AJ McLean’s celebrating Thanksgiving with his new EP — and turkey legs at Disneyland

Backstreet Boy AJ McLean is releasing his new solo EP, hi, my name is Alex, on Thanksgiving Day, but don’t expect him and his family to listen to it all day while sitting around the table with a turkey and all the trimmings.

“We are going to be at the happiest place on Earth, because it is also my daughter’s 13th birthday — oh, God!” Alex laughs. “Her birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year, so we’re gonna … drop [the EP] on Thanksgiving, on my daughter’s birthday. And that is me giving something to the fans that have been patiently waiting. And hopefully, they’re thankful.”  

Turkey, though, will still be on the menu.

“Well, turkey legs, my kids love the turkey leg [at Disneyland],” says AJ. “I mean, it’s not exactly Thanksgiving, but it’s a lot easier than having to clean up all the dishes and all that stuff!”

hi, my name is Alex was sparked by a song called “Arizona,” which AJ wrote after his journey of self-discovery following the conclusion of Backstreet’s most recent world tour in 2023.

“When I got home, I told my wife, I was like, ‘Look, I am going to go on a little road trip to this place in Scottsdale, Arizona called The Meadows. I’m going to do an intensive outpatient program just to kind of get to the roots of my addiction,'” he explains. 

Though he’d been sober for two years, AJ spent 10 weeks in Arizona, where he learned that “AJ is a character in a band. He’s a persona I play. But Alex is who I am at the root of it all. And they can both coexist. But as soon as the lights are off, I’m Alex.” 

In addition to the self-reflection on “Arizona,” the six-track EP includes some fun, sexy songs. It’ll be followed by a full-length album in January with eight more tracks.

Of the EP, AJ says, “I wanted to give people just a little taste of what’s to come.”