AJ McLean Reveals Taylor Swift Remembered His Daughter’s Name: ‘Catapulted Her into the Stratosphere for Me’

“She is one of the most grounded, humble performers ever,” the Backstreet Boys singer said of Swift

Taylor Swift and AJ McLean (left); Elliott McLean and Taylor Swift. PHOTO: AJ MCLEAN/X (2)

Taylor Swift helped AJ McLean score some major dad points!

During an appearance on the latest episode of the Getting Grilled with Curtis Stone podcast, McLean, 46, recalled taking his older daughter Elliott, 11, almost four years ago, to see the “Love Story” hitmaker perform live.

Podcast host Curtis Stone mentioned the Backstreet Boys experiencing what Swift is going through to a degree, to which McLean replied, “It’s a moment, and it’s something that you need to embrace,” adding that “as long as you’re in the headspace that she’s in, you can really embrace it, and really appreciate it.”

“She is, by far, in my opinion, one of the most grounded, humble performers ever,” McLean continued of Swift.

“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.”

AJ McLean (center) with his daughters Lyric and Elliott in Los Angeles in April 2023.I HASEGAWA/HNW-PHOTO/PLUX/SHUTTERSTOCK

AJ McLean Reveals Which Backstreet Boys Hit He Thinks Is the ‘Worst Song Ever’: ‘Retire It for Life’ (Exclusive)

“You know, we were backstage. She came back… She’s like, ‘Ava.’ And I was just like, ‘What? Mind blown,'” McLean went on, before talking about the name change.

“My daughter’s changed her name to Elliott now, it’s been Elliott for almost four years now. Nothing to do with sexual preference or anything,” the musician told the podcast, sharing how the youngster knew multiple Avas.

“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,” McLean recalled. “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 Says ‘Life Is Just Beautiful’ After 2 Years of Being Sober (Exclusive)

Elliott McLean (left) and Taylor Swift.AJ MCLEAN/X

McLean, who also shares daughter Lyric, 7, with his estranged wife Rochelle, added, “I did tell her… I said, ‘Babe, you do realize if you wanna keep it, it’s great, I support it, but we legally have to go to the courthouse and change it.’ “

“And when I said that, she’s like, ‘Well, maybe I’ll keep it for a couple more years, and then I’ll go back to Ava,’ ” joking that he said “No” when Lyric wanted to change her name to Ava.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

While speaking to PEOPLE about the name change in 2022, McLean further explained his daughter’s decision, noting, “When my daughter asked to change her name to Elliott, initially, I didn’t know if it was a transgender thing, which it is not, but it is a personal choice.”

“And it is her body, it’s her name, it’s her everything. And she’s still Ava. She’ll always be Ava to me,” he added at the time.

“But at the same time, whatever reasoning it is, that’s hers, and I’m going to support it a million percent, my wife will [too],” he went on.