 |
| *NSync Bio |
| Like the Backstreet Boys before them, the teenage male vocal group, NSync emerged from Orlando, FL. Though formed in 1996, their roots trace back much earlier to singers, JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake, who together previously co-starred on the Disney Channel's The Mickey Mouse Club before later relocating to Nashville, where they worked on solo projects with the same vocal coach and song writers. Timberlake soon returned to Orlando, where he befriended Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone; with Chasez, the four agreed to form a band and with the addition of bass James Lance Bass, NSync was complete. They took the name NSync to describe their tight harmony and singing style. |
|
| Under the manegement of Orlando entrepreneur Lou Pearlman, the group scored a record deal in Germany where they released their self-titled debut to much success, thanks to the smash singles Tearin' Up My Heart and I Want You Back. After touring extensively in Europe and Asia for more than a year, the group was ready to take on the United States. Signed with RCA records, the band released *NSync to the American public in the spring of 1998 and followed up with a tour of roller skating rinks. The album went on to sell more than 10 million copies, an impressive debut. Home for Christmas followed later that same year. During the recording of their second album, the band made the decision to part ways with Pearlman and RCA, convinced they weren't seeing their share of the profits from their first album and tour. Pearlman responded with a $150 million lawsuit. NSync counter-sued and the case was eventually settled out of court. |
 |
| The aptly titled No Strings Attached was finally released on Jive Records (home to the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears) in March 2000. The album, featuring the biting Bye Bye Bye, sold a staggering 2.5 million copies during its first week of release. The kitschy-pop third album, Celebrity, featuring the Michael Jacksonesque song Pop, appeared in Summer 2001. It sold another great 1.8 million copies in its first week of sales, keeping NSync a record holder for the top two spots of first week sales. |