These Secrets About *NSYNC Ain’t No Lie

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Sorry millennials, but it ain’t no lie to say *NSYNC was formed 30 years ago. 

According to boy band history, Chris Kirkpatrick wasn’t chosen when Lou Pearlman-a music manager who later faced scandal-formed the popular group Backstreet Boys. The then-23-year-old was deeply upset and reportedly told Pearlman that not being selected was truly heartbreaking.

Pearlman agreed to provide the funding for another band. And when it came to finding singers who could harmonize, that responsibility fell to Kirkpatrick.

After carefully reviewing many demo recordings, Kirkpatrick discovered The All New-Mickey Mouse Club alumnus Justin Timberlake, who was 14 at the time, and Timberlake recommended another former Mouseketeer, JC Chasez, age 19. Kirkpatrick also brought Joey Fatone to the group, as they had previously performed together at Universal Studios. When a potential agreement with Kirkpatrick’s high school choir friend Jason Galasso didn’t work out, Timberlake’s vocal coach suggested a 16-year-old singer from Mississippi.

On October 1st, 1995, Pearlman and Timberlake went to the Orlando airport in a black Rolls Royce to meet Lance Bass. This moment marked the official beginning of *NSYNC.

After thirty years and over 70 million albums sold, many of us still hope for a reunion of the group.

According to Timberlake, their breakup in 2002 was always going to happen. He wanted to pursue a career as a solo artist, which led to what was described as a brief break that ultimately became permanent.

Looking back, I think we all had bigger dreams beyond what we were doing, and we definitely talked about them,” I shared in a 2020 conversation with Zane Lowe for Apple Music Essentials. “Honestly, even as a kid – I was only 10 – my biggest goal was simply to have my own record released. It was all I could think about!

Now that he’s revitalized his image and brought back a sense of appeal, there’s a chance he and his previous collaborators might achieve success – a “Better Place”, so to speak.

After being apart for 23 years, the duo reunited to record a song for the 2023 film Trolls Band Together. As Bass later told TopMob News, he was initially worried about whether he’d still be able to perform well in the studio. However, he said that once they started recording, it felt like no time had passed at all. “I was a little scared of, ‘Do I still have it in the studio?’ But we went in and I swear, it was like yesterday we were together.”

As for a full-on tour, they’re not saying bye, bye, bye to the possibility. 

“I’m not attempting to manipulate anyone, or engage in any of that kind of behavior,” Chasez explained on the LadyGang podcast last November. “However, we’re discussing this topic more openly than we ever have before.”

We’re offering our complete dedication, freely given. And if anyone was going to reveal insider information about the popular group, it would definitely be TopMob.

Initially, Chris Kirkpatrick, who was 23 years old then, wasn’t chosen for the Backstreet Boys. This was the first time Lou Pearlman, a somewhat questionable manager, successfully created a popular boy band. Despite being rejected, Kirkpatrick told Pearlman he still wanted to be part of a group.

Pearlman agreed to put up the money if Kirkpatrick did the work of finding other guys to join him, and so the sifting through demos and watching hours of tapes began. They happened upon The All New-Mickey Mouse Club alum and aspiring singer Justin Timberlake, 14, who recommended fellow former Mouseketeer JC Chasez, 19. (“JC was the cool older guy, and Justin wanted to be just like him,” co-star Christina Aguilera remembered to Rolling Stone.) 

The search went on in Orlando, and Kirkpatrick remembered Joey Fatone, an 18-year-old he’d met while working at Universal Studios. However, they were still looking for someone with a lower vocal range.

Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough, a long-time friend of Kirkpatrick, later felt good about how things worked out. He told Pop Crush in 2015 that Backstreet Boys asked Pearlman to support Chris as much as possible while still letting him pursue his goals. Chris then rejoined Pearlman and created a group, which eventually evolved into *NSYNC.

2. But Lance wasn’t the first fifth member of *NSYNC!

That was Jason Galasso, who’s known Joey Fatone since their high school choir days and recently received an unexpected call from him. Interestingly, he also had connections to Justin Chasez, as he shared on the The Digital Get Down podcast in 2019, explaining that he “used to spend time with the stars of The Mickey Mouse Club.”

Following a performance of Boyz II Men‘s song “End of the Road,” he joined the group. He remembered thinking, “Wow, Justin is really young!” But then, after hearing Justin sing, he realized age didn’t matter. He thought, “He can really sing!”

However, the bass singer was also part of a three-person group named Unreal, so Galasso, who now works in the mortgage loan business, said he was still undecided. He mentioned that his background was in R&B and hip-hop.

