By Sarah Tate
May 28, 2024
AJ McLean is sharing a sweet story of the time he took his daughter to see Taylor Swift and how he was blown away when the pop star remembered her name.
During a recent appearance on the Getting Grilled with Curtis Stone podcast, McClean told a story about taking his oldest daughter Elliott, 11, to see Swift perform nearly four years ago and how the "Fortnight" singer remembered her name, also calling her "in my opinion, one of the most grounded, humble performers ever," per People.
"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," he said. "And the last time she met her, she remembered her name, which that, as a dad alone, catapulted her into the stratosphere for me."
"You know, we were backstage. She came back… She’s like, ‘Ava.’ And I was just like, ‘What? Mind blown,’" he continued, adding that his daughter has since changed her name to Elliott because "she felt like her name wasn’t unique."
McLean also shared his insight into what Swift may be feeling as her fame continues to skyrocket around the globe with the success of her Eras Tour and latest album The Tortured Poets Department. As part of the Backstreet Boys, who reached an impressive level of fame in the ’90s and early 2000s alongside other popular boybands, knows a bit of what Swift deals with and has experienced in her success.
"It’s a moment, and it’s something that you need to embrace," he said, adding, "as long as you’re in the headspace that she’s in, you can really embrace it, and really appreciate it."
Emily Blunt recently shared her own story of how Swift made a huge impact on her own daughter, shouting out the "very cool" singer for hyping up her child’s new haircut.
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