I Am all In again.
Oh, I guess you.
I Smell Pop Culture with Easton Allen and I Heart Radio Podcast. Hey everybody, Easton Allen, I Smell pop Culture Podcast. One of them productions. I Heart Radio, I Heart Media, iHeart Podcasts. This is the I Am all In Podcast. This is a subsidiary, this is a spin off. We're in the feed baby, and my name is Easton. We are doing this show here where we explore the pop culture greats, the moments, the icons that make Gilmore Girls such a real place, a place that we love, a
place that we want to be. We're going into one of our favorite pop culture references here. We have actually talked about this on the show once before. If you remember a couple, oh god, weeks ago, months ago, I can't remember exactly how long, but we talked to one of the night Jeff Timmins from ninety eight degrees, and today we're going back into the world of boy bands. This is from season one, episode nineteen. This is Emily in Wonderland. You know it's coming. You guys are big fans.
You know about this. Rory and Lane are hanging out in her bedroom analyzing a voicemail that Henry left Lane and Emily calls with some questions for Rory about what she likes. She's making this bedroom for roses or Lily's and for music and sink or ninety eight degrees, and then Emily says or the Backside Boys. Roy chooses in sync. There we have talked to ninety degrees. This time we were talking to the Backside Boys. We are going deep into the world. Of of course, the real name the
Backstreet Boys, but Backside Boys is just so funny. AJ McLean check this out. AJ McClean is the first member of the back Boys. He is the catalyst that kind of started it all. He answered a newspaper ad in nineteen eighty two. Very first member. He predates all the rest. He has been in the band since day one. They are releasing a monumental project, the twenty fifth anniversary of Millennium.
You remember that album, Millennium. Oh my god, that album covers burning to your Brain, right, it's such incredible songs on that On that project, It's gone Diamond. They are releasing Millennium two point zero. They're going to be at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Can you believe that we're gonna talk about all of this with the great Ajmclean. He is here. I have him in a digital bullpen and we're gonna bring him in right now. AJ, thank
you so much for doing this. We're so excited. Thank you for having me so just I got to get this out of the way. This is I was kind of dreading this moment because and I just want to apologize in advance, but I have to just do this
rap top. You guys were mentioned Ingimore Girls pretty early in season one of the show, and the main character's grandmother is asking her about what kind of music she likes, and she's listening off the boy bands of the you know in Sync ninety degrees, and then she says the Backside Boys, and uh, it's a it's a great moment. Everyone loves it. It's very funny, but not the respect the backsheet boys deserve if you ask me, just completely no disrespect.
No, you know what I mean.
At the end of the day, Like like I've said to a lot of my friends, when there's been you know, movies or TV shows that might have referenced us in the past or even now in a comedic way or in a backshanded kind of way, or in a great way. It's still flattering because they're still talking about you in one.
Way or another.
And we we we obviously we're a bunch of hams. We're a bunch of group balls. We we can we can see through the humor and this, that and the other, and you know, it doesn't really bother us.
I think for me, probably the most.
Nerve wrecking moment I've ever endured was, you know, here in La. I'm not sure if you're in La or not, but here in La the Arc Light Theater that's no longer there after this is the end came out. It was actually the opening weekend, excuse me, and so I went with some friends to the Arc Flight to go and see it opening night, and if you remember, there was a specific adult only theater there that served alcohol. It was twenty one and n so I wasn't drinking,
but my friends had a couple of cocktails. But there was like a group of about fifteen guys sitting about four rows in dead center and they were sloshed. And as we're getting to the precipice of the end of the film spoilers if anyone hasn't seen out there, sorry, got you boysering heaven. When we came on screen, I like sank into my into my seat because I was like, oh my god, these guys are about to roast us.
And they stood up and they knew every word. They sang their hearts out and they were cheering at the screen, and.
I so badly wanted to yell from behind them that's me, me, I'm that guy.
But I just I just smiled really big, got back up in my seat and let them and I let them enjoy their moment, and then walked out. I ended up bumping into one of the gentlemen after the movie in the restroom.
And he was like, dude, you guys were awesome. I'm like, thank you, man, thank you so again. You know what I mean.