Honestly, when Pearlman first played me some of that European-style techno, my initial reaction was just, “Hmm, okay.” We all headed down to Atlanta with the rest of the Unreal crew to record a demo, and he was really happy with how it turned out. I thought it sounded pretty good too, to be honest!

At the same time, *NSYNC was developing their image and discussing the possibility of performing a showcase at Disney’s Pleasure Island.

It wasn’t long before both sides were competing for his signature. Galasso explained that he consulted a lawyer with the two contracts. The agreement with the three parties was fairly typical, but Pearlman had specifically included himself in the *NSYNC* contract as a sixth member, and that contract was described as being “thick as a phone book.”

So Galasso ultimately went with the group that wasn’t *NSYNC.

3. Besides Justin Timberlake’s mother saying they sounded very “in sync,” the group’s name was created using the final letter from each of their first names: Justin, Chris, Joey, Jason, and JC.

Hold on… The other members asked Lance if he’d be willing to slightly change his name to keep the *NSYNC* name working. That’s how “Lanceton” came about. “They called me Lanceton for about a year, mostly as a running joke,” Bass explained to EW.com in 2015. “I believe Justin was the first to suggest ‘Okay, Lanceton.’ Then it sort of stopped being used once we signed a record deal and started releasing music. It didn’t last very long-it was either Lanceton or Landon.”

After gaining a significant following in Germany over a couple of years – fans loved the Max Martin-written songs “I Want You Back” and “Tearin’ Up My Heart” (as Bass remembers, *NSYNC was on the cover of every magazine in Europe) – the group finally achieved major success in the U.S. when the Backstreet Boys declined an opportunity to perform on “Disney Channel in Concert”.

Instead, NSYNC in Concert came out in 1998 and—thank you, cable—Disney Channel aired it over and over again. “The Disney Channel concert really changed our career,” Bass told 20/20. “It was incredible, and that one gig right there, to me, is what made us in America.” 

Okay, let me tell you a funny story from behind the scenes! I was hearing about this on the Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum podcast, and it’s a great example of how even celebrities have silly moments. Apparently, when *NSYNC was in Miami for their Challenge for the Children charity basketball game, they were all ordering room service before a press event. Joey Fatone was super late – like, 15 minutes late! – and everyone was wondering what happened. Turns out, he was waiting for a *new* burger! You see, Justin Timberlake had sneakily taken a bite out of his original burger just to mess with him. Can you believe it? It just goes to show you, even when you’re a pop star, you’re still dealing with playful pranks from your friends!

That was hilarious. I’ve never witnessed Joey react so strongly to anything before,” Bass explained. He thought Joey “was likely just exhausted or something,” but added that “we constantly tease him about that reaction. Seriously, all the time.”

While Fatone reportedly became upset over a half-eaten burger, Bass confessed he wasn’t always calm and collected. He explained to Rosenbaum that he occasionally got frustrated when Kirkpatrick leaned heavily into his comedic role during interviews. “Chris, you know, he’s very expressive,” Bass said, “and he’s funny and constantly tells jokes. But when someone is cracking jokes in *every* interview – and they were doing around 20 a day with five different people – your days just get incredibly long.”

There were many instances where I found myself thinking, ‘Please just answer the question so we can finish up, as we’re all really exhausted.’ He consistently extended our interviews, often making them at least twice as long.

7. They became so preoccupied that they didn’t even have time for haircuts or coloring, so, as Bass explained, he began applying bleach to his hair with his fingertips. This is how the frosted tips style originated.

Now you know.

8. In the year 2000, the group ‘N Sync received special gifts to mark the incredible success of their first album from 1997. The album had sold 10 million copies, earning it a diamond certification. Their manager, Johnny Wright – who had previously worked as a road manager for New Kids on the Block with his wife, Donna – presented each of the five members with diamond and platinum pendants. As reported by Rolling Stone, Justin Timberlake jokingly declared, “We are diamond. Screw all of you. I’m done. Forget this boy-band thing.”

9. While the members of *NSYNC eventually became wealthy, they had to fight for their earnings. Their manager, Pearlman, who passed away in prison in 2016 while serving a 25-year sentence for money laundering and related crimes connected to a Ponzi scheme, was apparently defrauding both them and the Backstreet Boys (as well as O-Town) out of their money.

In a 2019 interview with ABC News’ 20/20, Bass remembered Pearlman flying them and their families to Los Angeles in 1998 for a party where checks were presented. Each check was worth $10,000.

