Although 'N Sync announced the start of a "temporary hiatus" in spring 2002, the band has not recorded new material since. The group's official website was shut down in the summer of 2006, and in 2007, Lance Bass confirmed that the group has "definitely broken up."[4] They have sold over 50 million albums during their career.[5]
Etymology
Logo of 'N Sync (1998)
.
'N Sync received its name after Justin Timberlake's mother commented on how "in sync" the group's singing voices were.[6] The group's name is also a play on the last letter of each of the original members' names: JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, JasoN, and JC.[7]Lance Bass was nicknamed "Lansten" for this to work when he replaced Jason Galasso.[8]
History
1995–1998: Group formation and debut album
Chris Kirkpatrick, who had missed the cut for the Backstreet Boys, met with Lou Pearlman in 1995 to talk about forming a second group.[9] Pearlman said that he would finance the group if Kirkpatrick would find other young male singers. This prompted Kirkpatrick to call Joey Fatone, a friend he had met while working at Universal Studios. Then, Fatone and Kirkpatrick approached Lou Pearlman for more suggestions. Pearlman looked through some tapes they had, and one of Justin Timberlake from the Mickey Mouse Club caught his eye. Timberlake soon joined the group and recommended his friend JC Chasez, who also was a cast member on the Mickey Mouse Club. Soon, they decided to even out their sound by finding a bass singer. Initially, their fifth member was to be Jason Galasso. After several weeks of rehearsals, the group set up a showcase and began planning to officially sign with Pearlman's Trans Continental Label. However, at the last minute, Galasso dropped out. He was not fond of the group's musical direction, claiming that being a teen idol was never a goal of his.[10] In need of a bass, the group auditioned several people without success. Timberlake soon called his vocal coach, who suggested a 16-year-old from Mississippi named Lance Bass. Bass flew to Orlando to audition and was immediately accepted into the group.
ent&date=Nov+20%2C+2000&author=MARY+HUHN&pub=New+York+Post&desc=BACKSTREET+BOYS+WANT+TO+BEAT+*NSYNC%27S+MARK&pqatl=google|title=Backstreet Boys Want to Beat *NSYNC'S Mark| date=2000-11-20|publisher=New York Post Online|accessdate=2010-08-29|first=Mary|last=Huhn}}</ref>[3] By the end of 2000, it had sold over 9.9 million copies.[11]No Strings Attached was both the best-selling album of the decade and top-selling album of 2000.[11]No Strings Attached is currently[when?] the eighth best selling album of the SoundScan era which received a Diamond Certification from RIAA for sales of over 11,099,000.[12] The album was all-time bestselling pre-ordered album on Amazon.com.[13]
The second single, "It's Gonna Be Me", became the group's first No. 1 single in the U.S. The third and final single, "This I Promise You" reached the Top-5 on Billboard's Top-100 single chart. The group also embarked on a World No Strings Attached Tour that year. The adventures of preparing for the tour were featured on an MTV special "Making the Tour", which was later released on DVD. The tour was then featured on a HBO special, which aired the same week the group's song "It's Gonna Be Me" hit No. 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.
The group's third album, Celebrity, released on July 24, 2001, produced three singles: "Pop" (#19 U.S.), "Gone" (#11 U.S.) and "Girlfriend" (#5 U.S.). The album featured much more creative involvement from the group, especially Chasez and Timberlake, who wrote and produced several of the tracks. The album was also notably more heavily influenced by hip-hop than the group's previous releases. As such, rapper Nelly contributed a verse to a remix of the single "Girlfriend". The album was generally well-received, but album sales were substantially less than previous releases.
To help support the Celebrity album, the group embarked on a four-month stadium tour entitled the PopOdyssey Tour. The outing began in May, two months before the CD's release. Over two million fans attended the concerts. The success of the tour prompted the group to extend the tour and add 33 extra shows that was called the "Celebrity Tour". A video of the concert was later released on home video, Pop Odyssey Live.
2002: Hiatus, breakup, and post-breakup activities
In April 2002, after the group's Celebrity tour, the group went into hiatus. They were slated to begin work on a new album in the fall of 2003,[14] but these plans never materialized. The group still attended award shows and events together, and regrouped at the 2003 Grammy Awards to sing a televised Bee Gees medley in tribute to that band.[15] They also performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at the 2004 *NSYNC Challenge for Children.[16] In 2005, the members regrouped again for the last *NSYNC Challenge for the Children, but did not perform.[17] In the fall of 2005, 'N Sync released a greatest hits album. It included one song, "I'll Never Stop", that had previously not been released in the US. In January 2010, the band released another album, The Collection, consisting of singles released only in the UK.
There was no farewell tour or press release about a breakup from the band. Since their hiatus was announced, the only indication of a split came from Bass's 2007 autobiography, Out of Sync, where he believed that 'N Sync was finished and has cited Timberlake's desire for a solo career as the main reason behind this. Since their last public appearance together, the question on whether a reunion would take place had come up many times during individual interviews, which resulted in mixed opinions between all five members.
On August 25, 2013, the members of 'N Sync regrouped for a one-off performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. They performed a medley of "Gone", "Girlfriend" and "Bye Bye Bye".[18][19] After the performance, Lance Bass said that the group does not have any plans at the moment for a reunion tour or new music.[20]
Marketing
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,[21] and various other articles. The group was immortalized in wax in Madame Tussauds New York wax museum in 2009; all five members of 'N Sync 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 'N Sync's music video. The vocal group also had a deal with Chili's Grill & Bar in which the members appeared in commercials for the restaurant, while Chili's helped sponsor the group's tour.[citation needed]
For the Girl Tour (1997) (also known as the "I Want You Back Tour" in the fall of 1997)
'N Sync in Concert (1998–2000) (also known as the "Second II None Tour" in the winter of 1998, "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now Tour" in the spring of 1999, "Boys of Summer Tour" in the summer of 1999 and "The Winter Shows" in the winter of 1999)
The group has multiple RIAA awards. These include two Diamond Awards, four platinum home video releases, and multiple platinum awards for the group's records.[22]
^Abbott, Jim. "Lance Bass Book Comes Out". The Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 16, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^Gray, Tyler (2008). The Hit Charade. HarperCollins. p. 129. ISBN978-0-06-170186-3. Kirkpatrick had just missed the cut for Backstreet Boys, and he came to Lou early in the discussions of forming a second boy band.
.png)