If you're being talked about, it's like back in the day when Beavis and butt Head was you know a thing. If you were on that show, that meant you were somebody, or if we're aw Yankovic Perry need one of your songs, which he did a parody of all I Want It that way he did.
I bought it on eBay.
So those those moments are awesome. So backside boys, though, backside I like it.
I mean, so much of that stuffisden I love too, like everyone adores you guys, just and always has throughout history. So I don't know about the Backside boys, but Backstreet Boys that comes from a flea market in Orlando, Is that right?
Correct?
Yes, there was a flea market off of a main road in Orlando called International Drive, which was a basically
tourist central. It was just a like a two and a half mile strip of hotels and like you know, your typical like chotsky weird little shops that sold just anything and everything from you know, I came to Disney and all I got was this stupid T shirt kind of stuff, and then a couple of restaurants, and then there was on the weekends there was this like outdoor flea market that they would do in one of the
parking lots and it was called the Backstreet Market. And our creator, if you will, Lou Pearlman, got the name Backstreet from the Backstreet Market. And then boys, because you're boys, we're friends, you know boys slang. I guess even today like that's my boy, Like we're boys, you know. And you have the Beach boys, Overridge boys, and the pet shop boys, you know, the list goes on, So, yes, our name comes from a flea market.
There you go.
Now, so you answered, I love this stat that you are the first member of the Backstreet Boys. Like, that's incredibly I answered, a newspaper ad in nineteen eighty two, Is that right?
Yeah, I am the og.
So this April twentieth, which will be our official thirty two year anniversary, will be thirty three years from me. Actually, I'm pretty sure my thirty three anniversaries before April. I'm not really sure when what month that was that that I first met Lou.
But yeah.
There was a thing back in Orlando that would come in the mail weekly called the Blue Sheet, which essentially was a classifieds for.
Anyone in the entertainment business. You know.
There was auditions in there for Nickelodeon, Disney, Universal Studios, whatever it was. And on the second to last page at the top was a little blurb that said local local entrepreneur looking to put together a five piece vocal harmony group.
Allah Boys to Men meets New Kids on the Block.
And I had recently just gotten fired from a show on Nickelodeon that actually got picked up by ABC for half a season, and then it got canned, So I'm not really kicking myself for that one, ye, But so I was, you know, a typical out of work actor at the moment, and I asked my mom if I could do it, and she was like sure. So I choreographed two counts of eight by myself and I sang, didn't I blow your mind?
This time?
Not the New Kids version, the original version. I believe it was the Spinners, and Lou signed me on the spot and that was it. I mean I went to his house with my mom. I was fourteen, and he was like, you're in and I was like, okay, here we go. Never never expecting it to and the way that it has. I don't think any of us really really had any expectations. I mean, obviously we all hoped and wanted a career and to have longevity, but to be here three decades plus is kind of insane.
Yeah, I mean that was my next question is like, you're you you're doing this and especially those first few first year I mean, probably not knowing what to expect, but like, no idea it was going to become this just massive thing. I'm sure.
No.
I mean obviously we you know, we we were young, you know, Kevin was twenty one at the time, Nick
was twelve. You know, we we were young, we were naive, but we were kind of promised all these things, like you guys are going to get a label deal, you guys are going to be huge, and you know, one thing led to another, and in nineteen ninety six, I want to say, like the middle to end of that year is when we got signed by Jive, by Jive Records, And you know, so now it's like reality check, like holy shit, like we have a record deal now, like this is a real is this is not real? And
you know, Jive sent us off to Europe. For most of us, it was the first time Kevin had been to Europe, I think once or two prior, so for the rest of us, it was our first time getting a passport going overseas. We went to Stockholm, Sweden, and we met Dennis Pop and Max Martin and the whole share on Team Incredible, which would in turn become like the true backbone of the Battreet Boys because our sound was created from that studio, from those incredible writers and producers.
