'N Sync

Sound Familiar?

“I Want You Back,” “Tearin’ Up My Heart,” “Bye Bye Bye”

Who Are They?

The boy band that provided some healthy competition to the Backstreet Boys (and spawned multi-talented megababe Justin Timberlake).

Chris Kirkpatrick, like many talented young men, missed the cut for the Backstreet Boys in 1995, so he met up with producer Lou Pearlman to form a second boy band. Lou agreed to finance the group, but only if Chris found the rest of the members himself.

Joey Fatone joined the group after getting a call from Chris, but the two ran out of possible bandmates fairly quickly. Lou suggested Mickey Mouse Club heartthrob Justin Timberlake, and Justin suggested his buddy JC Chanez. Once Jason Galasso joined the group, ‘N Sync was complete.

(Fun fact: ‘N Sync got its name from a combination of two things: Justin’s mother commented on how “in sync” everyone sounded, and the name is a play on the last letter of each of the original members’ names—JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, JasoN and JC.)

If you’re wondering who the hell Jason Galasso is, it’s because he left the group before recording even began, citing the ridiculous teen idol lifestyle as a major concern (as in he didn’t want any part of it). Lance Bass took his place.

After constant rehearsing and promotion, ‘N Sync scored a record deal with BMG Ariola Munich and released its self-titled debut in 1997. The boys became a big hit in Germany, and were eventually signed to RCA the following year.

‘N Sync’s first American single was “I Want You Back,” but it was “Tearin’ Up My Heart” that made them pop radio mainstays. Constant touring an appearances on Janet Jackson’s Velvet Rope Tour and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch helped *NSYNC sell more than 10 million copies.

Meanwhile, ‘N Sync entered into a heated legal battle with Lou Pearlman, claiming he and his record company defrauded the group of more than 50 percent of its earnings. Lou and RCA countersued after ‘N Sync threatened to leave the label, but the two parties reached a settlement and the boys eventually signed to Jive.

Where Are They Now?

Officially over (but after their one-off reunion performance, I can retain some hope).

With their legal trouble behind them, ‘N Sync began to work on their second album, No Strings Attached, released in 2000. The first single, “Bye Bye Bye,” became the group’s most popular song (though I guess that’s debatable depending on how much of an ‘N Sync fangirl you were are).

Marionette Justin's cold, dead eyes
(courtesy of my Instagram)

(Fun fact: Like with most teen sensations in the ‘90s, ‘N Sync had a shit ton of merchandise to its name. No Strings Attached in particular spawned an entire line of marionette dolls, which people actually bought. And by people, I mean me. I had a Justin Timberlake marionette doll that is still in my basement. It’s creepy as hell.)

‘N Sync’s third (and final) album, Celebrity, dropped just one year later, but didn’t sell nearly as well as the first two records. By April 2002, the group went on an unofficial hiatus, with Justin embarking on his incredibly successful solo career. It wasn’t until 2007 that Lance admitted ‘N Sync was done for good.

With Justin riding wave after wave of solo success, everyone else decided to go their separate ways.

JC went solo as well, releasing his first album, Schizophrenic, in 2004. After leaving Jive Records, JC decided to work behind the scenes for other artists, writing and producing songs for David Archuleta and, ironically enough, the Backstreet Boys. JC will also play Pontius Pilate in the upcoming North American tour of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Chris appeared on the CMT show Gone Country 2 in 2008 and shocked the hell out of just about everyone by proving he could write some decent country songs. He also makes a nice living by being a voice actor. You may know him as the voice of Chip Skylark on The Fairly Oddparents.

Joey has been busy hosting The Singing Bee and The Price Is Right Live!, along with being the announcer on Family Feud. He’s also played lead roles in Rent, Little Shop of Horrors and The Producers on Broadway.

Lance decided to leave the planet after ‘N Sync went on hiatus (or at least he tried). He was certified by both NASA and the Russian Space Program as an astronaut, but after his financial sponsors backed out, Lance was denied a seat on the mission to the International Space Station. Lance also started his own production company, A Happy Place (later renamed Bacon & Eggs), in 2001. He has since produced a couple of documentaries, and even created a new boy band called Heart2Heart.

‘N Sync reunited for a one-off performance at the 2013 VMAs, but Lance said the group currently doesn’t have any plans for a new album or tour.

But Why ‘N Sync?

Because my inner pre-teen got way too excited for that VMA performance (and ultimately way too disappointed when Lance confirmed that the reunion wasn’t permanent).

What Does Sam Think?

Unpopular (?) opinion: I liked ‘N Sync more than the Backstreet Boys.

There. I said it. I got so much shit for this as a kid (kids in the ‘90s were mean when it came to their favorite boy bands), but I don’t even care.

Now I guess I have to back this up. Okay, so if you take a peak at my Backstreet Boys entry, you’ll notice that I did, in fact, like the Backstreet Boys as a kid. But I do believe that ‘N Sync was my first favorite “band” (even before Creed).

Granted, most of my obsession with this group stemmed from my huge crush on Justin Timberlake (and that’s still true), but after reliving my own childhood by giving No Strings Attached another listen, I realized why I liked these guys so much.

‘N Sync had some strange production, especially on the latter two albums. Lots of weird noises, lots of vocal effects and lots of dance beats. In terms of the number of danceable tracks, I think ‘N Sync had the Backstreet Boys beat. The latter was more into ballads, and while those do make all the young girls swoon, I always preferred the more upbeat tracks. Despite appearances, I was a pretty happy child.

Though I was hypnotized by the sugary sweet catchiness of ‘N Sync’s brand of pop, I still wouldn’t compare them to more advanced pop idols like Michael Jackson or Madonna. Yeah, these boys had nice voices and sick dance moves, but they weren’t particularly revolutionary in terms of popular music. Justin has since become essentially a white version of Michael Jackson, but ‘N Sync was far from groundbreaking.

