Biography

Five talented guys, all born in different cities...
Who would have thought, they could tour the world...
And drive their fans crazy, every step of the way !!

It was 1995, and Chris Kirkpatrick was living in Orlando, Florida working at Universal Studios as a doo-wop singer. Chris decided he wanted to put a group together. He knew Justin Timberlake from auditions in the Orlando area, so Chris called Justin to see if he was interestedin being a part of this new group. Justin had been on The Mickey Mouse Club for 2 years prior to that. Justin decided to call up fellow Mouseketeer JC Chasez and tell him about this group. Chris and JC went out to a club where they ran into Joey Fatone. JC knew Joey through some of his high school friends that had been on the Mickey Mouse Club and Joey had made an appearance or two as a dancer on MMC himself. And then there were 4... Great harmonies, beautifully blended but still missing something... a good bass voice to round out those harmonies. So, Justin called up his old vocal coach back in Memphis, and he recommended a 15 year old from Mississippi, Lance Bass. Lance flew out to Orlando, and instantly hit it off with the other guys. The first song they sang together was the "Star Spangled Banner". Chris, JC, Justin, and Joey knew that Lance was that 5th member that they needed.

Five guys, all born in different cities, with various musical backgrounds, somehow ended up together and managed to create a sound that worked. They had the sound, the looks, the moves, now all they were lacking was a name. One day, Justin's mom remarked how "in sync" their harmonies and dancing were. The guys thought it had a nice ring to it, but still weren't convinced. So, Justin's mom started playing with their initials and discovered that if you take the last letter of their first names, you get NSYNC. That's Justin, Chris, Joey, Lansten, JC. The name was perfect... and that is how the guys we know and love ~ became *NSYNC.

They compiled a video demo, including a rendition of the Beatles' "We Can Work It Out". In 1996, they sent it to Orlando-based management team Lou Pearlman and Johnny Wright. The group was signed to RCA records and paired with producers Denniz Pop and Max Martin. The group recorded its first album, which was quickly propelled to gold status with the single "I Want You Back" and its follow-up, "Tearin' Up My Heart."

For the next two years, the guys toured Europe, Mexico, South Africa, Asia and Canada, all the while building steam for its inevitable run in the U.S. which would come in April of 1998. Within four months of its American release, the self titled *NSYNC album went platinum.

Recently, the guys have had their share of music business headaches. They left their managers and their record label, BMG, sparking legal action back and forth-- including an unsuccessful bit from Lou Pearlman, trying to prevent the group form using the name *NSYNC. With the success of the debut album across the world and the millions of adoring fans of all ages, it'll take alot more than Lou Pearlman to slow them down... cause I honestly believe, there ain't no stoppin' them now!!!