{{short description|American boy band}} {{For|their debut album|NSYNC (album)}} {{pp-protected|small=yes}} {{use American English|date=December 2018}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox musical artist | background = group_or_band | image = NSYNC.jpg | landscape = yes | caption = From top to bottom, left to right: Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass | origin = Orlando, Florida, U.S. | genre = {{hlist|Pop|dance-pop|teen pop|R&B}} | years_active = {{hlist|1995–2002|2023–2024}} | label = {{hlist|Trans Continental|Ariola|RCA|Jive/Zomba}} | website = {{URL|https://nsync.com}} | past_members = * Justin Timberlake * JC Chasez * Chris Kirkpatrick * Joey Fatone * Jason Galasso * Lance Bass }} '''NSYNC''' ({{IPAc-en|ɛ|n|ˈ|s|ɪ|ŋ|k|,_|ɪ|n|-}} {{respell|en|SINK|,_|in-}}; also stylized as '''*NSYNC''' or '''{{`}}N Sync''')<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gray |first=Tyler |date=September 3, 2016 |title=The Boy Bands' Most Wanted |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2016/Billboard-2016-09-03-(Double-Issue).pdf |magazine=Billboard |page=20}} Retrieved December 1, 2016.</ref> was an American vocal group and pop boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995<ref name="All">{{cite web |last=Leahey |first=Andrea |title=NSYNC |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nsync-mn0000516929 |access-date=October 9, 2019 |publisher=AllMusic |archive-date=October 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005003345/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nsync-mn0000516929 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NSYNC20">{{cite magazine |last=Weatherby |first=Taylor |date=March 24, 2018 |title=*NSYNC Reflects on Making U.S. Debut & Competing With Backstreet Boys as Self-Titled Album Turns 20: 'It Was Us Against the World' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/nsync-debut-album-us-20th-anniversary-oral-history-8258181/ |access-date=February 15, 2020 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich.<ref>{{cite web |title=Allmusic: *NSYNC (overview) |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nsync-mn0000516929/biography |access-date=June 3, 2018 |publisher=AllMusic |archive-date=June 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614121522/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nsync-mn0000516929/biography |url-status=live }}</ref> The group consisted of Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake, and Jason Galasso who soon left and was replaced by Lance Bass. Their debut album ''NSYNC'' was successfully released to European countries in 1997 and later entered the American market with the single "I Want You Back".
After heavily publicized legal battles with their former manager Lou Pearlman and former record label Bertelsmann Music Group, the group's third album, ''No Strings Attached'' (2000), sold over 1 million copies in one day and 2.4 million copies in one week in the US, which was a record for over fifteen years.<ref name="NSA" /><ref name="NSync's Biography on Billboard" /> ''Celebrity'' (2001) debuted with 1.8 million copies in its first week in the US. Singles such as "Girlfriend", "Pop", "Bye Bye Bye", "Tearin' Up My Heart", and "It's Gonna Be Me" reached the Top 10 in several international charts, with the last hitting number 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2002.{{efn|name="hiatusnote"|Though never officially announcing a breakup, the group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2002 after completing their Celebrity tour; band member Lance Bass confirmed years later in his 2007 memoir ''Out of Sync'' that the band had quietly split for good in 2002. In November 2024, JC Chasez confirmed that there were no further plans for the group.}} Over the course of their hiatus, the five members reunited occasionally, including for a one-off performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, for an appearance on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' in 2018, and to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018. They reunited as a four piece without Timberlake to perform with Ariana Grande at Coachella in 2019. The group briefly reunited in 2023 to release the song "Better Place" for the DreamWorks animated film ''Trolls Band Together'' (which stars Timberlake) and performed at the premiere, and at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. While working on "Better Place", NSYNC also recorded a track titled "Paradise" for Timberlake's sixth solo album, ''Everything I Thought It Was'' (2024). In 2024, the group made a special one-off appearance at Timberlake's ONO concert in Los Angeles.
The band completed five nationwide concert tours and has sold over 70 million records, becoming one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Newman |first=Melinda |date=November 14, 2017 |title=*NSYNC And Epic Rights Join Together For Merchandise Line to Celebrate Band's 20th Anniversary: Exclusive |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8031516/nsync-and-epic-rights-join-together-for-merchandise-line-to-celebrate-bands |access-date=March 9, 2018 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511090158/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8031516/nsync-and-epic-rights-join-together-for-merchandise-line-to-celebrate-bands |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ryzik |first=Melena |date=October 1, 2007 |title=A Boy-Band Grad's Next Act |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/fashion/21lance.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1348221612-ktK210Jl2UyApyFCIwFy6w |access-date=September 2, 2021 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510182642/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/fashion/21lance.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1348221612-ktK210Jl2UyApyFCIwFy6w |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' recognized their instant success as one of the Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=May 11, 2012 |title=The Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments – NSYNC |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-top-25-teen-idol-breakout-moments-20120511/nsync-1999-20120511 |access-date=December 15, 2014 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=October 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022192828/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-top-25-teen-idol-breakout-moments-20120511/nsync-1999-20120511 |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to nine Grammy Award nominations, NSYNC performed at the Super Bowl and sang the national anthem at the Olympic Games and World Series. They have also sung or recorded with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Michael and Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Phil Collins, Celine Dion, Aerosmith, Nelly, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Mary J. Blige, Alabama, and Gloria Estefan.
==History== ===1995–1997: Formation and debut=== [[File:'N Sync Logo.svg|thumb|280px|NSYNC's wordmark logo]] In 1995, while working at Universal Studios and singing in the Hollywood Hi-Tones, Chris Kirkpatrick was introduced to Lou Pearlman, who had created the Backstreet Boys, through a mutual friend who had heard that Pearlman was interested in financing another vocal group.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 3, 2020 |title=BobbyCast 230 - Chris Kirkpatrick from NSYNC on The Untold Story of the Band |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxbJDxwUXUM%3Ft%3D1630 |access-date=January 20, 2024 |via=YouTube |archive-date=September 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915203531/https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=SxbJDxwUXUM%3Ft%3D1630 |url-status=live }}</ref> Originally, when the Backstreet Boys formed, Kirkpatrick had not known about their auditions, so he never got the chance to try out.<ref>{{cite interview |last=Kirkpatrick |first=Chris |subject-link=Chris Kirkpatrick |interviewer=Tony Lucca |title=My Kinda 90's with NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick |work=Mo'verb Lounge Sessions |publisher=Mo'verb Lounge Sessions |location=Nashville, TN |date=October 20, 2021}}</ref> When Pearlman met him and saw him perform in his doo-wop group, Pearlman took an interest in him, so they discussed the idea of Kirkpatrick forming a vocal group, which Pearlman promised to finance if Kirkpatrick could find other singers to join him.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 26, 2012 |title=NSYNC ~ Driven ~ Full |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IhxWRyQngs%3Ft%3D344 |access-date=January 20, 2024 |via=YouTube |archive-date=November 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241130094354/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IhxWRyQngs%3Ft%3D344 |url-status=live }}</ref> Kirkpatrick took the opportunity and spent over a year trying to find other people to join him, eventually finding Justin Timberlake (who had been on the TV show ''The All New Mickey Mouse Club'' along with JC Chasez) through a talent agent and contacting him in regards to the group.
