Best Known As: The heartthrobs who sang "I Want You Back" and "Bye Bye Bye"
*NSYNC helped establish the "boy band" craze of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The group formed in 1996, and after a few years of touring and promotions became known for its good looks, cheerful pop melodies and tremendous appeal to teenaged female fans. The quintet included Justin Timberlake (born 31 January 1981), Joshua "J.C." Chasez (b. 8 August 1976), Chris Kirkpatrick (b. 17 October 1971), Joey Fatone (b. 28 January 1977) and Lance Bass (b. 4 May 1979). The group's first three albums sold over 30 million copies combined; they include *NSYNC (1998), No Strings Attached (2000) and Celebrity (2001). *NYSNC is often compared to the Backstreet Boys, a similar group of the same era.
According to the band's official site, the members "created the name *NSYNC out of the last letters of each of their first names."
Members include Lance Bass (born May 4, 1979, in Laurel, MS), vocals; Joshua Scott “JC” Chasez (born August 8, 1976, in Washington, D.C.), vocals; Joey Fatone (born January 28, 1977, in Brooklyn, NY), vocals; Chris Kirkpatrick (born October 17, 1971, in Clarion, PA), vocals; Justin Timberlake (born January 31, 1981, in Memphis, TN), vocals.
Group began in 1995 by Kirkpatrick in Orlando, FL, where he and Timberlake crossed paths at the Universal Studios theme park; signed to Ariola, the domestic branch of the German label BMG and release self-titled debut album in Europe, 1996; toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, 1996-98; signed by BMG’s American label, RCA, who re-released ‘N Sync in the U.S.; release seasonal album Home for Christmas on RCA, 1998; launch major tour, 1999.
Addresses:Record Company—RCA, 1133 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10036. Fan club—‘N Sync Official Fan Club, P.O. Box 5248 Bellingham, WA, 98227.
Pop group
After winning over hordes of young listeners in Europe in the late 1990s, the five member vocal outfit ‘N Sync returned to their native America to meet equal, if not greater, approval. Along with fellow crooners Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync spearheaded a resurgence of boyish singing acts specializing in smooth harmonizing, with an eye towards the teen market. While ‘N Sync’s efforts were widely scoffed at by critics, who found the band’s appeal to be limited to their pin-up good looks, a legion of fans nevertheless pushed the quintet’s self-titled 1998 debut album to the top of sales charts. Hot on the heels of ‘N Sync, the group created an equally successful holiday album, Home for Christmas.
Unlike many groups marketed toward teens, ‘N Sync’s origins stem not from a savvy talent agent’s orchestration, but from a growing circle of friends’ appreciation for singing. However, ‘N Sync do share the wholesome, innocent image that a number of "boy groups" project, a fact evident from their earliest occupations. The initial momentum towards the formation of ‘N Sync began in 1995 when Chris Kirkpatrick, an employee at the Universal Studios family theme park in Orlando, Florida,
befriended two ex-members of television’s Mickey Mouse Show, Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez. Next came Brooklyn-born thespian Joey Fatone, who was also on Universal Studio’s payroll, and had appeared in front of the camera as a bit player in the 1993 spoof of science fiction films, Matinee. The final link in the group’s circle was provided when Timberlake’s vocal coach steered the foursome in the direction of high school senior Lance Bass, a day care worker and ex-choirboy from Mississippi, who relocated to Orlando after initial reluctance.
In addition to an instant vocal compatibility, the five singers quickly discovered a strong harmony at the level of friendship. Reflecting both of these qualities—as well as the last letters of the quintet’s first names—Timberlake’s mother Lynne Harless christened the group ‘N Sync. However, while the fledgling act had quickly forged a sound and a group identity, they were a far cry from stardom, and soon sought a manager who could deliver them to an audience. Before long, ‘N Sync were taken under the wings of Johnny and Donna Wright. A husband and wife team, the Wrights had previously managed another popular ensemble of teen heartthrobs during the 1980s, New Kids on the Block, and had recently helped form Backstreet Boys, a five piece vocal combo with whom ‘N Sync would later be extensively compared.
