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American singer and dancer, AJ McLean, recently praised Taylor Swift while recalling a story about taking his older daughter. Elliott, to see the pop star perform live four years ago. During his appearance on the podcast titled Getting Grilled with Curtis Stone on May 28, 2024, the Backstreet Boys member stated that Swift remembered his daughter's name.
"She [Taylor Swift] is, by far, in my opinion, one of the most grounded, humble performers ever. It's like, 'OK, something's gotta be off about you. There's gotta be like a dark side.' And there isn't. She's just... she's met my oldest three times. And the last time she met her, she remembered her name, which that, as a dad alone, catapulted her into the stratosphere for me," AJ McLean shared.
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AJ and his wife Rochelle DeAnna McLean share two daughters Elliott, 11, and Lyric, 7. In August 2022, the artist revealed that Elliott had decided to change her name from Ava.
AJ McLean praises 'humble' Taylor Swift for remembering his daughter's name
TJ McLean has been a part of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys since 1993. The globally famous band consists of five members AJ, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson.
TJ McLean made an appearance on the Getting Grilled with Curtis Stone podcast on Tuesday, where he talked about meeting Taylor Swift, along with his daughter four years ago. He explained that the singer remembered Elliott's name, who was called Ava at the time
"You know, we were backstage. She came back... She's like, 'Ava.' And I was just like, 'What? Mind blown," TJ added.
The father of two also talked about the struggles and famous lifestyles of celebrities. When podcast host, Curtis Stone, mentioned the Backstreet Boys' experience with stardom compared to Taylor Swift, AJ McLean responded:
"It's a moment, and it's something that you need to embrace."
AJ McLean then spoke about his daughter and stated the reason why she wanted to change her name.
"My daughter's changed her name to Elliott now, it's been Elliott for almost four years now. Nothing to do with s*xual preference or anything. She felt like her name wasn't unique, and she was watching, Pete's Dragon one day. And Elliott is the... Elliott's the dragon? Yeah. Elliott. So she wanted that name, but with two T's. God forbid, I spell it with one T. And she's been Elliott ever since," AJ McLean explained.
The musician added that he said to his daughter that it was great if she wanted to change the name but she'd have to undergo the legal process.
"Well, maybe I'll keep it for a couple more years, and then I'll go back to Ava," McLean's daughter replied.
However, McLean's youngest daughter, Lyric, said she wanted her sister's name to be changed back to 'Ava.' The singer declined her request, saying that "it’s her name, it’s her everything."
AJ McLean and Rochelle tied the knot on December 17, 2011, at the Beverly Hills Hotel and the rest of the Backstreet Boys attended the ceremony. The pair, however, announced their separation in March 2023.