After the end of ''The All New Mickey Mouse Club'', JC Chasez attempted to pursue a solo music career in Los Angeles, but decided to return home to Maryland after he was left feeling cheated.<ref name="RSWeird" /> On his drive back, he stopped at Timberlake's house in Memphis, Tennessee, where the two wrote demos together.<ref name="RSWeird">{{cite magazine |last=Bozza |first=Anthony |date=March 30, 2000 |title='N Sync: Weird Scenes Inside the Glitter Factory |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/n-sync-weird-scenes-inside-the-glitter-factory-245124/ |access-date=March 29, 2020 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=February 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226181804/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/n-sync-weird-scenes-inside-the-glitter-factory-245124/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Chasez and Timberlake eventually relocated to Nashville while continuously writing songs and demo tracks with Robin Wiley, a songwriter and vocal coach on ''The All New Mickey Mouse Club''.<ref name="RSWeird" /> After Timberlake received a phone call from Kirkpatrick, he decided to join the group, recommending Chasez in the process, who was back home in Maryland saving up to return to Nashville.<ref name="RSWeird" /> The trio decided to venture in Orlando, Florida, to search for a baritone, where they encountered Joey Fatone, who knew Kirkpatrick from their time working together at Universal Studios Florida and also knew Timberlake and Chasez from being in the same friend groups when they were on ''The All New Mickey Mouse Club''. Charles Edward, who had been fired after a short time with the Backstreet Boys, was tried as the group's bass singer; he soon left to get married. The group recruited Jason Galasso as their bass singer.<ref name="RSWeird" /> NSYNC created their name after Timberlake's mother Lynn commented on how "in sync" the group's singing voices were.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 9, 2001 |title='N Sync Discusses Their Rise to Stardom |url=http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0101/09/lkl.00.html |access-date=September 2, 2013 |work=CNN |archive-date=October 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029132635/http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0101/09/lkl.00.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ChrisGazette" /> The group's name is a play on the last letter of each of the initial members' names: Justin, Chris, Joey, Jason<!-- DO NOT change this into Lance's name, as that contradicts the cited source from Gazette Review. -->, and JC.<ref name="ChrisGazette">{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Brooke |date=December 14, 2016 |title=What Happened to Chris Kirkpatrick – Where's The NSYNC Member Now? |url=http://gazettereview.com/2016/12/happened-chris-kirkpatrick-news-updates/ |access-date=September 21, 2017 |work=Gazette Review |archive-date=May 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502120907/https://gazettereview.com/2016/12/happened-chris-kirkpatrick-news-updates/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Summers |first=Kimberly Dillon |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Justin_Timberlake/8IXDEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&pg=PA17 |title=Justin Timberlake – A Biography |date=2010 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9780313383212 |page=17}}</ref>
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.<ref name="Jason">{{cite web |title=VH1's Driven's *NSYNC Episode Summary |url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/driven/59733/episode_about.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223010856/http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/driven/59733/episode_about.jhtml |archive-date=December 23, 2007<!--Added by DASHBot--> |access-date=January 4, 2008 |publisher=VH1}}</ref> To help him in deciding between joining the R&B project Unreal and the pop project NSYNC, Galasso had his lawyer compare the two contracts presented by the groups, concluding that Unreal's was industry standard, while Pearlman's NSYNC contract was far too large and overly complicated. Galasso joined Unreal instead, but that project never gained traction.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Schonfeld |first=Alexandra |date=July 26, 2024 |title=Who Was the Original Fifth Member of *NSYNC? Learn More About the Early Days of the Boy Band |url=https://people.com/who-was-the-original-fifth-member-of-nsync-8682270 |access-date=February 22, 2025 |magazine=People}}</ref> Still in need of a bass, Timberlake eventually 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.<ref name="Lansten">{{cite news |last=Tortorici |first=Frank |date=May 4, 1999 |title='N Sync's James Lance Bass |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/513952/n-syncs-james-lance-bass.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929133844/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/513952/n-syncs-james-lance-lansten-bass.jhtml |archive-date=2013-09-29 |access-date=September 2, 2013 |work=MTV News}}</ref> He was nicknamed "Lansten" so they could keep the name 'NSYNC.<ref name="Lansten" /> From there, Pearlman set the five boys up in a house in Orlando, Florida, where they rehearsed constantly, learning dance routines and vocal parts, and worked on promotion for their first public performance at Pleasure Island on October 22, 1995. Pearlman hired Johnny Wright to manage the group, despite also managing the Backstreet Boys. NSYNC sent him a four-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 Lance Bass's dancing abilities (which eventually improved), they agreed to sign the group to BMG Ariola Munich with Wright as their manager.<ref name="Jason" />
After being signed to BMG Ariola Munich, the group was sent to Sweden to begin working on their first album with the help of producers 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.<ref name="CHARTS-DEUTSCHLAND:Single Top 100 (18.11.1996)">{{cite web |title=CHARTSDEUTSCHLAND: Single Top 100 (18.11.1996) |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single/for-date-848304000000 |publisher=Charts.de |language=de |access-date=July 26, 2015 |archive-date=September 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914091235/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single/for-date-848304000000 |url-status=live }}</ref> With a record deal finally secured, the boys began touring first in German-speaking countries and later in other European and Asian territories.<ref name="RSWeird" /> Their first album ''NSYNC'' was initially released by BMG Ariola Munich on May 26, 1997, in Germany, and peaked at number 1 in the second week after its release.<ref name="CHARTS-DEUTSCHLAND:Album Top 100 (09.06.1997)">{{cite web |title=ChartsDeutschland: Album Top 100 (09.06.1997) |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album/for-date-865839600000 |publisher=Charts.de |language=de |access-date=July 26, 2015 |archive-date=September 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914183743/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album/for-date-865839600000 |url-status=live }}</ref> The group became an overnight success throughout much of Europe.<ref>{{cite web |title=N Sync Pictures, biography, Discography, Filmography, News, Ringtones, Videos |url=http://www.starpulse.com/Music/*NSYNC/Biography/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080608073922/http://www.starpulse.com/Music/N_Sync/ |archive-date=8 June 2008 |access-date=September 30, 2021 |website=Starpulse.com}}</ref> The album also charted successfully in both Switzerland and Austria eventually selling 820,000 units in Germany, Switzerland and Austria (GSA), and Eastern Europe.<ref>{{cite web |title=*NSYNC – *NSYNC (ALBUM) |url=http://www.swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=%27N+Sync&titel=%27N+Sync&cat=a |access-date=May 12, 2010 |publisher=Hung Medien |archive-date=October 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031020824/http://www.swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=%27N+Sync&titel=%27N+Sync&cat=a |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="N Sync's Inderect Path to the Top">{{cite book |last1=Pride |first1=Dominic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nw4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA7-IA5 |title='N Sync's Indirect Path to the Top |last2=Paoletta |first2=Michael |date=March 20, 1999 |publisher=Billboard |pages=6, 84 |access-date=May 12, 2010}}</ref> The group released its second and third singles, "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "Here We Go", both of which managed to reach the top 10 in numerous countries in Europe.<ref>{{cite web |title=*NSYNC – Tearin' Up My Heart |url=http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=%27*NSYNC&titel=Tearin%27+Up+My+Heart&cat=s |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715232947/http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=%27*NSYNC&titel=Tearin%27%20Up%20My%20Heart&cat=s |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |publisher=GfK Dutch Charts}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='N SYNC – Here We Go |url=http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=%27N+Sync&titel=Here+We+Go&cat=s |publisher=MegaCharts |access-date=December 3, 2008 |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225040404/https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=%27N+Sync&titel=Here+We+Go&cat=s |url-status=live }}</ref> Next, they released two Germany-only singles, "For the Girl Who Has Everything" and "Together Again".<ref>{{cite web |title='N Sync {{!}} For the Girl Who Has Everything |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-3605 |access-date=August 14, 2021 |website=Offizielle Deutsche Charts |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115184629/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-3605 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='N Sync {{!}} Together Again |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-17136 |access-date=August 14, 2021 |website=Offizielle Deutsche Charts |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115184638/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-17136 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===1998–1999: Breaking the American market and legal battle against Pearlman=== NSYNC 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 US market. The group released its debut American single, "I Want You Back" on December 29, 1997. It reached number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Hot 100 – the week of May 2, 1998 |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1998-05-02 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=September 16, 2015 |archive-date=August 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150816073202/http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1998-05-02 |url-status=live }}</ref> An album called '''N Sync'' followed on March 24, 1998. Album sales were sluggish, debuting at number 82 on the ''Billboard'' 200, but were helped when the Disney Channel aired a concert special on July 18, 1998.<ref name="NSYNC20" /> The concert was first offered to the Backstreet Boys, but they had to back out due to member Brian Littrell needing heart surgery, later doing their own special in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bierly |first=Mandi |date=August 9, 2011 |title=Backstreet Boys vs. 'N Sync: The great boy band debate |url=https://ew.com/article/2011/08/09/backstreet-boys-vs-n-sync/ |access-date=April 7, 2025 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-date=March 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328085151/https://ew.com/article/2011/08/09/backstreet-boys-vs-n-sync/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Five weeks before the concert, the album sat at number 82 on the albums chart;<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Billboard 200 Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1998-06-13 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=August 14, 2021 |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608101544/https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1998-06-13 |url-status=live }} June 13, 1998.</ref> three weeks after the concert, the album reached number 9.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Billboard 200 Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1998-08-15 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=August 14, 2021 |archive-date=June 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609063155/https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/1998-08-15 |url-status=live }} August 15, 1998.</ref> The group's profile continued to rise with the subsequent single release "Tearin' Up My Heart", which became a hit on pop radio and one of the "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s" according to VH1.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2007-12-13 |title=Top 100 Songs of the 90s |url=http://blog.vh1.com/2007-12-13/top-100-songs-of-the-90s/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220195514/http://blog.vh1.com/2007-12-13/top-100-songs-of-the-90s/ |archive-date=2007-12-20 |access-date=2021-08-17 |work=VH1}}</ref> Regular touring, including an opening spot on Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope Tour, and television spots on shows like ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' also bolstered sales for the album, which was eventually certified diamond for shipments in excess of 10 million units.<ref name="riaa.com">{{cite web |title=Gold and platinum |url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=N%20Sync&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924152059/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=N%20Sync&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=December 16, 2008 |publisher=RIAA}}</ref>
On November 10, 1998, the group released a holiday album, ''Home for Christmas''. The album peaked at number 7 and sold two million copies.<ref name="riaa.com" /> With this, NSYNC achieved the rare feat of having two albums in the Billboard Top 10 at the same time. A week later on November 16, 1998, NSYNC released ''The Winter Album'' in Germany. One of the songs on the album "U Drive Me Crazy" was a major hit in Spain peaking at number 4. 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 number 8 in February 1999. Country group Alabama later re-recorded the song and released it as a single that featured vocals from NSYNC. The fourth and final single from the album, "I Drive Myself Crazy", was a modest chart hit, but a mainstay on ''Total Request Live''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jackman |first=Ian |title=Total Request Live: The Ultimate Fan Guide |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=2000 |isbn=9780743418508 |page=71}} "'NSYNC, 'I Drive Myself Crazy' highest position: 40 days at number one."</ref> NSYNC also recorded their version of the song "Trashin' The Camp" with Phil Collins. The song appears on the soundtrack to the Disney movie ''Tarzan''. They also did "Somewhere, Someday" which appears on the soundtrack to ''Pokémon: The First Movie''. 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 number 2 on the Hot 100 and served as a stopgap between album releases.