I was part of the world’s most popular band and we sold millions of albums…but I couldn’t even pay for my place in Orlando, or afford a car,” explained Bass, recalling how he tore up a check when he returned to his hotel. Kirkpatrick added, “Given how successful we were, you’d assume we were making a fortune, constantly earning money, and so on, but that simply wasn’t true.”

Once *NSYNC understood that their contracts, similar to those given to the members of Backstreet Boys (BSB), effectively made Lou Pearlman a sixth partner – entitling him to one-sixth of the group’s earnings plus management fees – they quickly moved to Jive Records. This led to a swift lawsuit from TransContinental Records and RCA’s parent company, BMG Entertainment, which had initially distributed their first album. The suit totaled $150 million, but Pearlman’s primary aim was to stop them from continuing to use the name *NSYNC*. *NSYNC filed a counter-suit for $25 million and eventually reached a settlement in 1999 for an undisclosed sum-and, crucially, they were able to keep the rights to their name.

10. No Strings Attached, their incredibly popular second album which came out in March 2000, was deeply symbolic and meaningful.

No Strings Attached really captured the spirit of what we were trying to do,” Kirkpatrick explained to 20/20. He came up with the idea after the song “I’ve Got No Strings” from Disney’s Pinocchio reminded him of the feeling. “It became our motto-we weren’t indebted to anyone, and our only commitments were to each other and our fans.”

I remember when Chasez first came onto the scene – it’s amazing to think he won a talent show back in seventh grade singing Richard Marx‘s “Right Here Waiting”! And then, get this, Marx actually went on to write and produce “I Promise You” for No Strings. I was reading an interview with him in Rolling Stone, and he described the album as really bold and energetic. He said nothing is sung softly; everything is really precise and impactful. He specifically pointed out you can definitely hear a Michael Jackson influence in how the lyrics are delivered – that clipped, powerful style that Michael was famous for.

Timberlake added, “We are really upset-that’s the truth. We’re frustrated guys who feel like they haven’t received the recognition they deserve. Of course, I’m just joking-I’m kidding.”

Additionally, the group lacked a stable record label for much of the album’s creation. They were dissatisfied with TransContinental and hadn’t yet fully settled at Jive Records, which was home to artists like Britney Spears – Timberlake’s girlfriend at the time (though this wasn’t a well-kept secret) – and the Backstreet Boys.

No Strings Attached sold 2.4 million copies in its first week out, including 1.1 million on day one.

A year after that, Jackson joined them on stage-first at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, appearing as *NSYNC finished performing “Pop” and causing a huge reaction from the audience, even though he didn’t sing-and then, a few days later, performing together on “Dancing Machine” at the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration. This two-day concert, held at Madison Square Garden, was broadcast on CBS in November.

In 2016, Bass shared on The Meredith Vieira Show that Jackson stopped speaking to him for a year following the concert at MSG. This happened because Jackson asked Bass and Fatone (who needed to get to a movie premiere) to remain until the end of the show for a performance of “Heal the World,” explaining it was “for the children.” Bass responded with a giggle, failing to realize Jackson was completely serious.

12. As their finances improved, it was only natural that they began to spend their earnings. In March 2000, Timberlake made his first major purchases: a Mercedes and a BMW M Roadster. He would soon add a Dodge Viper, an Audi TT, a Porsche 911, and a Cadillac Escalade to his growing collection by the next year. Fatone indulged in a black Cadillac truck and also bought homes and cars for his family. Many of the members purchased properties in Orlando, and Kirkpatrick also bought a house for his mother. Bass expanded his real estate holdings with homes in Orlando, Mississippi, and a property in the Floribama region.

Justin Timberlake described the interior of his Orlando home to Rolling Stone, explaining that it features a white grand piano, a white couch, and a tapestry depicting knights on horseback. He also mentioned a stunning acrylic sculpture of a nude couple, a gift from a friend. “It’s a beautiful piece-when you shine a light on it, it glows right through,” he said. He has a game room, affectionately known as the Jimmy Buffett room, designed with a tropical Orlando vibe, and a country kitchen that evokes his childhood. The bedroom, he added, is decorated with a safari theme, complete with a Japanese screen and a large sleigh bed.

The next year, Chasez shared that he had developed a taste for red wine and had purchased a $2,500 book featuring the photography of Helmut Newton.

13. Around the year 2000, shortly before the release of No Strings Attached, Kirkpatrick was in a relationship with a woman he’d been dating for about a year before *NSYNC achieved worldwide success. That relationship didn’t last, as he later married Karly Skladany in 2013. They had been together for three years, and all of his former bandmates attended the wedding.

