N Sync
The group's launch to fame was financed by the boy band mogul Lou Pearlman. Since 1995, 'N Sync has sold over 56 million records worldwide.
Formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995 and launched in Germany in 1996 by BMG Ariola Munich, the group consisted of Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick.
The name is derived from the last letter of the members names: Justi-N, Chri-S, Joe-Y, Lancete-N (though originally the 'N' came from an original member named Jason before he was replaced by Lance), J-C. The group also appeared as themselves on The Simpsons, in an episode entitled "New Kids on the Blecch", which aired on February 25, 2001.
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 summer of 2006, and in 2007, Lance Bass confirmed that the group has "definitely broken up."
History
Formation and international success: 1995-1998
'N Sync formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995. After being the first runner-up for a spot in the Backstreet Boys, Chris Kirkpatrick approached Lou Pearlman about forming another pop group.
Pearlman suggested that Kirkpatrick find other young male singers, which prompted Kirkpatrick to call Joey Fatone, a friend he had met while working at Universal Studios. Justin soon joined the group and recommended his friend, JC, 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, who left the band prior to its signing with Lou Pearlman due to not being fond of the direction the act was going musically, Galasso claimed that being a teen idol was never a goal of his. The group decided to name themselves *NSYNC , after Timberlake's mother, Lynn Harless, commented on how "in sync" their voices were.
The group's name was also a play on the letters of each member's first names - JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, JasoN and JC. However, at the last minute, Galasso decided he was displeased with the direction of the group and dropped out. In need of a bass, the group auditioned several people without fruition.
Timberlake soon called his vocal coach, who suggested a 16-year-old singer from Mississippi named Lance Bass. Although the record company had some concerns with the name and Bass's dancing abilities, they actually agreed to sign the group to BMG Ariola Munich with Wright as their manager.
The act's first single "I Want You Back" released on BMG Ariola Munich became a top 10 hit in Germany in late 1996.
With a record deal finally secured, the boys began touring first in German speaking countries and later in other European territories, simultaneously recording their first album, entitled *NSYNC which would be released in Germany, Switzerland and Austria in the first half of 1997. Subsequent releases "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "Here We Go" solidified the act's success in Europe.
This garnered the attention of Vincent DeGiorgio, an A&R rep for RCA Records.
After seeing the group perform in Budapest he signed them to RCA in early 1998. The label had the group record some new tracks to adjust their album for the US market.
Breaking the American market: 1998-1999
The group released their American first single, "I Want You Back" in January 1998.
The concert sent the album rocketing up the charts: three weeks preceding the concert, the album sat at #85 on the albums chart. This further increased the group's visibility and sales for the album, which eventually peaked at #2 in October of 1998.
Constant touring, including an opening spot on Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope Tour, helped maintain the group's momentum. Eventually, the album went on receiving a Diamond Certification for sales of over 10 million by the RIAA.
The group appeared in the TV series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series) on February 5, 1999 at the height of their popularity, performing "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You" in an episode where Sabrina acquires a magical fake ID to attend their concert.
'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, 9 years later.
On November 10, 1998, the group released a holiday album, Home for Christmas.
With this, 'N Sync achieved the rare feat of having two albums in the Billboard Top 10 at the same time. The group scored their first top 10 on the Hot 100 with their third single, "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time on You", which peaked #8 in February of 1999.
In January 2000, the group released "Bye Bye Bye", an upbeat dance track, which shot into the top 5 of the Hot 100 and would spend 5 weeks atop the Hot 100 Airplay chart. The album also broke the Amazon sales records.
Their second single, "It's Gonna Be Me", became the group's first #1 single in US.
The group also had a deal alongside Britney Spears with 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 NSYNC's music video. These include three Diamond Awards, four platinum home video releases, and multiple platinum awards for the group's records.
Hiatus
The group went on an extended hiatus in 2002, as Timberlake released his solo album Justified on November 5, 2002; Chasez then proceeded to release Schizophrenic, on February 24, 2004.
He has also recorded as a solo artist as well as with his other band, Nigels 11. He will be partnered with former So You Think You Can Dance Season 3 finalist, Lacey Schwimmer.