AJ McLean opens up about his 'really dark time' amid Backstreet Boys' rise to fame

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: AJ McLean has shared about his personal struggle during the glory days of their ‘Backstreet Boys’ band.

The artist reflected on 2001, in Paramount+'s new documentary,’ Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands’.

AJ McLean says he didn't deal with his 'real emotions' due to his lifestyle

AJ McLean shared in the interview, "With the Backstreet Boys, there was never a breakup, but 2001 was a really dark time."

He confessed, “We had toured for nine years straight, just go on tour, make an album, go on tour, make an album. And instead of dealing with my real emotions or my feelings, I kind of got caught up in the lifestyle and the partying and the drinking and the drugs." 

But a moment came when the 46-year-old knew he must change his ways, "And it wasn’t until I did what I told myself I would never do, which was drink on stage, that's when I even had to know, ‘Okay dude something’s not right.'"

Fortunately, his bandmates helped him to get out of his difficult times, "The day that I flew from tour into rehab, everybody was just at their wit’s end," he said. 

AJ McLean recalls Kevin Richardson's return in 2008

After AJ McLean left, the band struggled to keep it together, "And then Kevin [Richardson] left for six years to go start a family We gave him our blessing, he gave us his blessing to continue as four and we kept going without him.”

However, Richardson returned in 2008, and performed with the band in Los Angeles.

"I will never forget when Kevin came back. We were at Staples Center and he came up for 'I Want It That Way.' I’ve never heard screams so piercing. I had to pull my in-ears out," McLean recalled.

"He just stood there and I’m like, ‘Yeah you take it in, buddy. Take that s**t in.’ And then we went back [into] the studio," reported People.

McLean recently reacted to the death of 'One Direction' member Liam Payne and felt like a “very older brother” to the 31-year-old artist.