But that’s okay! Like I mentioned in the Backstreet Boys entry, there’s nothing wrong with boy bands. They’re part of everyone’s life (yes, even One Direction). So when you hear “Bye Bye Bye” at a bar this weekend, don’t be ashamed of knowing all the words (and drunkenly screaming them on karaoke).

-- Sam Boyer, reporting from the ‘90s.

Backstreet Boys

Sound Familiar?

“Quit Playing Games (With My Heart),” “I Want It That Way,” “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely”

Who Are They?

Only one of the biggest boy bands to ever exist (One Direction who?).

Way back in 1992, big-time producer Lou Pearlman (known as “Big Poppa” to his clients, a name that should only be reserved for Biggie Smalls) placed an ad in the Orlando Sentinel announcing auditions for a boy band. After hundreds of auditions, Lou settled on A.J. McLean, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough and Brian Littrell. The name Backstreet Boys was Lou’s idea, as was the venue for the band’s first ever gig (SeaWorld in Orlando…really?).

The band’s first single, 1995’s “We’ve Got It Goin’ On,” was only a minor success in the US, but those crazy Europeans loved it (as is usually the case). Because of the initial European success, the Backstreet Boys’ promotion was shifted to Europe.

The eponymous first album was released internationally (with the exception of the US and Canada) in 1996. The album immediately went platinum in Germany and the boys became one of the most successful debut artists in the world.

“Quit Playing Games (With My Heart),” the first single from their debut US album, managed to climb as high as #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The US debut was something of a mish-mash of the band’s first two international albums (for once, the States got all the leftovers). Both self-titled debuts sold over 28 million copies combined.

Meanwhile, in 1997, Brian Littrell filed a lawsuit against good ol’ Lou “Big Poppa” Pearlman, claiming that the producer had not been truthful about the earnings made by the group. The rest of the band eventually joined the lawsuit, which resulted in a number of settlements.

During that legal mess, the Backstreet Boys began recording Millennium. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, sold over 1 million copies in its first week, broke the record for most shipments in one year, and became the best-selling album of 1999. (And you guys contributed to that success because I know for a fact that everyone has a copy of that album, whether you’ll admit to it or not.)

By October 1999, the band had struck one of the largest record deals ever (valued at $60 million) with Jive Records.

Where Are They Now?

Together again (minus Kevin Richardson) and stronger than ever.

In early 2000, the Backstreet Boys took a trip to the Bahamas to start writing songs for what would later become Black & Blue. To promote the album’s release in November of that year, the band traveled around the world in 100 hours (55 hours for traveling and 45 hours for public appearances). That’s dedication, people. Black & Blue ended up having the best international sales in a week for any album in history.

Though Black & Blue never matched the hype of the first two Backstreet Boys albums, it still enjoyed international success.

In 2002, the band expressed a strong desire to leave their management company (Nick Carter remained with the company to manage his solo career). Their relationship with Jive wasn’t any better. The band filed a $75-100 million lawsuit against Zomba Music Company (Jive’s parent company) claiming breach of contract. Basically, the label decided to promote Nick’s solo album at the expense of group. (This is a sign that the label considered Nick to be the poster boy of the band.)

On top of that, A.J. McLean visited Oprah in November 2003 to announce his addiction to alcohol and drugs. After A.J.’s appearance on the show, the band decided to put their differences aside and record a comeback album.

That comeback album, 2005’s Never Gone, received some pretty harsh criticism from music publications (Rolling Stone gave it an extremely disappointing one star rating). Kevin Richardson left the band a year later to “pursue other interests.”

The Backstreet Boys released two more albums after Never Gone (2007’s Unbreakable and 2009’s This Is Us). Just when fans thought they had run out of steam, the boys announced a joint world tour with fellow boy band heartthrobs New Kids on the Block in 2010.

But Why Backstreet Boys?

Plans for recording a new album this year have been confirmed!

What Does Sam Think?

Ah, boy bands. The songs of Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync were the soundtrack of my childhood. I’m sure you feel the same way (if you’re my age, that is).

Yes, the sweet nostalgia of singing “I Want It That Way” to my Backstreet Boys posters is hitting me all at once. Swooning over A.J. McLean and imagining he was singing to me…

Ahem. Sorry about that. Back to the point.

The Backstreet Boys were definitely more than just a nostalgia act. They possessed obvious talent and refused to be just another manufactured pop act. Of course they didn’t do anything particularly groundbreaking. Boy bands had been around for a while before these guys came around. The formula was pretty much set in stone by the mid-‘90s: Start a boy band, release a ton of catchy tracks, receive money and girls’ panties.

But we can’t forget that the Backstreet Boys weren’t the only heartthrobs taking the world by storm at this point. Does the name ‘N Sync ring a bell?

We can fight about who was better later (I personally preferred ‘N Sync, but I think that was because of Justin Timberlake and his sexy Ramen Noodle hair). The point is that both these bands, however silly they seem to us now, were an important part of the ‘90s.

I’m not going to argue that songs like “We Got It Goin’ On” had some profound hidden meaning or anything. The Backstreet Boys and other groups like them may have been making music they enjoyed, but when it comes to boy bands, it’s all about selling a product. And boy, did these guys sell well.

When you think back to the first band you ever loved, you’re probably thinking of one of these boy bands. Am I right? Of course there are exceptions (and liars), but let’s face it: You used to be obsessed with these guys. And after you got over that obsession, you discovered the bands you listen to today.

And before you judge little girls who go gaga for One Direction, just remember that you wanted to marry Nick Carter when you were 10 years old.

-- Sam Boyer, reporting from the ‘90s.