By the fall of 1996, the Wrights maneuvered ‘N Sync into a contract with the BMG/Ariola label, and soon recorded their catchy debut single, "I Want You Back." However, it was not in the U.S. but in Europe that ‘N Sync were first embraced with open arms, and the band spent the next two years extensively touring overseas. As Johnny Wright shrewdly assessed, European audiences had been generally more enthusiastic than Americans towards sugary pop groups such as Take That and Bros. Countries such as Germany proved no exception to the rule, sending "I Want You Back" and the follow-up single "Tearin’ Up My Heart" high on sales charts. Additionally, the intense so journ abroad allowed ‘N Sync to hone their live performance skills before their return home. As Bass frecounted to Billboard’s Wolfgang Spahr in 1997, the quintet "rehearse[d] in and old warehouse which doesn’t have any air conditioning, and when you have to jump around in 40-degree [Celsius] heat three to four hours four times a week, it makes you pretty strong."
In the meantime, the public mood in the U.S. had shifted. Since the early 1990s, aggressive, guitar based acts with alternative and heavy metal roots held a virtual tyranny over sales charts, and record executives became sheepish about signing many groups with a light pop appeal. However, this trend of angst-ridden expression tended to alienate many music lovers—crucially, those in early adolescence. "People forgot that most of the kids in America aren’t particularly happy and would relate to music that said life can be good," quipped record industry scout Steven Greenberg in Rolling Stone. "Everyone was aiming at an audience college age and above and hoping that the music would trickle down. The younger audience had no choice but to listen to music that was created for a much older audience." Apparently, this suppression built up a hearty appetite amongst teenagers, and suddenly the U.S. devoured young outfits like Backstreet Boys and Hanson. Within this setting, ‘N Sync madetheirtriumphant return to their own shores.
In the spring of 1998, ‘N Sync’s debut album was finally released in America on RCA, nearly two years after the same disc had been pressed overseas. After gaining initial momentum from the high powered dance single "I Want You Back," it did not take long before the quintet came into their own on the American sales charts. However, while record buyers embraced ‘N Sync’ s mix-tu re of catchy harmonizing and ballads of teen love gone awry, critics were generally unforgiving. "If all it takes for pop stars to win adolescent hearts and minds these days is the adequate abilities and pallid hooks of this bunch," decried a reviewer for the Los Angeles Times, "then every other semi-attractive singing, dancing young man in America should take heart." In addition, ‘N Sync was also besieged with allegations of stealing the sound of Johnny Wright’s other runaway success, Backstreet Boys. While ‘N Sync themselves acknowledged the apparent similarities with their crooning contemporaries, they viewed such press with a grain of salt. "People try to make a feud out of everything," Timberlake explained to Rolling Stone on the subject. "And we didn’t even see it that way."
‘N Sync subsequently took their highly choreographed stage show across the United States, and like a number of youth-targeted groups before them, the quintet decided to perform in rather unconventional venues—in this case, roller skating rinks. As in Europe, the five singers soon found it commonplace to be physically bombarded onstage by enthusiastic female fans. Not surprisingly, such appeal was capitalized on by a number of publishers who created an onslaught of ‘N Sync posters, fan magazines, and hastily written paperbacks, but the band remained remarkably humble. "When we read teen magazines and they’re like These Fab Five hotties," Fatone mused to People, "we’re like, ‘Wrong!’" Still, critics remained skeptical as to how much of ‘N Sync’s mass appeal was due to teen hormones rather than vocal virtuosity. The sudden release of the full length Home for Christmas album (given the secular title WinterAlbumin markets outside of the US) did not prove to be a radical departure from ‘N Sync’s bubble-gum style.
Selected discography ‘N Sync, RCA, 1998. Home for Christmas, RCA, 1998.
Sources Periodicals Billboard, June 21, 1997. People, February 8, 1999. Rolling Stone, November 12, 1998.
Along with the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, *NSYNC dominated the teen pop explosion of the late '90s with a blend of group harmonies, gauzy ballads, and well-produced dance textures. Although the group emerged in 1996 in Orlando, FL, singers JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake had previously co-starred on The Mickey Mouse Club before relocating to Nashville, where they worked on solo projects with the same vocal coach and songwriters. Timberlake soon returned to Orlando, where he befriended Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone. Along with Chasez, the four agreed to form a boy band, and *NSYNC officially launched after the addition of bass singer Lance Bass.