But we you know, we'd come back to the US and there was nothing nobody gave a tiny rats ass about us. We used to call it no Fanland because we'd come back from Europe, and Europe, you know, we put out our first single, we got It going on in ninety seven, and it blew up everywhere but here, and it peaked on the dance charts here I think at like sixty eight or sixty nine. But Europe just fell in love with us, so we're like, all right, peace out, We're gonna go post up over there where
they want us. And we spent almost like the better part, I feel like, almost two years over there, just building this momentum. And then during that time, Spice Girls came out and Hanson and they both blew up here in the US. So now cut to we come back to the US and we can't even get out of the airport, and it was like you would think that it happened overnight.
A lot of people felt like that, but it didn't.
It took almost three years, I feel like for us to really really break here. So but once that happened, you know, it was kind of off to the races and back then your second album, or as we called it then, your sophomore album, was your make it or break it.
You know.
We had our debut album, Backstreet Boys, the Red Album, which was only released in Europe and like the rest of the world, it was never put out here in the US. But our sophomore album was Millennium, So not a bad sophomore album to have. And that was that was that was it, That was it, that was the that was the catalyst to where we are today.
I mean Millennium, We'll get into that in a bit. Uh, Certified Diamond one of the most legendary pop albums I think of all time. I mean everybody had that CD. Like like what an album to be to be a part of, so something that I was thinking about that like Backsheep Boys feel similar to Gilmore Girls in the same sense that like people keep coming back to the Backstreet Boys, Like a lot of people grew up with your music. They listen to the new stuff you're doing.
Now you're you're the people feel such a strong connection to the Backswep Boys, And what do you why do you think that is?
Like?
Why why you guys? What what does people? Which aw's people in?
I mean I wish I knew what the Special Sauce was, but you know, truth be told In my opinion, I feel it's the music first.
You know, we've always said it's about the music first.
That's that's the that's the true connection that we have with our fans and with people is through music. And we've been fortunate enough to have some pretty iconic, legendary songs over the last three decades that have stood the test of time.
And that's a huge testament to the fans. The fans are the ones that rihb artists like us. You know, they're the ones that can love you or hate you.
And we have such a strong foundation of fans all over the world. We are so fortunate and we are so grateful for that because you know, they could have turned on us in on a dime, and they've stuck with us through through you know, highs lows, theyck beIN whatever.
And you know, even today, you talk to a fan that's been our fans since day one, and they can tell you where they were when they heard as long as you love me or I want it that way, or backstreets back, and whether it's a good memory, a bad memory, a happy memory, a sad memory, it's a memory and it's lucked them in and you know, I as a fan of music. I have songs that do that to me, you know. I have songs that remind me of my grandmother, you know, or TV shows that
remind me of my grandmother or my grandfather. You know, there's there's that connection through the music, and that's that's I think what really has kept us going. You talk about Gilmore Girls, you know, people going back and rewatching the show. You know, for me, that was Friends. I never watched a single episode of Friends in my life ever. And about ten years ago I was I was about twelve years late, but I decided to you know, my wife and I, she watched the show before we met.
She watched the show in real time, okay, and you know, I was traveling in the world, you know. But I know that it was on on Thursday nights at eight o'clock. That's all I knew. But once I watched it on DVD first, and then I watched it on Blu Ray, I was hooked. Now I go to bed every night with it on it and I've seen every episode a thousand times. I can quote any scene from any season, but it never gets old. I still laugh in the
same places, I still cry in the same places. I know what's coming and I still have the same gut reaction and that's a testament to the writers and a testament to the actors.
So there's that comparison.
The writers are the Swedish guys Max and Dennis, and the actors are us. So there's that direct, you know, comparison.
Yeah, And you know, sometimes there's things that like people, people grow up with a certain thing and it, you know, in Meyre like it has that kind of nostalgiachine to it. It's like, oh, you like this because you grew up with it. But like like friends and like owners and like Backstreet Boys. I think someone could come in having never heard Backstreet Boys until they were in their thirties or something and like connect immediately with the music. I think, true, No, it's true.
It is.
It's you know, because when you look at our our fan base now we have like four or five generations at our shows.
And what's been happening to me recently, which I just.
Find but it it kind of can coexist with what you just said. Is I'll be walking at the mall with my daughters, or I'll be going to get a coffee and a girl will freak out and ask her a picture and she's like twenty five, you know, and I'm like.
