He doesn’t re­member being in New­found­land before, but A.J McLean has the scar to prove he was there.

The Backstreet Boys were flying from Florida to Germany and had to stop on The Rock so the plane could refuel.

“Howie just actually reminded us that we were here years and years ago,” McLean said before the guys’ first concert in St. John’s. “I got my earring ripped out by Kevin by accident while he and I were wrestling.”

The boy-band — man-band, really — started its 13-city Canadian tour in New­foundland this week. This is the latest leg in their Un­breakable world tour.

McLean was pulling double duty during some of the European tour stops, performing with the guys and in support of his soon-to-come solo release.

“My record is a lot more personal and a lot more real, so to speak.

“My stuff is a little more relatable, as far as things I’ve been through — heartache, the rela­tionship I don’t have with my dad,” added McLean, who has had well-publicized substance abuse problems.

“As I started making the record, I found I had a lot more to say than I thought I did, and I had more to get off my chest,” he said. “The only thing I didn’t harp on was my sobriety and the drugs. I didn’t want to go there yet.”

Backstreet is also planning a new release. When the group was in Stock­holm, the guys sat down with Max Martin, who wrote and co-produced I Want It That Way, about working on the album.

“We definitely want to bring this new record back to great pop music, but still have that R & B influ­en­ce. We’ve just got to come to terms with who we are now, and go back to the Millen­nium-type record.”