣的方向啊。有些可以在新好男孩的錄音裏出現，但當你聽到歌詞的內容後，你會覺得不可能，因爲旋律和和聲使他們有那種感覺。大部分的聲音是截然不同的。帶有流行感覺，但這是更加有搖滾味，更有鄉村節奏，更有共鳴感。這個是我準備一直堅持的方向。我想那會給人們帶來太多太多的驚奇了。但是如果這一張做得好的話，我的第二張專輯，我會錄製那種我想要的真正的鄉村節奏——從Creedence Clearwater Revival 到 Jimi Hendrix，任何東西——真正的搖滾鄉村節奏。
Q:正常來說，專輯在演唱會之前，但是你卻反著做。爲什麽？
A:我想這只是因爲我們正在錄製的一張新專輯時候我們就談及到了。我們正在嘗試做下一張新好男孩的專輯。我想這只是時間的選擇——現在巡演對我來說是最好的。我們將會在9月份結束這整個巡演，然後我將會繼續表演，一直到我的個人專輯發行，然後明年來一個徹底的個人巡演。現在正是時候。
Q:你發現你的個人音樂在美國和歐洲的受歡迎程度不同了嗎？
A:我不知道啊。我在美國做了兩場表演，在House of Blues和Roxy，歌迷看上去都很喜歡。那裏有很多歐洲的歌迷，也有很多美國的歌迷，而且每一個人似乎都很喜歡。他們明白——他們看到真正的我，這就是我要讓他們看到的。還有，他們從表演和真正的音樂中得知了不少，能産生共鳴的，這只是人——男孩們與女孩們。在我的表演裏有男孩，有男孩一直搖擺著——我覺得如果你現在是一個喜歡新好男孩的，那很好，只是喜歡好音樂沒問題！是誰去做——男孩或者女孩，這都不要緊。在這張唱片裏我花了大約四年時間。剛開始它是在某個方向的，然後我轉到另一個方向了，然後又另一個方向了。所有事情剛好落到適合的位置。
Q:那其他成員對此怎麽想的——他們支持你嗎？
A:他們很喜歡——他們完全支持我。他們很愛這張唱片，並且他們認爲唱片會做得很好很好。在我剪了一些歌後，我跟他們再一起研究，然後問他們，‘嘿，看看新出的這個，你覺得怎麽樣？’在正版來說他們都有兩首特別喜歡的，那就是‘Londen’和‘I Hate It When You’re Gone’。他們今天晚上會到現場看我的表演。他們都還沒看過我的表演，所以其實他們也不知道他們爲什麽去。這個跟一場新好男孩演唱有點不一樣。
Q:在最初的時候你是做演員——你有沒有計劃要做回演員呢？
A:我很樂意。我意思是，很顯然我已經是顛倒了（不做演員而成爲歌手），但是我肯定想回去做我的音樂劇，而且我想在明年，在倫敦這裏找一棟公寓。我愛倫敦，我想搬移到這裏。我想在西區住下來，一個真正的接近戲劇的地區，還有我當然想演戲——我真的想。那是我真的喜愛做的事情。但是我不知道我的紋身能讓我得到多少戲份！我不想做老套的監獄佬或者是壞人。
Q:你覺得Britney Spears在‘How I Met Your Mother’演的怎麽樣？
A:我覺得她的表演不錯。我想只要她能腳踏實地，找回她自己就沒問題。她有點迷失了，但我知道她能做好的，我信任她。我信任任何一個真正想爲他們自己做些事情的人。
Q:Nick在美國得到一點點名聲，因爲他自己的真人秀‘House of Carters’——你有考慮過做一個真人秀嗎？
A:我不熱衷於真人秀電視節目。我可以承認和接受，現在電視變得有點過於表演的性質，但是我們組合在過去的15年裏不需要做真人秀做的事情——我們不需要。我們不需要順應著去做一個真人秀電視節目。看我們四個做真人秀也沒有什麽好看的——這會有點無聊。沒有戲劇，沒有打鬥和爭吵——沒有東西可看，要製造才有。我確實喜歡像‘A Hard Day's Night’，那比較像真正的記錄片，或者那種能在裏面表現出現實所有事情的真實一面。對我來說那種會更讓人期待。但是我不知道——現在電視真人秀是很大的一件事情。我想Nick通過他自己的真人秀得知了很多關於他自己的事情。他當時做也只是一半一半——一方面他挺討厭的，一方面又讓他瞭解到自己。我不認爲他會再做一次了，但是又有誰會知道？！
Q:你說昨晚新好男孩的演唱會在MSN播出，還有你在YouTube裏得到很大成功。你覺得在音樂行業中那有多重要呢？
A:那太重要了。我意思是，你問一下有哪個歌手藝人在以下5年內是很有可能沒有唱片公司，就這樣。對於所有的歌手來說，iTunes和YouTube的會有很重大的作用，因爲因特網裏會打通一切。或者你找找那些已經成爲唱片公司的歌手，他們在與其他人做銷售協定——他們就是唱片公司,當你想到，每一個歌手想完完全全的擁有創意控制權，你只需要一個厲害的廣告員，一個很棒的銷售公司和一個很好的市場計劃。剩下的你就是做你愛做的事情。現今，你不再需要一個唱片公司了。唱片公司將會被淘汰（沒有事情讓他們做了）。但是因特網——特別像那些YouTube和MySpace的網站——他們很強大。MySpace現在正在回到它原來的意義，那就是給新人在音樂行業中宣傳他們自己。你看看那些人，來自One Republic的 Ryan Tedder ——他們曾經是世界上最大的MySpace樂隊之一，現在你看看他們！他們自己做得多好啊！我的一些個人東西會放在YouTube上很好地做宣傳，因爲很多歌迷會從那裏收穫很多
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