You weren't even born when we started.
But like, but again, and a couple of them I've talked to and they've literally said what you just said. They're like, yeah, I just got turned on Yall's music like two years ago. And I love you guys, like I love what you represent that and that, and you know, it's just fascinating to me. But again, it always goes
back to the music. You know, if we had crappy music, then it doesn't matter how pretty your faces are, you know what I mean, like exactly, not saying that we're all pretty, but you know, it's all really about the music truly.
And you know, you're so gracious with how much you appreciate the fans and how much they've supported you. But just something I work here at KISSFM in Los Angeles and like just seeing you guys over the years you have you give so much to the fans. You treat like all the shows, you do everything you do for the fans, like you guys truly love your fans. That's something that always stood out to me about you guys that I'm not saying there's some other artists that you
don't see that kind of thing. And with you guys though, it's.
Like yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know I'm talking about. But with the Maxwew Boys, it's like like that love is there, it's reciprocated and it's just such a beautiful thing to see on stage and just in interviews, everything you guys do.
It is I mean, they've become like an extension of us. They become like a like an extension of our family. I mean, there's there's quite a few fans that have really truly been with us since the very beginning that we see everywhere, you know, to a point where you know, we'll talk amongst ourselves like, I know, she's a school teacher, How the hell is she flying to ten shows in Europe for it? Like is she looking blue meth in like a Winnibegos somewhere?
Like how is she affording this?
But you know, they they will be they are truly right or die, and they will be there from hell or high water, and it's just it warms our hearts, it blows our mind. You know, to this day, we'll never know how they know where we're staying before we do, and they'll and they'll they'll.
Never give up the mole.
You know, back in the day, we we knew, you know, some of our crew guys would you know, get a little squaky here and there. But now we run a really tight shit, really tight, and they still find out. So it's like, I know, I'm not saying it, so you know what I mean, Like I don't know how they end up.
In the same hotel, the same floor, wild, Like how do you do it?
Like if you if you have ESP then we are going to Vegas tomorrow and you're gonna read the cards for me and then I'll split the price.
It's with you, Yeah, let's get rich off this instead of just a Backstreet Boys signature. Okay exactly. AJ McLean is with us. It's the Ice Smell Pop Culture Podcast. We have so much more to get into. I mean, we got to talk millennium, that millium two point oh, we gotta talk about this spear so much going on in the world with Backstreet Boys. We'll be right back. Stick around, everybody. It's the Ice Smell Pop Culture Podcast on I am all In. My name is Easton Allen.
I'm here with AJ McClean from the Backstreet Boys. We were just talking about Millennium first release in nineteen ninety nine, just again one of the like you think about the top pop albums of all time, that is up the top five. I mean it's up there of all time, and it's twenty fifth anniversaries coming up.
I mean, it's here, it's happening, it's happening right now as we speak.
It's it's all around us. Millium two point zero coming out in July. What can we expect from that?
So so this has been a.
Conversation that I've had with the fellas for honestly for years, doing something with Millennium to commemorate our you know, like a like a like a a big day at the big date. Twenty five years is, you know, a quarter of a century. It's a big it's a big freaking deal.
And you know, soly like.
Doing a tour or doing these things, that's that's that's so much to try to take on.
So it's like, Okay, what else can we do?
What else can we do to commemorate this album and to do something special for our fans. So we talked about re releasing Millennium, but then adding some special sauce to Millennium. So there's twenty five songs on Millennium two point zero. You have the original Millennium album tom start to finish. Then we have I believe six acoustic versions of songs from Millennium. Then we have six unheard demos from around that time, and then a new single song
called Hey. So if you were to pre order the album, you would get Hey today. That rhyme wasn't meant to do that, but it did. He's earnest and as you said, it comes out in July. Actually comes out July eleventh, which is opening night at Spear Las Vegas for the Into the Millennium experience, which is.
Nobody's ready for this. We're not ready. We're getting ready. We're not ready, but we're getting ready. But people are not ready for what they're going to experience in this environment. But and the other cool thing that I kept telling the boys is if we're going to do this, we need to recreate the Millennium.