In 1999, NSYNC entered a publicized legal battle with Lou Pearlman, due to what the group believed were illicit business practices on his part.<ref name="Pearlman1">{{cite news |last=Manning |first=Kara |date=November 24, 1999 |title='N Sync Scores Small Victory As Legal Battle Begins |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1432531/19991124/n_sync.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227170625/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1432531/19991124/n_sync.jhtml |archive-date=December 27, 2007<!--Added by DASHBot--> |access-date=October 26, 2007 |work=MTV News}}</ref> NSYNC 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, similar to his promise of one-sixth of the profits with the Backstreet Boys.<ref name="Pearlman1" /> The group threatened to leave and sign with Jive Records, which prompted Pearlman and RCA to countersue NSYNC for US$150 million.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Knopper |first=Steve |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yd2Hm8BlzZUC&q=pg%3DPA97&pg=PA97 |title=Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age |date=6 January 2009 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=9781416594550 |page=97}} Retrieved September 29, 2021. "In about a month, the negotiations went forward and 'NSync signed with Calder's company."</ref> Trans Continental, along with RCA's parent BMG Entertainment, went to federal court and filed said $150 million suit in an effort to stop NSYNC's move to Jive, to prevent the band from performing or recording under the name NSYNC, and to force NSYNC to return masters recorded that year in preparation of their second album (originally scheduled for release that fall by RCA, the album was then moved to early 2000).<ref>{{cite web |date=1999-11-30 |title='N Sync album on the way |url=http://www.canoe.com:80/JamMusicArtistsN/nsync.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000903194010/http://www.canoe.com/JamMusicArtistsN/nsync.html |archive-date=September 3, 2000 |access-date=September 2, 2021 |website=Jam! |publisher=Canoe}}</ref> The suit also claims Jive executives induced the group into breaking its Trans Continental contract.<ref name="Countersuit">{{cite magazine |last=Wolk |first=Josh |date=October 13, 1999 |title='N Sync are sued for $150 million |url=https://ew.com/article/1999/10/13/n-sync-are-sued-150-million/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221194407/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,84723,00.html |archive-date=December 21, 2007 |access-date=December 3, 2007 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> Pearlman's request for a preliminary injunction against the band was denied.<ref name="Pearlman1" /> In December 1999, NSYNC and Pearlman reached an undisclosed settlement out of court,<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=1999-12-29 |title='N Sync and Trans Con Settle |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/nsync/articles/story/5922830/n_sync_and_trans_con_settle |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205005532/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/nsync/articles/story/5922830/n_sync_and_trans_con_settle |archive-date=2008-12-05 |access-date=2021-09-02 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> freeing the group to release future albums on Jive Records.<ref name="Jive">{{cite web |title=Zomba Records, LTD: Company History |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Zomba-Records-Ltd-Company-History.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201143052/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Zomba-Records-Ltd-Company-History.html |archive-date=December 1, 2007<!--Added by DASHBot--> |access-date=December 4, 2007 |publisher=FundingUniverse.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |date=2000-04-15 |title=CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; The Molting of a Boy Band: 'N Sync Spreads Its Wings |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/15/arts/critic-s-notebook-the-molting-of-a-boy-band-n-sync-spreads-its-wings.html |access-date=2021-09-02 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=September 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902150045/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/15/arts/critic-s-notebook-the-molting-of-a-boy-band-n-sync-spreads-its-wings.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Also in 1999, NSYNC starred in a short-form spoof video of the 1998 science fiction disaster film ''Armageddon'' for the 1999 MTV Movie & TV Awards; it was titled ''Armagedd'NSync''. It featured an earthbound asterisk-shaped asteroid (a play off the asterisk they usually had in their name at the time) and featured Clint Howard, Lisa Kudrow, and all five members of NSYNC.<ref>{{cite web |title=Armagedd'NSync |url=http://www.otisproductions.com/ArmageddNSync/armageddnsync.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109182206/http://www.otisproductions.com/ArmageddNSync/armageddnsync.html |archive-date=9 November 2006 |access-date=September 29, 2021 |website=Otis Productions}}</ref>
===2000–2001: ''No Strings Attached'' and groundbreaking success=== 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 10 of the Hot 100 and spent five weeks atop the Hot 100 Airplay chart. The song is often considered the group's signature song. 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.<ref name="NSA">{{cite news |last=Huhn |first=Mary |date=November 20, 2000 |title=Backstreet Boys Want to Beat *NSYNC'S Mark |url=https://nypost.com/2000/11/20/backstreet-boys-want-to-beat-nsyncs-mark/ |access-date=August 29, 2010 |work=New York Post |archive-date=September 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919023118/https://nypost.com/2000/11/20/backstreet-boys-want-to-beat-nsyncs-mark/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NSync's Biography on Billboard">{{Cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=2021-04-08 |title=Chart Rewind: In 2000, 'N Sync Soared in Atop the Billboard 200 With 'No Strings Attached' |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/rewinding-the-charts-in-2000-n-sync-soared-with-no-strings/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=May 16, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250516122631/https://www.billboard.com/pro/rewinding-the-charts-in-2000-n-sync-soared-with-no-strings/ |url-status=live }}</ref> By the end of 2000, it had sold over 9.9 million copies.<ref name="'N Sync's 'No Strings Attached' Is Top Album of the 2000s1">{{cite web |date=January 4, 2002 |title=Linkin Park beats out pop acts for No. 1 album of 2001 |url=http://www.livedaily.com/news/4167.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113060816/http://livedaily.com/news/4167.html |archive-date=January 13, 2010<!--Added by DASHBot--> |access-date=February 12, 2010 |website=LiveDaily}}</ref> ''No Strings Attached'' was the best-selling album of 2000,<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Skanse |first=Richard |date=January 3, 2000 |title=N Sync, Eminem, Britney Top Y2K Album Sales |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/n-sync-eminem-britney-top-y2k-album-sales-20010103 |access-date=August 26, 2011 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=March 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311141702/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/n-sync-eminem-britney-top-y2k-album-sales-20010103 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the second-best selling album of the decade in the US behind the Beatles' ''1''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 19, 2015 |title=*NSYNC's 'No Strings Attached' Turns 15: What's the Best Song on the Album? |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/nsync-no-strings-attached-anniversary-best-song-6502283/ |access-date=March 30, 2020 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=April 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420082932/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/nsync-no-strings-attached-anniversary-best-song-6502283/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As of August 2012, ''No Strings Attached'' was the eighth best selling album of the SoundScan era, and received a Diamond certification from RIAA for sales of over 11,099,000.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gold and Platinum |url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=2&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=N%20Sync&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924154336/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=2&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=N%20Sync&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |publisher=RIAA}}</ref> The album was all-time bestselling pre-ordered album on Amazon.com.<ref name="MEDIA ALERT/'N Sync Breaks Sales Records AtAmazon.com.">{{cite web |date=March 31, 2000 |title=Media Alert/'N Sync Breaks Sales Records at Amazon.com |url=http://www.allbusiness.com/retail/retailers-book-music-hobby-stores-stores/6414390-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108174404/http://www.allbusiness.com/retail/retailers-book-music-hobby-stores-stores/6414390-1.html |archive-date=January 8, 2009 |access-date=May 9, 2010 |website=AllBusiness.com}}</ref>
The second single, "It's Gonna Be Me", became the group's first number 1 single in the U.S. and remained at the top position on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 from July 29 to August 11, 2000.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2018-07-23 |title=This Week in Billboard Chart History: In 2000, *NSYNC's 'It's Gonna Be Me' Hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/nsync-its-gonna-be-me-this-week-in-billboard-chart-history-2000/ |magazine=Billboard |language=en |access-date=September 11, 2025 |archive-date=July 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723220902/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8466417/nsync-its-gonna-be-me-this-week-in-billboard-chart-history-2000 |url-status=live }} Retrieved September 2, 2021.</ref> The third and final single, "This I Promise You" reached the top five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. They performed the Spanish version of the song, "Yo Te Voy a Amar", at the Latin Grammys in 2001. The group also embarked on their ''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 number 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. NSYNC and Aerosmith co-headlined the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show, titled "The Kings of Rock and Pop", with appearances from Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Graham |first1=Adam |date=5 February 2016 |title=Adam Graham: In 2001, NSYNC, Britney Super Bowl halftime show rocked |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/2016/02/05/adam-graham-nsync-britney-super-bowl-halftime-rocked-socks/79902652/ |access-date=14 February 2020 |website=The Detroit News |language=en |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724190317/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/2016/02/05/adam-graham-nsync-britney-super-bowl-halftime-rocked-socks/79902652/ |url-status=live }}</ref> NSYNC was among the artists that performed at the 2002 Winter Olympics ceremonies.<ref>{{cite web |date=December 18, 2001 |title=Creed, 'NSYNC, Dave Matthews Band, More Set For Olympic Concert Series |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1451549/creed-nsync-dave-matthews-band-more-set-for-olympic-concert-series/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907012329/http://www.mtv.com/news/1451549/creed-nsync-dave-matthews-band-more-set-for-olympic-concert-series/ |archive-date=September 7, 2014 |access-date=March 31, 2020 |work=MTV}}</ref>
