*NSYNC

Formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995, *NSYNC was a pop and dance boy band formed under the guidance of producer Lou Pearlman. Pearlman had already achieved a great amount of success orchestrating the formation of boy band Backstreet Boys and was looking for more opportunities. Formed around the talents of vocalist Chris Kirkpatrick, *NSYNC also featured Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and former Micky Mouse Club members Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez. Their debut single "I Want You Back" was released in October 1996 and charted in the Top 10 in Germany, Switzerland, and the UK. In May 1997, their self-titled debut album was released and including the hits "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "Here We Go". The album went to the top of the charts in Germany, Austria, and the US at number 2. In 1999, the group began a legal battle with Lou Pearlman, ending in with an undisclosed settlement but allowing the group to move forward and release their albums on Jive Records. The album No Strings Attached (2000) followed three years later. The singles from the album included "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me", which hit the European and US charts. No Strings Attached reached the top of the US charts and Number 7 in Germany and Switzerland. In 2000 and 2001 *NSYNC were honored with several MTV Video Music Award and American Music Awards. They returned in 2001 with their album Celebrity, which featured the hit singles “Pop,” “Gone,” and “Girlfriend” (featuring Nelly). Alongside Aerosmith and Britney Spears, the boy band performed at the Super Bowl halftime in 2001 and at the Winter Olympics the following year. Over the course of their career, Justin Timberlake became the break-out star of the group, steering attention away from the other four *NSYNC members. Following the Celebrity tour, the group decided to take a hiatus in 2002 and work on projects outside of the group. The success of Justin Timberlake’s career as a solo artist and actor inspired his decision to officially leave the group in 2004. Several compilations have been released during the band’s official split including 2014’s The Essential *NSYNC, which peaked at #25 on the US charts.