Yes, like photo shoot, So we literally recreated start for shot the album, so the album cover, back of the CD and the photos on the inside booklet. We've obviously released a couple of those as promotion recently. But it's pretty It was pretty surreal to be there on set recreating these shots. And we did another promotional thing with the exact plane.
From the I Want It that Way video.
Wow, the exact plane which apparently has been used in a plethora of films.
The last movie I think it was used in. They told us was Ford versus Ferrari.
Wow, the plane looks like but obviously they can make it look nice with you know, posts and whatnot.
But they wouldn't even let us walk inside the plane.
They're like, we don't know what's in there, we don't know what's growing in there.
You guys will walk up like you're gonna get in the plane, but don't get in the plane.
Yeah. Yeah, put our respirator for you.
Yeah, you might walk into an alternate universe and never come back.
But like that blew our mind. Like this is the actual plane from the video for I Want to That play. Yeah, so we pulled out all the stops. Wow.
Yeah, anyone listening, you got to check out the album cover side by side. I was just looking at him before we hopped on here.
It is.
It's remarkable. I mean, it's perfect, it's a perfect recreation and you could just see it's actually boys from twenty twenty five versus nineteen ninety nine. The Sphere, My god, this sphere. I cannot what a perfect group to be the first like pop act at the Sphere.
Thank you.
I can't wait to see what you guys come up with.
Though.
We're so everyone the cold world is excited about this. What like, did you go to some shows there to kind of like scout it out or anything? Have you seen a show at this weear yet?
So Nick was on tour, he had already seen I believe you two there because Nick actually lives in Las Vegas. Excuse me.
The four of us went to see the Eagles and that was our first time in the actual sphere and we were just like sensory overload.
And it was since then, Kevin has gone back to see multiple shows.
There, just to see the difference of how you can use the screen with different you know, bands or artists, you know, whether it's Ama the DJ.
He went with Brian. They went and saw the Eagles again. They went and saw the Aronofsky film Planet Earth.
I believe Kevin and I actually I think might be going to go see Ed and Co. When they come back next month that I really I'm I'm taking my mom. I know we're going to like do a business thing like walk around the venue and you know stuff. But my mom was a huge deadhead, So I'm bringing my mom. I'm not going to make her walk all over the place. Yeah,
but but it is a mind blowing venue. And you know, people kept asking us after our previous residency if we were ever going to go back to Vegas, and we were, you know, farting around with the idea, I'm going back, and we obviously wanted to, and people kept asking us, are you going to go back to another hotel?
Are you going to go back to another venue like that? Is there any new venues opening up?
And her management kept it kind of a secret from us for a hot second. They're like, we have something in the works. We'll let you know when it's one hundred percent. We don't want to get you guys all ramped up for nothing. And then we had our usual weekly weekly call and they and they dropped it on us and we were like like shins on the floor, like what And we were just flabbergasted. And you know, when we put up the first nine shows and they
sold out immediately. We were like, okay, then we're just gonna keep adding dates until you don't want us there anymore. And you know, we've we've set a goal we you know, we would love to do you know, gosh, forty to fifty dates there if we possibly can, but who knows. But you know, right right now, you know, we had eighteen shows and it's it's just it's just unbelievable. And
the process is really cool, you know. I mean, we're working with a with an incredible team, you know, Richmond and Tone who have been with us from day one. Baz who is the true genius when it comes to sphere. You know, he's done a lot of the acts there as far as the content, the visuals, and you know, this whole venue.
There's nothing like it in the world. It is it is one of one in the world, one.
Hundred and sixty thousand speakers, three hundred foot screen, you know, haptic seats that move and vibrate and miss that and all this. It's it's unreal. So going through we we literally had a four and a half hour, almost five hour conference called last week going through every content piece and every solm that it's attached to finalize everything, because once you start making it, we're off to the races. Because it takes about four to five months to make
the content. You know, where tours we've done before. You know, you've got a you've got a decent sized screen on stage. It takes about a month to do the content. But this is also sixteen K, which is I didn't even they made something like that.
Yeah, the human eye came and see that.
You know, I'm like, yo, my TV's four K.
And then you know there's a couple of eight k's out there, which everyone's like, this is cool.