===2001–2007: ''Celebrity'', hiatus, Timberlake's exit and breakup announcement=== {{Quote box | width = 300px | align = right | quote = ''No Strings'' firmly established *NSYNC as the Godzillas of the Pop2K era... The limelight would shine brightly until the following year, when the group released their final album, ''Celebrity'', another smash. That one proved to be the group's swan song, setting the stage for Timberlake's equally massive solo career—and signaling the last, platinum gasp of a time when buying music meant spending your actual paper allowance rather than clicking a link on your iPhone. | source = —''Billboard''{{'}}s "The Greatest Pop Star By Year (1981–2020)". 2000: NSYNC.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |date=April 2, 2020 |title=The Greatest Pop Star By Year (1981–2020) |url=https://www.billboard.com/greatest-pop-star-every-year/ |access-date=April 25, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=December 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219234256/https://www.billboard.com/greatest-pop-star-every-year/ |url-status=live }}</ref> }} The group's fourth album, ''Celebrity'', released on July 24, 2001, produced three singles: "Pop" (number 19 in the US), "Gone" (number 11) and "Girlfriend" (number 5). The album featured much more creative involvement from the group, who wrote and produced several of their own tracks.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Touré |date=August 16, 2001 |title='N Sync: True Tales of the Pop Life |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/n-sync-true-tales-of-the-pop-life-236982/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329171953/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/n-sync-true-tales-of-the-pop-life-236982/ |archive-date=March 29, 2020 |access-date=25 April 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref><ref name="Yamaha">{{cite magazine |title=*NCharge *NSYNC |url=https://www.yamaha.com/allaccess/artists/issue3-nsync.asp?issue=issue3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415072924/https://www.yamaha.com/allaccess/artists/issue3-nsync.asp?issue=issue3 |archive-date=April 15, 2011 |access-date=25 April 2023 |magazine=Yamaha All Access |issue=Summer 2001}}</ref>
''Celebrity'' sold 1,879,955 copies in its first week,<ref name="Jam">{{cite web |last=Cantin |first=Paul |title=*NSync No. 1 but can't match record |url=http://jam.canoe.com/Music/Artists/N/N_Sync/2001/08/01/748332.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124114559/http://jam.canoe.com/Music/Artists/N/N_Sync/2001/08/01/748332.html |archive-date=November 24, 2015 |access-date=April 7, 2011 |publisher=Jam!}}</ref> making it the second-fastest-selling album in SoundScan history at the time, only behind the group's previous album ''No Strings Attached''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Strauss |first=Neil |date=August 2, 2001 |title=THE POP LIFE; Crepe Hangers of Teen Pop |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/02/arts/the-pop-life-crepe-hangers-of-teen-pop.html?scp=3&sq=Sync%20Strings%20Attached&st=cse |access-date=August 28, 2011 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=May 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530014318/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/02/arts/the-pop-life-crepe-hangers-of-teen-pop.html?scp=3&sq=Sync%20Strings%20Attached&st=cse |url-status=live }}</ref> Its debut was recognized by the Billboard Music Awards with a special award for "biggest one-week sales for an album in 2001."<ref name="bbmas" /> To promote the ''Celebrity'' album, the group embarked on a four-month stadium tour entitled the PopOdyssey Tour. The tour earned over $90 million, becoming one of the biggest tours of 2001.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wiederhorn |first=Jon |date=December 21, 2001 |title=U2, 'NSYNC, Backstreet Top List of 2001's Biggest Concert Grossers |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1451603/20011221/u2.jhtml |archive-url=http://www.freezepage.com/1315705054CAFFQJRGTK?url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1451603/u2-top-list-2001s-biggest-concert-grossers.jhtml |archive-date=September 11, 2011 |access-date=January 9, 2009 |work=MTV News}}</ref> In 2002, the band promoted their album further by embarking on the Celebrity Tour, which earned nearly $30 million.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wiederhorn |first=Jon |date=December 20, 2001 |title=Britney, 'NSYNC Buried in Ticket Sales By McCartney, Stones |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459239/20021220/spears_britney.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021222200721/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459239/20021220/spears_britney.jhtml |archive-date=December 22, 2002 |access-date=January 9, 2009 |work=MTV News}}</ref>
Following the tour, the group went on an indefinite hiatus to allow for time off and at the suggestion of Timberlake, who was interested in recording a solo album.<ref>{{cite news |last=Aquilante |first=Dan |date=November 1, 2002 |title=Justin Time: Solo Disc A Break, Not A Breakup, From *NSYNC |url=https://nypost.com/2002/11/01/justin-time-solo-disc-a-break-not-a-breakup-from-nsync/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150830145701/https://nypost.com/2002/11/01/justin-time-solo-disc-a-break-not-a-breakup-from-nsync/ |archive-date=August 30, 2015 |access-date=September 2, 2021 |work=New York Post}}</ref>{{Sfn |Bass |Eliot |2007 |p=150}} While the hiatus was initially meant to be temporary,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hiatt |first=Brian |date=2003-04-30 |title=A new 'N Sync album? Bet your allowance on it |url=https://ew.com/article/2003/04/30/new-n-sync-album-bet-your-allowance-it/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001065856/https://ew.com/article/2003/04/30/new-n-sync-album-bet-your-allowance-it/ |archive-date=2015-10-01 |access-date=2021-09-03 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |language=en}}</ref> the group never toured together again.<!--- DO NOT write that they did not record music together again. All 5 members recorded the two songs "Better Place" and "Paradise" together within the past years---><ref name="Blickley">{{cite web |last=Blickley |first=Leigh |date=2018-04-30 |title=A History Of *NSYNC's Breakup, According To Bandmates Not Named Justin Timberlake |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nsync-interview-walk-of-fame_n_5ade1b2be4b0df502a4e64d0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213223939/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nsync-interview-walk-of-fame_n_5ade1b2be4b0df502a4e64d0 |archive-date=2019-02-13 |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref> "It started as a fun snowball fight that was becoming an avalanche. And, also, I was growing out of it. I felt like I cared more about the music than some of the other people in the group. And I felt like I had other music I wanted to make and that I needed to follow my heart," Timberlake later said of his decision to leave the band.<ref>{{cite news |date=2017-02-08 |title=Justin Timberlake on Fatherhood, His Uncertain Future and Being Best Friends With Jimmy Fallon |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/justin-timberlake-jimmy-fallon-fatherhood-his-uncertain-future-972807 |access-date=2019-02-10 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>
Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, and Chris Kirkpatrick have offered a different perspective on NSYNC's split, indicating that a lack of transparency left them unprepared for the prospect of a breakup.<ref name="Joey" /><ref name="Lance" /><ref name="auto">{{cite magazine |last=Travis |first=Emlyn |date=November 13, 2024 |title=Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick recall 'resentment' during NSYNC hiatus: 'Are we ever getting back together?' |url=https://ew.com/chris-kirkpatrick-recalls-resentment-during-nsync-hiatus-justin-timberlake-8744771 |access-date=March 11, 2026 |work=Entertainment Weekly |archive-date=September 7, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250907001633/https://ew.com/chris-kirkpatrick-recalls-resentment-during-nsync-hiatus-justin-timberlake-8744771 |url-status=live }}</ref> In a 2019 interview on ''The Jenny McCarthy Show'', Fatone said the group believed they would be reuniting because they were young and "didn't know better at first."<ref name="Joey" /> He then went on to say that the momentum of the ''Justified'' album and tour was the reason for prolonging a group reunion that would result in new music.<ref name="Joey" /> Recalling a conversation he'd had with his bandmates, Fatone elaborated: "I said, 'Listen, I'm all good with everybody doing their own shit. I'm totally fine with it, ''just let us know next time''.' Meaning: I could've done a lot more shit than sit around waiting for your dumb ass while you're going out on tour. I could've, honestly. 'Cause the minute we parted our ways in the sense of a group I was like 'Shit, I went and did Broadway - I did ''Rent'' on Broadway, I did ''Little Shop of Horrors''.' I started doing things at first, I was waiting 'cause I know that when you do an album and you're doing stuff with a group it takes a long—it's a long, i-it's a process. So it was interesting. I was just like 'Dude, just let me know next time,' I said. 'Cause next time I ain't waiting for ''nobody''."<ref name="Joey">{{cite web |date=January 16, 2019 |title=Joey Fatone on The Jenny McCarthy Show |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVLrFb6b1mw |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/vVLrFb6b1mw |archive-date=2021-10-29 |access-date=2021-07-23 |language=en |via=YouTube |time=9:05}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Lance Bass has addressed the breakup on multiple occasions over the years, beginning with comments made shortly after Timberlake's departure and continuing in his memoir and later interviews. In September 2004, Bass told Fox News columnist Roger Friedman that new music from NSYNC "all depends on whether Justin wants to do it, and he doesn't."