The group recorded its self-titled debut LP with help from a series of producers, including Denniz Pop (whose protégé, Max Martin would later work with the band after Pop's death in 1998). The album was initially released by BMG Ariola Munich, and *NSYNC soon became an overnight success throughout much of Europe, where the singles "I Want You Back" and "Tearing Up My Heart" became sizable hits. The album was then released in America during the spring of 1998. Accompanied by a tour of the nation's roller rinks, it became immensely popular and eventually sold more than ten million copies, thus establishing the singers as teen pop titans. Home for Christmas followed later that same year and went double-platinum, while a similar version was released in Europe under the title The Winter Album.
Although already celebrated as one of pop music's biggest acts, *NSYNC rose to greater heights with the release of No Strings Attached in 2000. The album was originally slated to appear in 1999, but a series of legal battles with former manager Lou Pearlman delayed its arrival by several months. After successfully escaping from Pearlman's contract and signing with Jive Entertainment, *NSYNC happily watched as sales of No Strings Attached topped one million during its first day of release. Nearly two and a half million copies were sold by the end of the week, and three singles soon cracked the Top Five in America: "Bye Bye Bye" (which many viewed as a sendoff to the band's old management), "It's Gonna Be Me," and the ballad "This I Promise You." Supported by a 76-date American tour that grossed over $75 million, No Strings Attached proved to be the most popular album of 2000, selling nearly ten million copies.
*NSYNC returned to the road in early 2001, this time to promote the impending release of Celebrity. The album appeared that summer to continued fanfare, with first-week sales reaching nearly two million -- a feat that made Celebrity the second fastest-selling album of all time, bested only by No Strings Attached. The album featured a stronger debt to hip-hop and included several songs written by Timberlake and Chasez, an opportunity that may have whetted their desire to pursue respective solo careers.
Following an elaborate stadium tour, the group went on hiatus in mid-2002. Timberlake released his solo debut that same year, successfully making the jump from boy band vocalist to critically acclaimed solo artist, while Chasez found less success with his own record, 2004's Schizophrenic. Meanwhile, Joey Fatone launched a movie career and later performed on Broadway, Chris Kirkpatrick starred in the reality TV series Mission: Man Band, and Lance Bass became a certified cosmonaut in the hopes of making it to outer space. The group's website shut down in 2006, however, prompting increased speculation about *NSYNC's future. Responding to such rumors in 2007, Bass informed the Orlando Sentinel that the group had "definitely broken up" in light of Timberlake's desire to continue his solo career. ~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi
While 'N Sync announced a "temporary hiatus" in spring 2002, the band has not recorded new material since. The group's official website shut down in the summer of 2006, and in 2007, Lance Bass confirmed that the group has "definitely broken up."[5] In March 2010, the group's website was relaunched to keep fans updated on the various members' projects.
In 1995, Chris Kirkpatrick met with Lou Pearlman to talk about forming a pop group. Pearlman said that he would finance the group if Kirkpatrick would find other young male singers. This prompted Kirkpatrick to call Joey Fatone, a friend he had met while working at Universal Studios. Then, Fatone and Kirkpatrick approached Lou Pearlman for more suggestions. Pearlman looked through some tapes they had, and one of Justin Timberlake from the Mickey Mouse Club caught their eye. Timberlake soon joined the group and recommended his friend JC Chasez, who also was a cast member on the Mickey Mouse Club. Soon, they decided to even out their sound by finding a bass singer. Initially, their fifth member was to be Jason Galasso. After several weeks of rehearsals, the group set up a showcase and began planning to officially sign with Pearlman's Trans Continental Label. However, at the last minute, Galasso dropped out. He was not fond of the group's musical direction, claiming that being a teen idol was never a goal of his.[6] In need of a bass, the group auditioned several people without success. Timberlake soon called his vocal coach, who suggested a 16-year-old from Mississippi named Lance Bass. Bass flew to Orlando to audition and was immediately accepted into the group.