But there's only like five channels that come in eight.
P by the way, but sixteen K and it can only be shot on one camera. There's only one camera in the world that can shoot this stuff. So it's a really cool experience this process, being able to be hands on with our team from content to wardrobe, to musicality, to the set list to the stage design. You know, it's it's a very immersive experience, and we're going to take people on the most insane ride they've ever been on in thirty plus years.
Like nobody's ready, No one is ready.
Wow, I mean consider that a warning. If you're heading to Las Vegas and see the sphere, you are not ready for what's coming. I'm excited to see also, like what what happens on the outside of the of the sphere, like, because that's the thing about it is that on the inside there's all this, you know, crazy stuff happening with the band on stage and stuff like that, and then but on the outside it can project stuff two for
everyone flying in on the road. I can't wait to see what happens when the Spear gets the Backstreet Boys fever and it's becomes all night.
Yeah.
I mean, you know, we've you know, so we've obviously been on the outside of the screen with you know, with the.
Dates and whatnot. When we were there, myself, Kevin and Brian went there to do some production things and test some things for the show. And I was staying at the wind which is like directly across the street, and I walked into my room and I hadn't you know, people had posted it, and we had obviously known.
From our team what was going to be on the outside of the dome all but I got to my room, opened up the curtains. The second the curtains open up were on there. I'm like I couldn't get my phone fast enough and I was like I FaceTime my kids.
I'm like, look look at, look at look at it's forget daddy, it's daddy.
And they were just like, oh my god, that's so cool. Like it was, it was such a great moment. You know, we still like, we still get tickled Pink. That's the thing that people don't realize, like even walking through the mall or being in an elevator or listening to the radio.
And you hear your song, I still get tickled Pink. I really do, you know, because again, this is something we always wanted and dreamed of.
And it's it's it's it's truly become a reality, and it's just fascinating to me.
And it's just so humbling, you know.
I love it. And I was just gonna say, like, I mean, you see yourself on the on the sphere and you're all excited, like this is a man who's you've been on how many billboards and sides of buildings, and like, you know, this is shouldn't be new, but like I love that. It's just exciting and thrilling every time it happens, that's so cool.
Well yeah, I mean that's the thing, like we always say, you know, we're forever growing as a band, and what is the next progression for us? Where do we go from here? We just had a massive tour, you know, two hundred and twenty seven shows around the world, took us four years, but that's because of COVID.
But I mean literally took.
DNA around the world, went to places we had never been Africa, Saudi Arabia, other parts of Europe that we had never been to, and we got to bring our music and our show there and meet the fans that have been dying for us to come there for decades.
And then it's like, okay, now where do we go from here?
Like what's the next the next progression, the next evolution in our career. And we're like, well, again, a tour is not going to happen because we just did it tour. But you know we talked about a residency. Okay, cool, we've done that. But if we do that, we we got a we got to up the Annie and then this happens and it's like, Okay, that's the biggest Annie you can up in the world. So it's like, Okay,
now we got to really level up. And it's like this is you know, when when the residency thing became a vibe, you know, when we first heard about Las Vegas residencies, a few of us looked at it with that kind of negative vibe, like, oh, this is this is like a sellout thing, like this is where you go if you if you can't tour anymore where it's not that at all, you know. Then you get like the best of the best, like Elton John and Celine Yon broke the mold in Vegas.
And then you get Brittany, which just changed the game.
And then now it's like everybody wants a residency because that's it's really easy on the body, it's convenient, it's an international hub. You know, your fans from everywhere can I'm to Vegas and see you. But then it's like, now the next level for everybody is I want to get to Spear yep, you know, because Spear is like again, it's the biggest venue in the world, and it's the and it's it's it's one of a kind. To me,
Spear blows blows away like a stadium tour. Any of that this is unless you're Taylor Swift, then it's definitely worth it because her show is effing incredible. I'm a big Swift because of my kids and she's just a sweetheart. But but like this is, you know, like I keep telling myself, man, I would love to see Coldplay with be insane in that venue.
Yes, God, I mean, Share would be insane that venue.
Lenny Kravitz, like, you know, people that have a catalog of music over decades, like.