<ref>{{cite news |last=Friedman |first=Roger |date=September 9, 2004 |title=Paris Hilton in 'Gatsby' Remake |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/paris-hilton-in-gatsby-remake |access-date=March 11, 2026 |work=Fox News |archive-date=August 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804123711/https://www.foxnews.com/story/paris-hilton-in-gatsby-remake |url-status=live }}</ref> Several years later, while promoting his memoir, Bass told the ''Orlando Sentinel'' that the group was "definitely broken up" rather than on hiatus, adding that Timberlake "made it clear that he wouldn't be interested in discussing another album any time soon."<ref>{{cite news |date=October 23, 2007 |title=Lance Bass book comes out |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2007/10/23/lance-bass-book-comes-out-2/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617180706/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2007/10/23/lance-bass-book-comes-out-2/ |archive-date=June 17, 2023 |access-date=March 11, 2026 |work=Orlando Sentinel }}</ref> Bass later reflected on the entire period following the group's 2002 hiatus in his memoir, where he described passing up various professional opportunities while waiting for the group to reunite,{{sfn |Bass |Eliot |2007}}{{page needed|date=March 2026}} and again in a 2020s interview on Michael Rosenbaum's ''Inside of You'' podcast. In that interview, Bass explained, "Me and the guys were never...on bad terms at all, you know, it's just life goes on and y-you know you have more interests; you have to focus on your career and it's great. Uh, the thing I was most disappointed in was not just Justin leaving the band, um... it's that our whole team - our record label, our management, everything like that - they ''all'' knew. They all ''knew'' it was over for three years before they told ''me''. And so for three years I'm sitting there getting ready for a new album as everyone else knows we're moving on. And so, I didn't get - I turned down, you know, there was a sitcom I was doin'. Had to turn it down. Uh, I mean, all kinds of stuff that I really wanted to do and focus on but I knew I couldn't because, you know, my first commitment is *NSYNC. Like, this is my ''life''."<ref name="Lance">{{cite podcast |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPyJbnnpHi0&t=42m25s |title=NSYNC's LANCE BASS talks Reunions, HGTV Beef, and Coming Out |website=Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum |date=September 29, 2020 |time=42:25 |language=en |access-date=2021-07-23 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/EPyJbnnpHi0 |archive-date=2021-10-29 |url-status=live |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
In the Paramount+ documentary ''Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands'', Chris Kirkpatrick described the hiatus period as "hard," recalling "a lot of animosity," "anger," and "resentment," and said he wondered whether the group would ever reunite, according to ''Entertainment Weekly''. Lance Bass echoed similar reflections in the same documentary, stating that the record label told the group to "come back in six months" to begin work on their next album, but that "it just never happened" and the group ultimately "never got back together."<ref name="auto" />
The group still attended award shows and events together, and regrouped at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards to sing a televised Bee Gees medley in tribute to that band.<ref name="rollingstone-aug2013">{{cite magazine |last=Coulehan |first=Erin |date=August 20, 2013 |title=Report: Justin Timberlake, 'NSync to Reunite at VMAs: First performance together in 10 years |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/report-justin-timberlake-nsync-to-reunite-at-vmas-20130820 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820130506/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/report-justin-timberlake-nsync-to-reunite-at-vmas-20130820 |archive-date=August 20, 2013 |access-date=August 20, 2013 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> They were slated to begin work on a new album in the fall of 2003,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hedegaard |first=Erik |date=January 23, 2003 |title=Justin Timberlake, The Bachelor |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/justin-timberlake-the-bachelor-20030123 |access-date=September 5, 2013 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=August 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808123728/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/justin-timberlake-the-bachelor-20030123 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Moss |first=Corey |date=May 29, 2003 |title=Justin Timberlake Says Next 'NSYNC Album Will Sound 'Different' |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1472144/justin-timberlake-says-next-nsync-album-will-sound-different/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414150753/https://www.mtv.com/news/ufo26d/justin-timberlake-says-next-nsync-album-will-sound-different |archive-date=April 14, 2023 |access-date=September 6, 2014 |work=MTV News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2003-02-06 |title=JC album due |url=http://www.dotmusic.com/news/February2003/news28209.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030624181128/http://www.dotmusic.com/news/February2003/news28209.asp |archive-date=2003-06-24 |access-date=2021-06-26 |website=dotmusic}}</ref> but it never materialized.<ref name="Blickley" /> They performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 2004 NSYNC Challenge for the Children.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gupta |first1=Ritesh |last2=Norris |first2=John |date=July 26, 2004 |title='NSYNC Reunite For One Song, But No Word Yet on Possible LP |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1489713/nsync-reunite-song-mum-on-possible-lp.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308120058/https://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1489713/nsync-reunite-song-mum-on-possible-lp.jhtml |archive-date=March 8, 2014 |access-date=September 3, 2013 |work=MTV News}}</ref> According to Bass' 2007 memoir ''Out of Sync'', written after Bass won the Human Rights Campaign Award for his work in the gay community after his coming out, a meeting was held in the summer of 2004 to discuss the band's future where Timberlake announced his decision to leave the band.{{Sfn |Bass |Eliot |2007 |p=150}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=D'Agostino |first1=Mark |last2=Helling |first2=Steve |date=August 11, 2004 |title=Timberlake Bailing on 'N Sync Reunion? |url=https://people.com/celebrity/timberlake-bailing-on-n-sync-reunion/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028175822/https://people.com/celebrity/timberlake-bailing-on-n-sync-reunion/ |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |access-date=September 19, 2021 |website=People |language=en}}</ref>
In 2005, NSYNC regrouped for the last Challenge for the Children but did not perform.<ref>{{cite news |last=Armour |first=Terry |date=July 17, 2005 |title=Celebs pack *NSYNC charity |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2005/07/17/celebs-pack-nsync-charity/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308122540/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2005-07-17/news/0507170288_1_nsync-celebrities-nude |archive-date=March 8, 2014 |access-date=September 3, 2013 |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> In the fall of 2005, NSYNC released a greatest hits album. It included one song, "I'll Never Stop", that had previously not been released in the US. In 2007, while promoting ''Out of Sync'', Bass confirmed the group's breakup to the press.<ref name="orlandosentinel">{{Cite web |last=Abbott |first=Jim |date=2007-10-23 |title=Lance Bass book comes out |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2007/10/23/lance-bass-book-comes-out/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100303131602/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2007-10-23/news/bass23_1_lance-bass-justin-timberlake-stage-door |archive-date=2010-03-03 |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref>
===2010–present: Occasional appearances, Walk of Fame, "Better Place" and second hiatus=== In January 2010, the band released another album, ''The Collection'', consisting of singles released only in the UK. On August 25, 2013, the members of NSYNC regrouped for a one-off performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. They performed a medley of "Girlfriend" and "Bye Bye Bye" during Timberlake's 15-minute set leading up to his acceptance of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Their introduction included vocal elements of "Gone" in the background.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 25, 2013 |title=*NSYNC VMA Performance: Justin Timberlake's Boy Band Reunites For MTV Onstage Reunion |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/25/nsync-vma-performance-justin-timberlake-reunites-reunion_n_3791889.html |access-date=November 9, 2013 |work=HuffPost |archive-date=November 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103141032/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/25/nsync-vma-performance-justin-timberlake-reunites-reunion_n_3791889.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After the performance, Bass said that the group did not have any plans at the moment for a reunion tour or new music.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 27, 2013 |title=Lance Bass says no *NSYNC reunion tour planned |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lance-bass-says-no-nsync-reunion-tour-planned/ |access-date=September 26, 2013 |website=CBS News |language=en-US |archive-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926092324/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lance-bass-says-no-nsync-reunion-tour-planned/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
On July 29, 2014, a compilation of NSYNC's hits and unreleased songs titled ''The Essential *NSYNC'', was released. Bass said of the album on his radio show, ''Dirty Pop'': "There's a lot of these songs I don't think I've ever heard, I remember recording them but I've never heard them before, so I'm interested in just hearing them." Chasez tweeted about the album's release, stating: "I had the strangest dream last night that some old friends and I had a top 10 record on iTunes. Crazy right..." Kirkpatrick said of the album; "It's great to release some of the songs that had never made a record before. I'm glad our long time fans get some new music." Fatone also said; "Pretty interesting this album comes out, which I really had no idea, and it's in the top of Amazon and iTunes... we owe it to our fans. Thank you."<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Bacle |first=Ariana |date=July 30, 2014 |title=Sony releases surprise NSync album; NSync is surprised |url=http://music-mix.ew.com/2014/07/30/nsync-new-album-lance-bass/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140731023253/http://music-mix.ew.com/2014/07/30/nsync-new-album-lance-bass/ |archive-date=July 31, 2014 |access-date=July 3, 2014 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> Fatone and Kirkpatrick starred in ''Dead 7'', a western zombie film written by Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter. The film premiered on April 1, 2016, on the Syfy channel.