The group got their name after Timberlake's mother commented on how "in sync" their voices were. The group's name was also a play on the last letter of each member's first names: JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, JasoN, and JC.[6] The band later nicknamed Bass "Lansten" so as not to throw off the last-letter theme of their name. From there, Pearlman set the five boys up in a house in Orlando, where they rehearsed constantly, learning dance routines and vocal parts, and working on promotion for their first public performance at Pleasure Island on October 22, 1995. Pearlman hired Johnny Wright, manager of the BackStreet Boys, to manage the group. 'N Sync sent him a two-song demo-tape including "I'll Be Back for More" and "We Can Work It Out", which impressed him. The group performed for him and a group of BMG executives. Although the record company had some concerns with the band's name and Bass's dancing abilities, they agreed to sign the group to BMG Ariola Munich with Wright as their manager.[7]
After being signed to BMG Ariola Munich, the group was sent to Sweden to begin working on their debut album with the help of producers such as Denniz Pop, Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson. The album's official lead single, "I Want You Back", was released in Germany on October 7, 1996, and entered the top 10 in Germany on November 18, 1996.[8] With a record deal finally secured, the boys began touring first in German-speaking countries and later in other European territories. Their self-titled debut album was initially released by BMG Ariola Munich on May 26, 1997, in Germany, and peaked at number one in the second week after its release.[9] The group soon became an overnight success throughout much of Europe.[10] The album also charted successfully in both Switzerland and Austria eventually selling 820,000 units in GSA (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) region and Eastern Europe.[11][12] The group released its second and the third singles, "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "Here We Go", both of which managed to reach the top-10 in numerous countries in Europe.[13][14] 'N Sync captured the attention of Vincent DeGiorgio, an A&R rep for RCA Records. After seeing the group perform in Budapest, he eventually signed them to RCA in 1998. The American label had the group record some new tracks to adjust their album for the U.S. market.
1998–1999: Breaking the American market and legal battle
The group released its American first single, "I Want You Back" on January 20, 1998. It reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. An album called *NSYNC followed on March 24, 1998. Album sales were sluggish, debuting at #82 on the Billboard 200, but were helped when the Disney Channel aired a concert on July 18, 1998. The concert was first offered to the Backstreet Boys but they turned it down. Three weeks before the concert, the album sat at #85 on the albums chart. Three weeks after the concert, the album reached number nine. Six months after the release of its debut album, the group was in the Top 10.[citation needed] The group released its second single, "Tearin' Up My Heart", in April of that same year. It was the top of radio airplay charts and was played on MTV and on Total Request Live. It peaked at #2 in October 1998. They toured regularly, including an opening spot on Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope Tour. The album got a Diamond Certification for sales of over 10 million by the RIAA.[15]
The group appeared on the television series Sabrina The Teenage Witch on February 5, 1999, performing "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You." 'N Sync also performed the track "Somewhere, Someday," for the soundtrack of Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back. 'N Sync's 1998 hit, 'Tearin' Up My Heart' was also featured as #30 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of The 90's" in 2007, nine years later. On November 10, 1998, the group released a holiday album, Home for Christmas. The album peaked at #7 and sold 2 million copies.[15] With this, 'N Sync achieved the rare feat of having two albums in the Billboard Top 10 at the same time. The group scored its first top 10 on the Hot 100 with their third single, "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time on You", which peaked at #8 in February 1999. Country group Alabama later re-recorded the song and released it as a single that featured vocals from 'N Sync. The fourth and final single from the album, "I Drive Myself Crazy", was a modest chart hit, but a mainstay on Total Request Live.[citation needed] In September 1999, the group collaborated with Gloria Estefan on a song for the soundtrack for her movie Music of the Heart. The track "Music of My Heart" reached #2 on Billboard's Top-100 single chart and served as a stopgap between album releases.
In 1998, *NSYNC had a publicized legal battle with Lou Pearlman, due to what the group believed were illicit business practices on his part.[16] 'N Sync sued Pearlman and his record company, Trans Continental, for defrauding the group of more than fifty percent of their earnings, rather than his promise of only receiving one-sixth of the profits.[16] The group threatened to leave and sign with Jive Records, which prompted Pearlman and RCA to countersue 'N Sync for US$150 million and the use of the name.[17] Pearlman's request for a preliminary injunction against the band was denied.[16] After reaching a settlement out of court,[18] 'N Sync signed with Jive.[19]
2000–2001: Groundbreaking success and No Strings Attached
With their legal woes behind them, *NSYNC refocused and worked on tracks for its second album. In January 2000, the group released "Bye Bye Bye", an upbeat dance track, which shot into the top 5 of the Hot 100 and spent 5 weeks atop the Hot 100 Airplay chart. The song is often considered the group's signature song. They performed at the Latin Grammy show in 2001 singing the Spanish version of their song, This I Promise You, "Yo Te Voy Amar."