Timberlake continued to avoid directly confirming his relationship with Spears, telling Rolling Stone that while he considered Spears a friend (“Britney’s a good friend of mine”), he generally preferred to keep any romantic relationships private: “If I do decide to have a personal relationship with someone, I think it’s best to keep it that-personal.”

Before, Bass dated Boy Meets World Star Danielle Fishel, and even took her to prom. He waited until 2006 to publicly share that he is gay, and has been married to Michael Turchin since 2014.

Fatone and Kelly Baldwin have had an on-again, off-again relationship since 1993, but were together when their daughter Briahna was born in March 2001. They married in 2004 and later welcomed another daughter, Kloey Alexandra, in 2010. However, they separated in 2019.

Chasez often dated women – in 2001, he was with Bobbie Thomas, who was motivated to create her own blog after witnessing the media’s coverage of Spears – but he’s generally been very private. He publicly revealed his relationship with girlfriend Jennifer HuYoung with a Valentine’s Day post on Instagram in 2019.

14. By the year 2000, Bass had begun Freelance Management with the goal of helping country music artists succeed. Timberlake created his own foundation, dedicated to supporting music and arts programs in public schools. Chasez was working as a music producer for the girl group Wild Orchid, and Kirkpatrick had launched his own company, Fuman Skeeto, which focused on both fashion and music production.

Okay, let’s be real. Forget all the screaming fans for a second! As someone who watches trends, I can tell you they weren’t trying to be overly cute just to win over kids – and let’s be honest, their moms too! It wasn’t about manufactured adorableness; it was something else entirely.

“We don’t force ourselves to be cute; we simply are ourselves,” Timberlake explained to Rolling Stone in 2000. “We’re guys. We burp and fart, just like guys do.”

16. Kirkpatrick saw himself as the ultimate “man’s man” among his group, explaining to Rolling Stone in 2001, “It’s like a group of college guys got together and decided to create a character – a wild, out-there guy. And that’s what they made me.”

The writer portrayed Bass as a remarkably kind, modest, and patient person, noting his attractive appearance – so much so that he sometimes resembled a woman – and his constant, unwavering smile. In contrast, Chasez was described as someone whose behavior offstage differed greatly from his stage presence, often so quiet and unassuming that people wouldn’t even realize he was there.

Fatone was described as a large, energetic, and lively person, always seeming ready to start a celebration, no matter the place or time. He had a rambunctious electricity bubbling beneath the surface, suggesting he was constantly on the verge of sparking joy and excitement.

17. While rehearsing in New Orleans in 2001, a stage platform rose prematurely, and Fatone’s lower leg got caught between the platform and the stage. Remarkably, he didn’t break any bones, but the incident exposed a significant amount of muscle and tissue inside his leg.

“There was a hole,” Bass told Rolling Stone. “You could actually see the bone, everything was visible. We immediately put pressure on it, but fat was leaking out – it didn’t look good. He usually handles pain well, but he was clearly suffering. He really screamed. It appeared as if a bullet had gone right through his leg.”

Oh my gosh, you won’t *believe* what happened! Chasez told me everything. Apparently, he ended up in the hospital – can you imagine?! They actually had to *cut* a piece of his leg out just to get all the metal fragments out. He got his leg stuck between two pieces of metal, and it’s a miracle it didn’t break! Seriously, he’s such a tough kid, I’m telling you. It’s just… unbelievable. I’m so worried, but also so impressed by how strong he is!

Just a few weeks passed, and Fatone, who had been relying on a cane for mobility, was performing dance routines on stage again. Chasez noted, “He’s in pain,” but added, “Joey’s got great showmanship. He knows how to mask any difficulty with his movements because he has more stage experience than any of us.”

18. Looking back, *NSYNC actually kept things pretty low-key. The group members readily acknowledge they enjoyed themselves, but they weren’t known for causing trouble, and trouble didn’t usually seek *them* out. Justin Timberlake (Bass) enjoyed a Jack and Coke occasionally, but he was more often the one offering to be the designated driver for the night. He explained to Rolling Stone that, “If a 12-year-old sees on the news that I was arrested for cocaine, that impacts a lot of people.” He recalled being just 10 years old when he found out his sister had been drinking, and how upsetting that was. He also shared, “I can drink water and feel like I’m getting drunk.”