On April 30, 2018, NSYNC reunited to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.<ref>{{cite news |last=Angermiller |first=Michele |date=April 30, 2018 |title=*NSYNC Reunites to Receive Hollywood Walk of Fame Star (Watch) |url=https://variety.com/2018/music/news/nsync-reunite-hollywood-walk-of-fame-star-1202791446/ |access-date=April 30, 2018 |work=Variety |archive-date=April 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430223108/http://variety.com/2018/music/news/nsync-reunite-hollywood-walk-of-fame-star-1202791446/ |url-status=live }}</ref> To celebrate the occasion, all five members appeared on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Webber |first=Stephanie |date=2018-05-01 |title='NSync Plays 'Never Have I Ever' After Surprising 'Ellen' Audience |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/nsync-plays-never-have-i-ever-after-surprising-ellen-audience/ |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=Usmagazine.com |archive-date=August 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816054348/https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/nsync-plays-never-have-i-ever-after-surprising-ellen-audience/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 14, 2019, Chasez, Fatone, Bass, and Kirkpatrick reunited, for a performance with Ariana Grande during her headlining performance at Coachella.<ref>{{cite web |last=Elizabeth |first=De |date=April 15, 2019 |title=Ariana Grande Brought Out *NSYNC at Coachella and Tore Up Our Hearts — In a Good Way |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ariana-grande-nsync-coachella-2019 |access-date=2021-05-16 |website=Teen Vogue |language=en-US |archive-date=May 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516003036/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ariana-grande-nsync-coachella-2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> They performed "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored", "It Makes Me Ill" and "Tearin' Up My Heart". Timberlake was unable to make the reunion due to finishing up his The Man of the Woods Tour the night before. On April 19, 2021, Bass, Fatone, and Kirkpatrick reunited for a Progressive Insurance commercial known as "The 3/5ths of NSYNC".<ref>{{cite web |last=Griner |first=David |date=April 19, 2021 |title=Progressive Made an Ad 'Where Nothing Happens,' With One Notable Exception |url=https://www.adweek.com/agencies/progressive-made-an-ad-where-nothing-happens-with-one-notable-exception/ |access-date=May 30, 2021 |work=Adweek |archive-date=June 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214921/https://www.adweek.com/agencies/progressive-made-an-ad-where-nothing-happens-with-one-notable-exception/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
On September 12, 2023, following weeks of teasers and speculation<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 18, 2023 |title=*NSYNC Expected to Reunite for New Song in 'Trolls Band Together': Source (Exclusive) |url=https://www.etonline.com/nsync-expected-to-reunite-for-new-song-in-trolls-band-together-source-exclusive-209997 |access-date=September 15, 2023 |website=ETonline |archive-date=September 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230915023907/https://www.etonline.com/nsync-expected-to-reunite-for-new-song-in-trolls-band-together-source-exclusive-209997 |url-status=live }}</ref> regarding a potential reunion, all five members appeared together at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards to present the Best Pop Award.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 12, 2023 |title=*NSYNC Reunite at 2023 VMAs to Present Taylor Swift with Best Pop Video — and Friendship Bracelets! |url=https://people.com/mtv-vmas-2023-nsync-reunite-present-taylor-swift-award-7693165 |access-date=September 15, 2023 |website=People |archive-date=September 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230916222645/https://people.com/mtv-vmas-2023-nsync-reunite-present-taylor-swift-award-7693165 |url-status=live }}</ref> On September 14, it was confirmed the group recorded a new song titled "Better Place" for the DreamWorks Animation film ''Trolls Band Together''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 14, 2023 |title=*NSYNC Confirms New Song 'Better Place' with 'Trolls Band Together' Trailer After MTV VMAs Reunion |url=https://people.com/nsync-confirms-new-song-better-place-trolls-band-together-trailer-7969600 |access-date=September 15, 2023 |website=People |archive-date=September 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914192614/https://people.com/nsync-confirms-new-song-better-place-trolls-band-together-trailer-7969600 |url-status=live }}</ref> The song was released on September 29, 2023, reaching No. 1 on the US and Canadian iTunes Charts, No. 4 on the Global and European iTunes Charts and No. 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. To further promote the single, the band appeared together on a 2023 episode of the YouTube talk show ''Hot Ones''.
In the wake of the release of "Better Place", Joey Fatone said that, depending on the success of new music from the band and the continued involvement of Timberlake, they could record a new album together within the next two years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McIntyre |first=Hugh |title=NSYNC's Joey Fatone Hints At New Album From The Boy Band In 2025 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/10/04/nsyncs-joey-fatone-hints-at-new-album-from-the-boy-band-in-2025/ |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=October 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011202048/https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/10/04/nsyncs-joey-fatone-hints-at-new-album-from-the-boy-band-in-2025/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On March 13, 2024, NSYNC performed together for the first time since the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at Timberlake's One Night Only (ONO) concert at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. They performed "Girlfriend", "Bye Bye Bye", and "It's Gonna Be Me" and debuted their new song, "Paradise", which was released two days later as a track on Timberlake's sixth studio album, ''Everything I Thought It Was''.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Justin Timberlake Reunites *NSYNC at Warm-Up Concert in Los Angeles |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/justin-timberlake-reunites-nsync-concert-los-angeles-1235632758/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=March 14, 2024 |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314071229/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/justin-timberlake-reunites-nsync-concert-los-angeles-1235632758/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The same year, "Bye Bye Bye" resurged in popularity after it was featured in the 2024 Marvel Cinematic Universe film ''Deadpool & Wolverine''.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=July 31, 2024 |title='Deadpool and Wolverine' Box Office Success Spurs Massive Gains for *NSYNC, Madonna & Green Day Pop Classics |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/deadpool-and-wolverine-nsync-bye-bye-bye-streams-trending-up-1235744154/ |access-date=August 2, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=August 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812122408/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/deadpool-and-wolverine-nsync-bye-bye-bye-streams-trending-up-1235744154/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Weiss |first=Josh |date=July 31, 2024 |title=NSYNC's 'Bye Bye Bye' Choreographer Darrin Henson Reacts To Dance's Resurgence In 'Deadpool & Wolverine' |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2024/07/31/nsyncs-bye-bye-bye-choreographer-darrin-henson-reacts-to-dances-resurgence-in-deadpool--wolverine/ |access-date=August 10, 2024 |website=Forbes |archive-date=August 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812072117/https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2024/07/31/nsyncs-bye-bye-bye-choreographer-darrin-henson-reacts-to-dances-resurgence-in-deadpool--wolverine/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Regarding the band's future, Chasez made a statement during a podcast appearance in November 2024, stating: "Right now everybody's focused on different projects. But we're always talking in the background, and it only takes like one idea to pop, so anything's possible."<ref>{{cite news |last=Fields |first=Taylor |date=November 2024 |title=JC Chasez Talks The Future Of *NSYNC: 'We're Always Talking' |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/jc-chasez-talks-the-future-of-nsync-were-always-talking/ar-AA1u2g2T |access-date=December 7, 2024 |work=MSN |archive-date=December 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241226042011/https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/jc-chasez-talks-the-future-of-nsync-were-always-talking/ar-AA1u2g2T |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Artistry== Their debut studio album ''NSYNC'' (1997) featured four-on-the-floor Europop beats with midtempo singles "I Want You Back" and "Tearin' Up My Heart", that recalled a production similar to Ace of Base.<ref name="npr 20" /><ref name="bb 20" /> ''No Strings Attached'' (2000) was noted as "an incremental step away" from teen pop's "softer side", as it featured ballads written by 80s adult contemporary singer Richard Marx and prolific songwriter Diane Warren. Primarily a pop album, it comprised a blend of new jack swing revivalism, uptempo R&B and hip-hop influences. Lyrically, the lead single "Bye Bye Bye"'s kiss-off message and self-assurance saw the group departing from the "lovesick" formula of their debut.<ref name="npr 20" /><ref name="bb 20" /> ''Celebrity'' (2001) was mainly a pop/R&B record with electronica elements.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cinquemani |first=Sal |date=July 22, 2001 |title=*Nsync: ''Celebrity'' |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/nsync-celebrity |access-date=July 28, 2015 |work=Slant Magazine |archive-date=August 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808081404/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/nsync-celebrity |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Marketing== [[File:Bobbleheads of NSYNC.jpg|thumb|NSYNC bobblehead memorabilia]] The members licensed their likenesses on a great variety of merchandise, including board games, microphones, lip balm, marionettes, books, key chains, bedding, clothing, video games,<ref>{{cite web |date=July 4, 2015 |title=*NSYNC Hotline - Game Review |url=https://www.weekendnotes.com/nsync-hotline-game-review/ |access-date=September 30, 2021 |website=WeekendNotes.com |archive-date=September 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930210626/https://www.weekendnotes.com/nsync-hotline-game-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nsyncGBC">{{cite web |title=*NSYNC: Get to the Show — Game Boy Color |url=http://www.ign.com/games/nsync-get-to-the-show-167790/gbc-742474 |access-date=May 4, 2015 |work=IGN |archive-date=May 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505040519/http://www.ign.com/games/nsync-get-to-the-show-167790/gbc-742474 |url-status=live }}</ref> and various other articles. The group was immortalized in wax in Madame Tussauds New York wax museum in 2002; all five members of NSYNC were present the day of the unveiling. The group also had a deal alongside McDonald's, which included commercials featuring the group and Britney Spears, along with a CD and a video that featured behind-the-scenes footage from the making of NSYNC's music video.