The accompanying album, No Strings Attached, was released on March 21, 2000. It sold a record 2.42 million in its first week of release.[3][4] By the end of 2000, it had sold over 9.9 million copies.[20]No Strings Attached was both the best-selling album of the decade and top-selling album of 2000.[20]No Strings Attached is currently the eighth best selling album of the SoundScan era which received a Diamond Certification from RIAA for sales of over 11,099,000.[21] The album was all-time bestselling pre-ordered album on Amazon.com.[22]
The second single, "It's Gonna Be Me", became the group's first #1 single in US. The third and final single, "This I Promise You" reached the Top-5 on Billboard's Top-100 single chart. The group also embarked on a World No Strings Attached Tour that year. The adventures of preparing for the tour were featured on an MTV special "Making the Tour", which was later released on DVD. The tour was then featured on a HBO special, which aired the same week the group's song "It's Gonna Be Me" hit #1 on the charts. The group then went on the second leg of the tour in the fall and performed one last show in 2001 for the "Rock in Rio" concert. The group also released Live From Madison Square Garden, a home video release of its HBO Special.
2001–2002: Celebrity and "Pop"
The group's third album, Celebrity, released on July 24, 2001, produced three singles: "Pop" (#19 US), "Gone" (#11 US) and "Girlfriend" (#5 US). The album featured much more creative involvement from the group, especially Chasez and Timberlake, who wrote and produced several of the tracks. The album was also notably more heavily influenced by hip-hop than the group's previous releases. As such, rapper Nelly contributed a verse to a remix of the single "Girlfriend". The album was generally well-received, but album sales were substantially less than previous releases.
To help support the Celebrity album, the group embarked on a four-month stadium tour entitled the Pop Odyssey Tour. The outing began in May, two months before the CD's release. Over two million fans attended the concerts. The success of the tour prompted the group to extend the tour and add 33 extra shows that was called the "Celebrity Tour". A video of the concert was later released on home video, Pop Odyssey Live.
2002–present: Hiatus and Breakup
In April 2002, after the group's Celebrity tour, they went on a break. They originally intended to resume recording in September of that year, but they decided to extend their hiatus because Timberlake wanted to focus on his solo career. The group still went to award shows and events together, and regrouped at the 2003 Grammy Awards to sing the Bee Gees Medley in tribute to the Bee Gees. It was the group's last televised performance. The last public performance for 'N Sync was at the group's 2004 Annual Challenge for the Children, where the members performed "The Star Spangled Banner". It was a fitting final performance considering "The Star Spangled Banner" was the first song the five of them ever sang together. In 2005, the members regrouped one last time for the last 'N Sync Challenge for the Children, but did not perform. In the fall of 2005, 'N Sync released a greatest hits album. It included one song, "I'll Never Stop", that had previously not been released in America. In January 2010, they released another album called The Collection that consisted of singles only released in the UK.[citation needed]
The group was featured on an episode of Seth Green's stop-motion sketch comedy show Robot Chicken in 2005, but only Lance Bass and Joey Fatone voiced their own characters in the episode. Justin Timberlake was voiced by Breckin Meyer.[citation needed]
Lance Bass told People magazine that "We're definitely itching to do some music," but the only thing that's really stopping a reunion is that "It's gonna be hard to get Justin to calm down and get off tour, he's a workaholic".[23] Despite the fact that Timberlake has not released an album since 2006 and his last tour ended in 2007, he continues to be very busy with his own career. Timberlake has recently turned his attention to film and has produced a successful acting career. Joey Fatone has been featured as a host for reality game show The Singing Bee that aired on NBC and is announcer on Family Feud with Steve Harvey. Lance Bass has done some producing jobs and small film cameos.[citation needed]
Marketing
The group licensed their likenesses on large number of merchandise, including board games, microphones, lip balm, marionettes, books, key chains, bedding, clothing, video games,[24] and various other articles. The group also had a deal alongside McDonald's, which included commercials featuring the group and Spears, along with a CD and a video that featured behind-the-scenes footage from the making of 'N Sync's music video. The vocal group also had a deal with Chili's Grill & Bar in which the members appeared in commercials for the restaurant, while Chili's helped sponsor the group's tour.[citation needed]
For the Girl Tour (1997) (also known as the "I Want You Back Tour" in the fall of 1997)
'N Sync in Concert (1998-2000) (also known as the "Second II None Tour" in the winter of 1998, "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now Tour" in the spring of 1999, "Boys of Summer Tour" in the summer of 1999 and "The Winter Shows" in the winter of 1999)
The group has multiple RIAA awards. These include two Diamond Awards, four platinum home video releases, and multiple platinum awards for the group's records.[15]
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