Yeah, you know what I mean, Like there's and I.
Bet you right now, those three artists I just needed at some point are gonna be at Spear.
I g I don't know when. I truly don't.
I don't have any inside information, but I would bet good money that two out of three of them are gonna end up at Spirit at some point.
I know.
I keep thinking, like where do you Like I was gonna say, like, like, you guys have done so much as a band. You've toured everywhere, You've played every possible play, and Sphere is like one of the last places you know you could possibly conquer. Like what's next? I mean, how to play on the moon? Like like what is.
Yeah, you know, I mean I guess.
I mean, you're gonna have to get Brian and I in a in a space ship first, because we're not real keen on that kind of stuff.
You know. I don't even do roller coasters.
Really, yeah, I'm not a fan of roller coasters, and Brian and I are both not really good fans of like heights.
So yeah, being.
Shot into space, you know, to knock me out and then wake me up maybe, But yeah, I mean, honestly, you bring up a good point.
Where do you go from here? You know?
I think eventually hopefully getting back in the studio and at some point making a brand new album I think is something on the you know, down the road.
But also we all.
Have individual, you know, things that we want to do in our lives.
You know, I have solo music.
I have a solo record I'm finishing and a single coming out in the next month, and just you know, I have a TV show on Netflix coming out. There's a lot of things happening, you know, and each of us has different things going on in our lives that we want to have that balance where we let each other do what we want to do, but also always remember to come.
Back to what is what is the epicenter of life, which is the group. It is the number one priority. So who knows, I mean, you know.
We might take take some time off. I mean, who knows, if we do fifty or sixty shows at Spear we might take a little break, I don't know, or just keep coming back. I mean again, it's doing something in Vegas. We found was really like I said, it's very convenient. It's easy on our bodies. It's easy for us. You know, Nick ended up staying there. I'm probably gonna get a place there myself, just to get out of the taxes of California. Yeah, you know, but it is a It
is a very cool city. There's a lot more to it than just parties and you know, gambling. You know, Vegas really is a very very fast growing city.
You know, my mom lives there, so you know. Yeah, so there's lots of good reasons to stick around.
And we hope you guys stick around listening. This is the Icemell Pop Culture Podcast with AJ McClean from the Backstreet Boys. I want to talk about some of this stuff you're doing outside of Backstreet here in a second, we'll be right back. Then we got to play some commercials. Gotta make some money. It's the Icebel Pop Culture Podcast. This is Eastern Allen sitting with AJ McClean from the Backstreet Boys solo album. You said you have a single
coming out this month. What can you tell us about it?
Oh?
Yeah, I've been working on this record for the better part of three years.
Wow. For a lot of reasons. One, I was a little tied up.
I was traveling the world with these four other guys, and so we were touring, so obviously my time was pretty limited.
But also I've gotten very gotten.
Very particular in my years about my music, and really, you know, if you will, about it, because you know, in today's world of music, it's not like it was in the night in like the late you know, nineties, early two thousands, where you had that sophomore album and your first project could be okay and then your second one blows you up.
You don't get that here. Now. Today you get one shot and that's it.
You might get a second shot, but it's rare, and everything filters through social media, so you know, it's a different beast today. So you know, instead of going against the grain, I'm trying to go with the flow of the water and accept what is, but also, you know, make it make sense for me. And so I am extremely proud of the body of work that I've done. I'm still going back to the studio next month to work with some.
Insane writers and another producer friend of mine, just to see if there's anything left in the tank that I have, which I know there is. There always is.
I mean, my wife has said countless times, she's like, you realize you have like six albums that you could put out right now. I'm like, she's like, just put it out already, damn it. I'm like, I know, it's a process, ya da.
Fans are like, are you ever going to put out anything? We're waiting? So yes, I am.
Sorry to make everyone wait, but I will reassure you all it's definitely worth the wait. So yeah, next month April beginning of May will be the single, and then I'm looking to put out the first of two EPs in the summer, and then follow up with the second EP probably in the fall, and then the deluxe album top of twenty six.
That's the that's the planet. We'll see if it goes that way, but that's the plan.