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 20, 2000 |title=McDonald's Creates the Music Event of the Summer |url=http://mcdonalds.mediaroom.com/2000-07-20-McDonalds-Creates-the-Music-Event-of-the-Summer |access-date=September 30, 2021 |website=PR Newswire |archive-date=September 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930210626/http://mcdonalds.mediaroom.com/2000-07-20-McDonalds-Creates-the-Music-Event-of-the-Summer |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Macarthur |first=Kate |date=17 January 2002 |title='N SYNC Sings for Chili's Baby Back Ribs |url=http://adage.com/article/news/n-sync-sings-chili-s-baby-back-ribs/33632/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916221354/http://adage.com/article/news/n-sync-sings-chili-s-baby-back-ribs/33632/ |archive-date=16 September 2016 |access-date=January 5, 2016 |website=Ad Age}}</ref> A video game was released based on the band by Infogrames for the Game Boy Color titled ''*NSYNC: Get to the Show'' in 2001.<ref>{{Citation |title=N*Sync: Get to the Show |asin=B00005NCB0}}</ref> In April 2018, a free, limited-run shop called "Dirty Pop-Up" centered in NSYNC opened on Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |date=April 20, 2018 |title=*NSYNC 'Dirty Pop-Up' Shop Coming to Los Angeles Featuring Official Merch Capsule Collection |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/nsync-dirty-pop-up-shop-los-angeles-official-merch-8357940/ |access-date=April 28, 2018 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=January 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122095136/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/nsync-dirty-pop-up-shop-los-angeles-official-merch-8357940/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Legacy== ''Entertainment Weekly'' ranked NSYNC as the best boy band of the 1990s and 2000s; editor Madelne Boardman stated, "the group has a spot in pop history more than a decade late."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Boardman |first=Madeline |date=January 25, 2016 |title=Ranking the Best Boy Bands of the '90s and '00s |url=http://ew.com/gallery/ranking-boy-bands/1-nsync |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312083036/http://ew.com/gallery/ranking-boy-bands/1-nsync/ |archive-date=March 12, 2018 |access-date=March 10, 2018 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> ''The Washington Post'' stated it was one of the two boy bands "that dominated the late '90s and early '00s."<ref>{{cite news |date=March 22, 2012 |title=Big Time Rush, One Direction, the Wanted: The boy band is making a comeback |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/big-time-rush-one-direction-the-wanted-the-boy-band-is-making-a-comeback/2012/03/20/gIQAxsvCSS_story.html |access-date=June 14, 2013 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-date=October 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018003348/http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/big-time-rush-one-direction-the-wanted-the-boy-band-is-making-a-comeback/2012/03/20/gIQAxsvCSS_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> According to ''Billboard'', ''No Strings Attached'' was the top album of the 2000s (decade),<ref>{{cite news |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=December 14, 2009 |title=Eminem is Billboard artist of the decade |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/eminem-billboard-artist-decade-92322 |access-date=March 10, 2018 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=March 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311142428/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/eminem-billboard-artist-decade-92322 |url-status=live }}</ref> with ''The Independent'' listing it among the albums "that marked the decade."<ref>{{cite news |date=December 29, 2009 |title=Albums that marked the decade |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/albums-that-marked-the-decade-5514750.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/albums-that-marked-the-decade-5514750.html |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |access-date=March 10, 2018 |work=The Independent}}</ref> ''Billboard'' also ranked the group at number four on their list of the biggest boy bands (from the period 1987–2012) according to chart performance, with the staff writing, "despite having one of the most short-lived boy band careers, 'N Sync was arguably the most famous."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=March 27, 2012 |title=10 Biggest Boy Bands (1987–2012) |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/list/502728/10-biggest-boy-bands-1987-2012 |access-date=March 10, 2018 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=January 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117150108/https://www.billboard.com/articles/list/502728/10-biggest-boy-bands-1987-2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In a retrospective article for ''No Strings Attached''{{'}}s 20th anniversary, NPR's writer Maria Sherman said the album marked "the sound of a new millennium" and an "industry peak" commercially, while describing the group as "one of the last artists to benefit so greatly from the industry bubble before its spectacular burst," referring to the following post-9/11 era.<ref name="npr 20" /> Sherman also noted their sophomore album to be relevant to the pop market of 2020: "a union of Swedish pop songcraft with R&B and hip-hop's flow and bounce; an eagerness to explore mature themes and styles; an understanding that dance and visual presentation can turn stars into icons."<ref name="npr 20">{{cite news |last=Sherman |first=Maria |date=2020-03-20 |title=The Future According To NSYNC: 20 Years Of 'No Strings Attached' |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/03/20/818464377/nsync-no-strings-attached-20th-anniversary-timberlake-backstreet |access-date=2020-03-25 |work=NPR |archive-date=March 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320163318/https://www.npr.org/2020/03/20/818464377/nsync-no-strings-attached-20th-anniversary-timberlake-backstreet |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Billboard'' stated that their sophomore album's production and writing "represented a sonic shift for all of pop music at the turn of the millennium," while noting, "before ''No Strings Attached'', none of the major teen pop albums of the era had featured guest rappers or name producers from the R&B world, and virtually every one that came after did."<ref name="bb 20" /> Writer Al Shipley commented that although NSYNC was not the first act to build an album "around the theme of taking control of their career",<ref name="bb 20">{{cite magazine |last=Shipley |first=Al |date=2020-03-26 |title=*NSYNC's 'No Strings Attached' Shook Up the Sound of Y2K Pop |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/nsync-no-strings-attached-2000-sound-of-pop-9344009/ |access-date=2020-03-26 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=March 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326231056/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9344009/nsync-no-strings-attached-2000-sound-of-pop |url-status=live }}</ref> the group took this theme a step further with the ''No Strings Attached'' cover art and the "Bye Bye Bye" music video.<ref name="bb 20" /> Shipley further stated the album's pop, hip hop, and R&B elements helped NSYNC "climb to the top of the boy band heap."<ref name="bb 20" />
A ''Stereogum'' article noted the group "were deeply ingrained within the ''TRL'' universe", the MTV fan-voted video countdown where they had the most number-one videos for a group and second-most overall, which became "ground zero" for "America's adolescent culture war."<ref name="Stereogum" /> The website's editor commented, "to be a teenager at the turn of the millennium was to be inundated with boy bands and pop princesses, and *NSYNC were among the most dominant of them all."<ref name="Stereogum">{{cite news |last=Deville |first=Chris |date=2020-03-16 |title=*NSYNC Nailed The Boy Band Blueprint With No Strings Attached |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2075695/nsync-no-strings-attached-turns-20/franchises/the-week-in-pop/ |access-date=2021-09-02 |work=Stereogum}}</ref> As NSYNC propelled the solo stardom of Timberlake, ''Consequence'' noted, "[his] solo success is the exception, not the rule", as other contemporary boy bands "failed to produce a solo star."<ref>{{cite news |date=January 11, 2020 |title=Harry Styles Has Weathered the Post-Boy Band Storm Better Than Most |url=https://consequence.net/2020/01/harry-styles-solo-career/ |access-date=March 25, 2020 |work=Consequence |archive-date=April 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413114452/https://consequence.net/2020/01/harry-styles-solo-career/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Several acts have cited the group as an influence, including Kelsea Ballerini,<ref>{{cite magazine |date=July 23, 2015 |title=See Kelsea Ballerini Cover Britney Spears, N'Sync in Nineties Medley |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/see-kelsea-ballerini-cover-britney-spears-nsync-in-nineties-medley-20150723 |access-date=April 30, 2016 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=October 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010055046/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/see-kelsea-ballerini-cover-britney-spears-nsync-in-nineties-medley-20150723 |url-status=live }}</ref> Selena Gomez,<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=O'Donnell |first1=Kevin |date=August 31, 2015 |title=Selena Gomez talks new album: Inside the laid-back Mexico sessions for 'Revival' |url=http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/31/selena-gomez-revival-preview?xid=IFT-Section |access-date=January 21, 2016 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-date=February 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226001829/https://ew.com/article/2015/08/31/selena-gomez-revival-preview/?xid=IFT-Section |url-status=dead }}</ref> Meghan Trainor,<ref>{{cite web |last=Daw |first=Robbie |date=August 13, 2014 |title=Meghan Trainor Talks 'All About That Bass' And Her Upcoming Album & Offers Up A Cotton Candy Giveaway: Interview |url=http://www.idolator.com/7530699/meghan-trainor-all-about-that-bass-interview |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228150927/http://www.idolator.com/7530699/meghan-trainor-all-about-that-bass-interview |archive-date=December 28, 2014 |access-date=December 27, 2014 |website=Idolator |publisher=SpinMedia}}</ref> and Why Don't We.