<figure><img src=”https://s3.amazonaws.com/syndication.abcaudio.com/files/2025-10-20/Getty_AJMcLeanonJenniferHudsonshow_102025.jpg” alt=””><figcaption>AJ McLean appears on 'The Jennifer Hudson Show' airing October 20, 2025 in Burbank, California (Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure><p>He’s not leaving the group, but <strong>Backstreet Boys</strong>'<strong> AJ McLean</strong> is finally releasing his solo project, which he says has been four years in the making.</p><p>Appearing on <a href=”https://youtu.be/MwaU3Jnp-W0″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”><em>The Jennifer Hudson Show</em></a> on Monday, the singer announced that he’ll be putting out a solo EP, <em>Hi, My Name is Alex,</em> on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27. Why that day? It’s his eldest daughter’s birthday, but also, he told <strong>J-Hud</strong>, “I’m so thankful and grateful for fans that have waited so patiently for this.”</p><p>”I promise you it’s worth the wait,” he added. He’ll follow that up with a full-length album on Jan. 9, 2026, which is <em>his</em> birthday. It’s called <em>Hi, My Name Is Alexander James</em>, which is AJ’s birth name.</p><p>”AJ is a character is a band. It doesn’t define me as who I am. I want the world to get to know Alex,” he explained.</p><p>He added, “I just want everyone to kind of get to know me as me because you know there’s not that much of a difference between the two, but one is part of a group, part of a team and then me on my own.” He noted that he’s had low self-esteem his whole life, but he’s come to a realization: “If you don’t like me, that’s your loss. I’m a good person.”</p><p>AJ also shared that his two daughters recently attended one of Backstreet Boys’ shows at Sphere in Las Vegas. Afterward, they told him they were proud of him, for the first time ever.</p><p>”I can die happy now,” he said. “That’s just the coolest thing in the world.”</p><div class=”raw-html-embed”><iframe width=”640″ height=”360″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/MwaU3Jnp-W0″ title=”AJ McLean’s Solo Era Begins: Beyond the Backstreet Boys, Sobriety, and Rediscovering His Voice” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p> </p><p>Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.</p>