AJ McLean Reveals Which Backstreet Boys Bandmate Is 'Guaranteed' to Start Crying on Stage (Exclusive)
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03/18/2025 11:22 AM
McLean opened up to PEOPLE at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards ahead of the Backstreet Boys' upcoming shows at Sphere in Las Vegas
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AJ McLean in March 2025The Backstreet Boys aren't afraid to get emotional.
As the "I Want It That Way" group prepares to celebrate their Millennium album with a massive residency at Sphere in Las Vegas this summer, AJ McLean predicts tears will fall on stage — and he knows exactly who will shed them first.
"I can guarantee you, Kevin [Richardson] will cry multiple times a night. I know he will," McLean, 47, tells PEOPLE on the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards red carpet ahead of the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 17.
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AJ McLean in March 2025"He's the most emo, especially the song 'Back to Your Heart,' which he wrote. [I] guarantee you, he bawls his eyes out," added the musician, who will take the stage with Richardson, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough and Brian Littrell for 18 shows from July 11 through Aug. 17.
McLean notes the upcoming residency serves as "an homage to having the best fans in the world."
"We truly have the most loyal fans. We're coming up on 32 years together next month. Holy crap," he says, adding that it's also the 25th anniversary of Millennium. "No one has gone and kind of redone their biggest album or biggest tour... So, we're hopefully setting the bar."
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Backstreet Boys in February 2025As for the setlist, McLean teases, "You will hear the entire Millennium album plus some of our personal favorites, our new single 'Hey' and some tricks up our sleeve — can't say what. And we're telling everyone to come in their best white outfits."
Looking back on creating Millennium, which spawned the singles "I Want It That Way," "Larger Than Life," "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" and "The One," McLean recalls spending time with the group and producer Max Martin in Stockholm.
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Backstreet Boys"It was such a great time. It was 1999, everyone's freaking out about Y2K. Nothing happened at all, we went from '99 to 2000, whoop-de-doo. But it was an incredible time, not only for us, but it was an incredible time for music in general," he recalls, shouting out artists like Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Nelly and Nelly Furtado.
"There was great music, and it's good that we're finally getting back to that again now," continues McLean. "All these new young artists, music's going back to being good again, and I love it."