19. Fame hadn’t come overnight, but once it did, it was a whole new world.

Bass explained to Rolling Stone that people often don’t understand how difficult the job actually is, and it’s not as exciting as it seems. He compared it to visiting Disney World and being taken into the behind-the-scenes tunnels, only to see Cinderella having a cigarette – it ruins the illusion. “The whole magic is gone,” he said.

Timberlake shared that things have been challenging lately, and he’s experienced periods of depression. However, he credits his faith with helping him cope. He explained that he feels like he has two distinct sides: the public persona people see and the private person who goes about daily life, like brushing his teeth twice a day. He feels these two sides are currently in a good place, even if his private self doesn’t always get the spotlight, he believes it’s worth prioritizing.

“It’s best not to reveal too much,” explained Fatone. “You don’t want to disappoint fans by letting information slip that could upset them.”

20. If anyone thought *NSYNC was just a group of five individuals who happened to get fortunate, they would be mistaken.

Back when we first started, we were really close friends, and I think that still comes through in our performances,” Kirkpatrick explained while appearing on CNN’s Larry King Live with the rest of the group in 2001. “When we’re on stage, we have a lot of fun and joke around with each other, and because of that chemistry, every show feels unique. We really enjoy messing around together.”

Responding to King’s point about band members often having issues behind the scenes, Timberlake explained, “Honestly, the connection we have is incredible. I mean, even during last summer’s tour, I could just glance at Chris and communicate so much without saying a word – he’d instantly understand what I meant just by looking at me, because we’ve been playing together for so long.”

21. They expressed their anxieties about fame and public scrutiny in their third album, 2001’s Celebrity.

By that time, Timberlake and Spears were publicly a couple (“When we’re together, she’s just my girl, and I love her, and that’s all that matters. I don’t worry about what other people think. She makes me happy; she’s like a lifesaver,” he told Rolling Stone; Bass also noted, “They were so perfectly matched, it was almost unsettling”) and the group was reportedly earning $2.5 million per night on their PopOdyssey tour.

22. Back in 2000, Justin Timberlake shared his thoughts with Rolling Stone about the growing number of boy bands. He said, “I believe the next few years will show who is truly talented and who isn’t. My concern is that there are just too many groups out there.”

Well, the other boy bands wouldn’t have to worry about it for long.

23. *NSYNC took what was called a “temporary hiatus” in 2002, after finishing their Celebrity Tour. The main reason was to allow Justin Timberlake to pursue his individual career, and that ended up being the end of the group. Despite this, they never formally announced a breakup or stated they were disbanding.

Chasez, who had a solo hit in that year with “Blowin’ Me Up (With Her Love)”, told the Huffington Post in 2019 that after doing something consistently for a while, you fall into a routine, and then you need new challenges to keep you interested – essentially, “brain food.” He explained, “We just felt like we’d tried every possible idea with what we were doing, and we needed a change. So, that’s exactly what we did.”

According to Bass, he and the other band members never had any serious disagreements. He was most upset not simply by Justin’s departure, but by the fact that everyone involved – the band’s record label, management, and the entire team – had known the band was finished for three years before telling him.

For three years, I was preparing for a new album, while everyone around me understood that we were moving on. It felt strange to be focused on the future while others saw the present differently. I was really focused on getting ready, even though it seemed like everyone else had accepted we were changing direction.

24. After *NSYNC’s members pursued individual careers, Timberlake achieved significant success as a solo artist. However, that wasn’t the reason the other members didn’t attend his wedding to Jessica Biel in Italy in 2012. He had released Justified in November 2002 and didn’t really look back after that.

So could their reunion performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards have been more hyped?!

It was brief but enjoyable, and everything went smoothly. Little did they know, it was only the beginning of a long series of events.

25. Looking back on why he stayed closeted during his time with *NSYNC, Bass explained at the group’s 2018 Hollywood Walk of Fame induction that he believed he couldn’t share his truth. He was afraid of being rejected, and he strongly believed that would happen. But even more importantly, he didn’t want to risk the careers of his bandmates, or the hundreds of people who worked hard to make *NSYNC successful.

Bass explained, “I worried that revealing my true self would mean the end of *NSYNC, so I kept it hidden. We were achieving everything we’d ever hoped for and I was deeply grateful – and still am. However, during many performances, I’d see so many young, gay fans passionately singing along, and I desperately wanted them to know I understood what they were going through. I just didn’t feel strong enough at the time. But I am now, and I want to proudly say to all my LGBT siblings, who have supported and inspired me to be myself, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

It’s easy to see he’s likely gained many more fans now that he’s been open about who he really is. And anyone who stopped supporting him wasn’t worth his time anyway.

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2025-10-01 10:20