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Spanos |first=Brittany |date=December 21, 2017 |title=Why Don't We: Meet the Band Who Want to Be the Next 'N Sync |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/why-dont-we-boy-band-wants-to-be-the-next-n-sync-w514510 |access-date=March 10, 2018 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=March 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311142534/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/why-dont-we-boy-band-wants-to-be-the-next-n-sync-w514510 |url-status=live }}</ref> Hayley Williams stated she learned harmonies through listening to the group in her teenage years.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 5, 2017 |title=Hayley Williams Explains Why Hair Is a "Very Emotional Thing," and Why She'd Never Wear This Hair Color |url=https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/hayley-williams-hair-dye |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006124315/https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/hayley-williams-hair-dye |archive-date=October 6, 2017 |access-date=March 25, 2020 |work=InStyle}}</ref> Taylor Swift called the band "pop personified" upon accepting the Best Pop Award from the group at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 12, 2023 |title=NSYNC reunites at VMAs, gives Taylor Swift award: 'You're pop personified' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/09/12/nsync-reunion-2023-vmas/70836934007/ |access-date=September 15, 2023 |website=USAToday |archive-date=September 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230913050807/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/09/12/nsync-reunion-2023-vmas/70836934007/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Awards and nominations== {{Main|List of awards and nominations received by NSYNC}} NSYNC has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards. Among their awards, the group has won three American Music Awards,<ref>{{Cite news |title=AMAs Winner Database |url=https://www.theamas.com/winners-database/?winnerKeyword=sync&winnerYear=&winnerCategory= |access-date=April 2, 2018 |work=American Music Awards |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327092744/https://www.theamas.com/winners-database/?winnerKeyword=sync&winnerYear=&winnerCategory= |url-status=live }}</ref> five Billboard Music Awards,<ref name="bbmas">{{Cite magazine |title=BBMAs Winners Database |url=https://www.billboardmusicawards.com/winners-database/?winnerKeyword=sync&winnerYear=&winnerCategory= |access-date=April 2, 2018 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327092733/https://www.billboardmusicawards.com/winners-database/?winnerKeyword=sync&winnerYear=&winnerCategory= |url-status=live }}</ref> seven MTV Video Music Awards,<ref name="MTV Video Music Awards 1999: Winners">{{cite web |title=MTV Video Music Awards 2000: Winners |url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2000/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828092653/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2000/ |archive-date=2008-08-28 |access-date=2010-03-06 |work=MTV}}</ref><ref name="MTV Video Music Awards 2001: Winners">{{cite web |date=2001-09-07 |title=Fatboy Slim, 'NSYNC, 'Lady Marmalade' Gather Most Moonmen |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1448719/fatboy-slim-nsync-lady-marmalade-gather-most-moonmen/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406042746/http://www.mtv.com/news/1448719/fatboy-slim-nsync-lady-marmalade-gather-most-moonmen/ |archive-date=April 6, 2016 |access-date=2022-05-03 |work=MTV}}</ref> and they held the Guinness World Record for the "Fastest-selling pop album in US History" from 2000 to 2015.<ref>{{cite web |title=Adele holds this record now for ''25'' |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/360606-fastest-selling-album-one-country |website=Guinnessworldrecords.com |access-date=December 13, 2024 |archive-date=December 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202184914/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/360606-fastest-selling-album-one-country |url-status=live }}</ref> NSYNC has the record second fastest-selling album in the USA<ref name="USA Sale">{{cite magazine |author=<!--Billboard Staff; no by-line--> |date=October 23, 2012 |title=Albums That Sold 1 Million in One Week |url=https://www.billboard.com/photos/426851/albums-that-sold-1-million-in-one-week |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512075011/https://www.billboard.com/photos/426851/albums-that-sold-1-million-in-one-week |archive-date=May 12, 2018 |access-date=2024-12-12 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fastest-selling album (one country) |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/360606-fastest-selling-album-one-country |access-date=2024-12-14 |website=Guinnessworldrecords.com |archive-date=December 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202184914/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/360606-fastest-selling-album-one-country |url-status=live }}</ref> and the fifth-fastest-selling album worldwide. NSYNC received a Grammy Award nomination at the 2025 Grammy Awards in Best Song Written for Visual Media for the song "Better Place".<ref>{{Cite web |title=2025 GRAMMYs: See The OFFICIAL Full Nominations List |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2025-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Grammy.com |archive-date=October 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241030224040/https://www.grammy.com/news/2025-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Former band members==<!---DO NOT CHANGE "2024" back to "2023", as they were active in 2024. ---> * JC Chasez<!---DO NOT CHANGE THIS ORDER/THESE NAMES ---> – Melody/1st tenor (1995–2002; 2023–2024) * Justin Timberlake<!---DO NOT CHANGE THIS ORDER/THESE NAMES ---> – Melody/2nd tenor (1995–2002; 2023–2024) * Chris Kirkpatrick<!---DO NOT CHANGE THIS ORDER/THESE NAMES ---> – Countertenor (1995–2002; 2023–2024) * Joey Fatone<!---DO NOT CHANGE THIS ORDER/THESE NAMES ---> – Baritone (1995–2002; 2023–2024) * Jason Galasso – Bass (1995) * Lance Bass<!---DO NOT CHANGE THIS ORDER/THESE NAMES ---> – Bass (1995–2002; 2023–2024)
==Discography== {{Main|NSYNC discography}}
===Studio albums=== * ''NSYNC'' (1997) * ''Home for Christmas'' (1998) * ''No Strings Attached'' (2000) * ''Celebrity'' (2001)
==Filmography== ===Concert films=== * ''NSYNC: Live from Madison Square Garden'' (2000) (Legacy Studio Recordings) * ''NSYNC: Bigger Than Live'' (2001) * ''NSYNC: Pop Odyssey Live'' (2002)
===Documentaries=== * ''NSYNC: N the Mix (The Official Home Video)'' (1998) (RCA Records) (Also: ''NSYNC: N the Mix (The Official Home DVD)'' (1999) (RCA Records)) * ''NSYNC: Making the Tour'' (2000) (Jive) * ''The Reel NSYNC'' (2002) (Trauma Records) * ''NSYNC's Challenge for the Children: Daze vs Knights'' (2003)
===Compilation=== * ''NSYNC: Most Requested Hit Videos'' (2002) (Sony Legacy)
===Movies (fiction)=== * ''Longshot'' (2001) * ''On the Line'' (2001) (Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Justin Timberlake) * ''Trolls Band Together'' (2023)
===TV specials=== * NSYNC in Concert (1998); filmed at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World for Disney Channel in Concert. * Holidays in Concert (1998); performed songs from ''Home for Christmas'' as well as "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You" from their debut album. * NSYNC 'N Concert (1999); pay-per-view concert filmed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida during NSYNC's Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now Tour. * Walt Disney World Summer Jam Concert (1999); performed along with Britney Spears, Tyrese Gibson and 98 Degrees. * NSYNC: Live from Madison Square Garden (2000); a concert special presented by HBO during the No Strings Attached Tour. * Walt Disney World Twas the Night Before Christmas (2000); performed along with 98 Degrees, Monica, Jessica Simpson, Billy Gilman and many others. * NSYNC Ntimate Holiday Special (2000); a Christmas special on FOX where NSYNC sang songs from ''No Strings Attached'' plus "You Don't Have To Be Alone" from the soundtrack to the film ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' and "O Holy Night" from their album ''Home for Christmas''. * NSYNC: The Road to Celebrity (2001); an MTV special from San Diego, California where NSYNC sang and previewed songs from their third album ''Celebrity''. The special also included a countdown of the best NSYNC moments on MTV. * *NSYNC: Live from Atlantis (2001); a Thanksgiving concert special on CBS filmed from Atlantis Paradise Island which aired before an airing of The Rugrats Movie & included duets with & a performance from special guest Tim McGraw.
===Guest appearances on TV shows=== * ''1998 Miss Teen USA'' (1998) Tearin' Up My Heart was performed. * ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1998) Episode: "Sabrina and the Pirates" * ''Clueless'' (1999) Episode: "None for the Road"
Note: "Tearin' Up My Heart" was performed in those shows.
* ''Touched by an Angel'' (1999) Episode: "Voice of an Angel" (Also sang an a cappella version of "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You") * ''Sesame Street'' (2000) Episode: "Elmo in Numberland". Sang a song called "Believe in Yourself" * ''Saturday Night Live'' (2000) Episode: Joshua Jackson/NSYNC. As guest performers and in sketches including as fake boy band No Refund * ''The Simpsons'' (2001) Episode: "New Kids on the Blecch" Season 12 Episode 14
==Tours== '''Headlining''' * For the Girl Tour (1997) * NSYNC in Concert (1998–2000) * No Strings Attached Tour (2000) * PopOdyssey Tour (2001) * Celebrity Tour (2002)
'''As opening (supporting) act''' * The Velvet Rope Tour (supporting Janet Jackson) (1998)
==See also== * List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.) * List of best-selling music artists in the United States
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==Bibliography== * {{cite book |last1=Bass |first1=Lance |author-link=Lance Bass |url=https://archive.org/details/outofsync0000bass |title=Out of Sync |last2=Eliot |first2=Marc |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-4169-4788-2 |location=New York |oclc=154308977 |url-access=registration}}
==External links== {{commons category|'N Sync}} * {{official website|http://www.nsync.com/}} * {{AllMusic|0000516929}} * {{Discogs artist|*NSYNC}} * [https://www.facebook.com/nsync Facebook]
{{NSYNC}} {{Navboxes | title = Awards for NSYNC | list = {{American Music Award for Artist of the Year}} {{American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group}} {{Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Music Group}} {{MTV Video Music Award – Viewer's Choice}} {{Teen Choice Award for Choice Music Single}} {{Billboard Year-End number one albums 1990–2009}} }} {{Justin Timberlake}} {{JC Chasez}} {{Lou Pearlman}}
{{Authority control}}
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