They’re older, but Backstreet Boys are back in town

Apr 18 2008 by Nia Gibbons, Liverpool Daily Post

Sixth album Unbreakable is currently in stores and is the first release from the band since eldest member, 35-year-old Kevin Richardson made the decision to quit in 2006.

AJ says the album sums up the place they were in when the songs were written: “It just came to us as we were having dinner one night as a group.

“It made sense and fitted our whole career.

“Losing a member and still moving forward, we’ve been through a lot together and we are truly unbreakable.”

AJ should know; after all, the musician, who grew up in Florida’s West Palm Beach, has undoubtedly been through some tough times.

He admitted himself to rehab for drugs and alcohol addiction in 2003 and later went on the Oprah Winfrey Show to tell the talkshow host how his secret addiction to cocaine and alcohol almost cost him his life and his career.

The rest of the band made a surprise appearance in support.

The experience provided plenty of material for both Backstreet songs and tracks for AJ’s upcoming solo album, a process he says he found it therapeutic.

“It’s my first record to introduce people to me outside of being a BSB,” says AJ of the self-titled LP.

“It’s definitely more real, they’re not your typical pop songs with a happy ending all the time.”

During BSB’s “time off”, AJ’s been busy promoting his solo career.

He did his first gig in Los Angeles recently, where he’s been living for the past eight years with a “crazy” Australian shepherd named Ozzy and Bernie the Bernese mountain dog.

If he wasn’t in Backstreet Boys, AJ believes he would still be in the music business: “Only I think I would be doing theatre, maybe teaching musical theatre in NYU, which is something I have always wanted to do.

“I was offered Broadway before but it wasn’t possible in our schedule then. I definitely plan on going down that road, and the West End, too.”

All the boys have their own lives outside he group and solo projects are encouraged.

“You just have to make it happen,” AJ insists. “You could co-exist with yourself and the group, so as long as your not killing yourself over it, you’ll be all right.”

After touring Europe, the guys are looking forward to their appearance in Liverpool and expect to see all sorts of people in the audience both fans that have grown up with them along with the new younger ones.

“We’ve got everybody coming to our gigs: guys, girls, couples, families . . . everyone! We love it!

“We live for the stage and performing for all of our fans, as long as our fans want us to keep doing it, we’re going to keep doing it.”

* BACKSTREET Boys play Liverpool’s Echo Arena on Wednesday, May 7, tickets from £25, plus booking fees.