Anyone who knows me knows of my undying love for the Backstreet Boys. I remember their first concert in Chicago—September 27, 1997 at the Vic. (Yes, I had to look the exact date up. I’m not that crazy.) I didn’t attend; we went to the homecoming dance that night. We were juniors, after all. We had to make an appearance. But it does serve to quantify how long I’ve been part of the #BSBArmy. A friend of mine even suggested we apply to UCF since it was in Orlando and, you know, so were they. While that wasn’t the deciding factor to my attendance at UCF, it did put the school on my radar.
Throughout their 27-year career, they’ve been nominated for six Grammy’s, collectively been nominated for or won 88 international awards (including 8 Grammy nominations, 2 AMAs, 5 Billboard Music awards, and 2 VMAs), been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Kevin and Brian were inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame (“List of awards and nominations received by Backstreet Boys,” 2020). Their albums consistently achieve multi-platinum status (“Backstreet Boys discography,” 2020) and arguably have become the best-selling boy band of all time.
Okay, maybe it’s a little bit of a fangirl post. I promise, there’s a point.
Even with all their success over a 27-year career, AJ McLean has always been very open about his addiction. Since 2000 he’s struggled with cocaine, prescription drugs, and alcohol. He ODed twice (OWN, 2019) and has been in and out of rehab three times. He’s had his ups and downs with addiction, sobriety, relapse, and the work it takes to remain sober. But he keeps fighting.
During the covid-quarantine, he’s been posting to his social media accounts about his work to get healthier. Periodic videos and pictures of his progress and how good he was feeling about it. Then earlier this month, AJ announced he was part of the 29th season of Dancing with the Stars celebrity cast. His training has kicked up a lot to prepare for the show and he posted this to his Twitter feed on Tuesday:
How can I see something like his transformation Tweet and be anything but inspired? At 42, that’s an impressive feat for anyone. But it did make me connect some dots. Maybe it’s the Mastery book we’re reading for class right now, but suddenly my admiration for this man became crystal clear.
He doesn’t quit. No matter how many times he falls, he gets back up.
He pursued his passions and has done amazing things professionally. Even if you dislike pop music and the “boy band scene,” you cannot deny record sales, awards, and fan devotion. The Backstreet Boys are a cultural phenomenon, like it or not.
He’s overcome so many personal struggles with not only addiction and substance abuse, but also depression and anxiety, which are things I’ve struggled with for years. Through it all, he’s tried to be a positive role model for his fans and for the past almost 8 years, for his daughters. His social media accounts are full of positivity and encouragement. He’s open about his struggles, be them alcohol, weight loss, or being stuck in the house for months. As a person who has been conditioned to keep everything very close to her chest, that alone makes me want to make changes. If this man can go through all he’s been through while under the microscope of celebrity in a society that loves to build people up just to push them over, surely I can feel a bit more comfortable being open with the people I know and care about without fear of ridicule or abandonment. And, quite frankly, if those people did that, I shouldn’t have them in my inner circle to begin with.
But while completing reading and research and lesson plans for my classes, I will be tuning in to vote for my boy every week. We gotta get that mirror ball, right? (Joey, Lance, and Nick were robbed, I tell you! ROBBED!)
References
Backstreet Boys discography. (2020, August 23). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backstreet_Boys_discography
List of awards and nominations received by Backstreet Boys. (2020, May 5). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Backstreet_Boys
McLean, A.J. [aj_mclean]. (2020, September 8). The transformation is unrecognizable and I couldn’t be happier. Still got a ways to go but now that I’m dancing like I never have before it’s coming. #dwts #healthysoberlife #transformationtuesday [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/aj_mclean/status/1303411201280339970
OWN. (2019, October 16). Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean candidly discusses his addiction spiral [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX8zHvmyKEo
Originally posted as part of the Full Sail Mastery Journal.