Source: Yahoo News
And then there were two.
Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean has announced he's engaged to Sarah Martin, leaving only two
unattached members of the multiplatinum-selling quintet.
The baddest of the Boys--(whose full name is Alexander James, but he answers to the nickname
"Bone") disclosed the news during a recent VH1 interview. He says he and his betrothed, a would-be
chanteuse, plan to swap vows in 2003 on the anniversary of the day they met (all together now,
"Awww!"). He did not, however, say what particular day that was, or exactly when he popped the
question. (A representative for the band declined to comment on McLean's engagement
announcement.)
What we do know is that McLean, 24, met Martin at a karaoke bar before he went into rehab last
year for substance abuse, anxiety and clinical depression.
McLean supposedly went on a booze binge following the death of his grandmother and continued to
embrace the hard-partying lifestyle afterwards. Last July, while the band was in the middle of a tour, his
bandmates confronted him and forced him to clean up.
In a post-rehab interview with USA Today last October, McLean credited Martin with helping him stay
sober. "She stopped drinking, too, while I was in rehab and has been very supportive," McLean told
the newspaper.
The two currently cohabitate in Los Angeles with their puppy, Serenity.
Martin will become the third Backstreet bride. Kevin Richardson married dancer Kristin Willits in June
2000, and three months later, Brian Littrell tied the knot with actress Leighanne Wallace.
That leaves only Nick Carter and Howie Dorough as the remaining BSB bachelors.
Between the marriages (fans view each new bride as a potential Yoko Ono), McLean's rehab stint and
Carter's recent distractions (he was arrested during a bar fight, but worked out a deal with prosecutors
to avoid jail, he also purchased a racing boat for his dad, and he plans on releasing his own solo album
next year), there have been persistent rumors of an impending Backstreet breakup, which the band has
repeatedly denied.
In fact, the Boys are prepping the follow-up to 2000's Black & Blue and will likely be heading into the
studio in the next few weeks. The Backstreeters will be composing new songs themselves and are also
recruiting tunes from Jermaine Dupri and Alanis Morissette producer Glen Ballard.
Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean Engaged Since December
Source: Yahoo News
(3/13/02, 10 a.m. ET) -- Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean is engaged to singer Sarah Martin.
McLean first revealed the fact during a December 2001 phone interview with radio personality JoJo
Wright at Los Angeles top-40 radio station KIIS FM.
In the interview, McLean told Wright that he wanted to propose in a unique way, so he started off by
telling his girlfriend that he was breaking up with her. "I basically set it up where I told her that our
relationship's over," he explained. "Kind of like breaking up with her in a weird kinda way. She had this
freaked out look on her face. And I told her to close her eyes, and I got down on one knee. And I
said, 'Open your eyes,' and I said, 'Sarah Jo Martin, will you be my wife?' And she muddled what
sounded like 'yes' and she started crying."
McLean added, "Her knees buckled. And she came down, and we're both on two knees now, sitting
there hugging each other. And I'm, like, 'Well, wait! Say it again--make sure I heard you right. Please
tell me that you said yes,' and she did!"
McLean had a difficult 2001, spending time in rehab for alcohol abuse and depression, but he said that
he managed to wrap up the year on a very happy note, "It's just an awesome thing, man. It really is. I
see how happy Brian (Littrell) and Kevin (Richardson) are, and you know, it's just, it's my turn."
McLean will soon be the third Backstreet Boy to tie the knot. "I just want all of our fans to be
supportive and be happy like they were with Brian and with Leighanne and Kevin and Kristin. And
I'm sure that they will," McLean said. "We have the most wonderful fans in the world and they've been
so supportive, especially with me and with my situation. And I just want to be happy, and she makes
me happy. And she keeps me sober. And it's just awesome. We're just a great couple together."
The Backstreet Boys are currently writing songs for their follow-up to 2000's Black
& Blue. The group has been working with writers and producers Jermaine Dupri and Glen
Ballard. Two weeks ago, groupmember Howie Dorough sat down and penned a few songs in Los
Angeles with songwriter-choreographer Wade Robson, and he also collaborated with songwriter
Andrew Fromm.
-- Jason Gelman, New York