So much music to look forward to, from Ajmclean and then before went to Brig you were talking about you have a Netflix show in the works.
I do. It's called Building the Band.
I'm actually about to do my final vo although they keep saying that to me and I keep doing more vos and I'm like, I'm like, but I thought, but I thought last week was the last vo.
But no, it's been an absolute pleasure.
What an amazing experience, an incredible team and the talent on this show. We've really set the bar high.
You know, compared to other shows.
And I and I will never talk poorly about any other shows, you know, because they all have their niche, they all have their fan following. You know, some shows are based on the talent. Other shows are based on the judges or vice versa. But this show really is driven by these amazing talent team. They call them kids
because they're like in their twenties. They could be my kid. God, that's freaking me out when I say that out love, But you know, got to work with an incredible team and Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Rowland and unfortunately the late Liam Paigne.
You know, this was the last project that he worked on. Him and I got very close. We became really good friends. We had known each other over the years.
Obviously, you know, we had cross paths with him and the rest of the Fellas over the years, but but this was like real quality time and so you know, just kind of figuring things out moving forward.
But we would love to dedicate the show to.
Him and to his fans and uh and to his family.
You know.
But it is a I wish I could say more, but it's it's going to break the stigma, completely, break the stigma of how bands form and how bands come to be. You know, it's it's it's truly a show like no other. And you know, like I said, we've really set the bar high with the level of talent on this show. And they are just incredible, incredible talent.
So that's building the band on Netflix. What a special thing to be a part of. I'm excited to see that.
Yeah.
I mean when yeah, I was like, when they asked me to be the host, I was like, okay, you know, and they you know, came to me and we have many many conversations before we started filming.
And I just thought it was really really sweet how they.
I don't want to say leaned on me, but they leaned on me in a sense of like that group mentality.
Same thing with Nicole because both of us come from groups.
And being able to kind of not only be a host but kind of a somewhat of a mentor as well on the show. And you know, obviously I've got thirty plus years experience, but at the same time, I will never tell someone how to be I want you to be yourself, and I'll just tell you my experience and what I went through and how I did this, this and this, and then you're going to do it, how you're going to do it. And I've got to have those conversations with these amazingly talented people and it
was just really really fun. It was so surreal, it was really cool. You know, again, generally for the world to see it. And I'm manifesting season two and beyond, so you know, everyone's got to tune in once we make the announcement.
So sorry, we'll watch that on your Netflix app. Aj Mclean' has been so much fun. Before I let you go, Gilmour Girls is such a coffee is a major fixture of this show. Are are you a coffee guy? Do you like coffee.
I mean, yes, I never drank a cup of coffee until I moved to California. It's twenty five years ago, and Coffee Bean was the first place I went, and I was introduced to the white chocolate mocha, and that is my go to. I have never I have never swayed from it. The only thing that's changed for me is the milk. Now it's oat milk.
You know. It started with soy until I heard that's bad for dudes, and then I was like, all right.
Then I went to almond and I'm like, occasionally regular milk, but it's kind of and then I tried to oak it up milk, which actually, surprisingly is good.
I won't drink that on its own, but and coffee, it's actually you got a really sweet taste. But then oat milk's my go to.
But once you have kids, coffee becomes your lifeline. Coffee is like the air I breathe, not so much anymore. You know, my girls are I say grown, they're twelve and eight, but they're twelve and eight going on thirty five. But they're grown in the sense that they're not running me ragged like they were when they were younger. Although they still they still do oh yeah in a different way. But but yeah, coffee is coffee is life.
Coffee is life.
And it's funny that coffee is like surrounding around Gilmore girls. When you think about same thing I said about friends, like everything was based around a coffee shop. There's something about coffee that brings people together. It's so true being good music man, like, that's coffee to go. Yeah, I mean, honestly, we should open up a coffee shop that just has just great music playing, you know, different themes during the week, eighties, nineties, two thousands, whatever.
I think that'd be awesome.
I love it. I love it so much. You're the best. We're such big fans, and thank you change the genies with your time. So excited for the Spear, all the new music, everything you got going on, can't wait.
Thank you, Thank you so much. I really appreciate you all.
Dot Hey, everybody to forget.
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