AJ McLean Says His 2 Daughters 'Definitely Look Up to Me a Lot': 'I'm an Extremely Proud Papa'

AJ McLean is all in on being a girl dad — and he wouldn't have it any other way!

"I don't like the word idolize, but they definitely look up to me a lot. The bond that I have with my kids, I didn't have with my dad, and Rochelle [his estranged wife ] didn't have with her dad. Even though her and I have had our differences over the years, the one thing she's always said to me is, 'You are an incredible dad. It's so imperative you don't ever lose that relationship you have with your daughters.' I said, 'I never will,'" the Backstreet Boys member, 46, exclusively told OK! ahead of Haddad Brands ' beloved Rookie Kids Fashion Show in which his daughters, Elliot , 11, and Lyric , 7, walked the runway.

Ahead of the September 26 event in California, the singer, who is currently estranged from wife Rochelle McLean , also celebrated a big milestone: being three years sober . "My girls never had to see me drunk, and they never will," he declared. "What a great way to spend it than getting to be present for my daughters, doing something new and exciting like this and getting to have a nice dinner with my family after. I couldn't have asked for a better sober birthday."

"I am humbled," he continued. "And I'm grateful. It's still one day at a time, and it's something I will be dealing with for the rest of my life — and that's OK. There's been a huge shift in me I'd say in the last four to six months that has really been the biggest change. It's very noticeable by those around me that have known me through the good and the bad. It's nice to be noticed. It's also nice to be noticed as Alex [his true authentic self] and not as AJ, the Backstreet Boy . It's a very serendipitous time for me. I'm very grateful. I've lost 12 friends in the last couple of years, so if sharing my experience helps even one person, I've done my part."

Even the Florida native's kiddos want him to be the healthiest version of himself . "My daughters are on me! If I'm on FaceTime on the road or if I'm not home, they see me drinking a bottle of ginger ale or root beer, and they're like, 'Is that alcohol?' I'm like, 'No, it's not, and daddy probably wouldn't be FaceTiming with you if it was.' Those days are behind me," he stated. "My daughters will never see me drunk or high. It's the greatest feeling."

"There were a couple of sweet fans that have been to a bunch of shows I'm doing with Joey Fatone , and they made me this sweatshirt that says, 'Living in my Alex era.' That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm living in my Alex era," he added.

Ahead of the kid-friendly event, AJ's girls participated in the rehearsals, where they got the lay of the land. "My youngest was nervous at first, and I think she was a bit concerned about what she was wearing — this crop top, but once it was figured out, she was in full ham mode. My oldest, no problem. She's a ham like me, but my youngest takes her time," he shared. "There was this amazing coach there, making the kids feel comfortable and just telling them, 'This is a fashion show. This is fun. It's all smiles, wave to the crowd, have fun, do a couple moves if you dance, just make something up and have fun.' By the time we were about to leave, I couldn't get either of them off the rehearsal space! I was like, 'Save it for tomorrow!'"

"I am an extremely proud papa," he gushed. "A fun fact about me is that before I got into musical theater, I was modeling at four years old — just local stuff around South Florida. Now, looking at both my. girls, this is something I've talked about with them. Both of them are absolutely stunning."

AJ has even "toyed around with the idea" of the kiddos going into the modeling space, "but it scares me a bit," he said. "It can be a toxic space, but this event is fun and there are incredible brands involved. Who knows, they might get the bug! And if they do, we support our kids no matter what they want to do — whether they want to be dancers, models, doctors, teachers, etc. I'm a million trillion percent behind it."

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The evening brought together a slew of talent across sports, entertainment and fashion, who all celebrated the iconic collections of staple brands under the Haddad umbrella, including Nike , Jordan , Converse , Hurley and Levi’s . San Antonio Spurs point guard Chris Paul was honored as this year’s philanthropic partner, as Rookie Kids cast a spotlight on the NBA star’s charity, the Chris Paul Family Foundation, which provides educational enrichment opportunities to children in underprivileged communities.

"Thank you to everyone involved for asking me and my family to be a part of this," AJ concluded. "My daughters are extremely grateful. They were so excited and stoked, and thank you to all the brands. My oldest is wearing Jordan and my youngest is wearing Levi's and Hurley. Proud daddy over here!"