*NSYNC: A Reunion Filled with Synchronized Harmony & Nostalgia
One of the hottest groups to come into the lives of teens everywhere in the 1990s was the smash hit boy band *NSYNC, which included Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, Lance (Lansten) Bass, and JC Chasez. With songs like “I Want You Back” from their self-titled debut album, to “Bye, Bye, Bye,” and “Celebrity” from their No Strings Attached and Celebrity albums respectively, the band solidified its place in American pop music. When *NSYNC went on hiatus after a string of sellout concerts in 2001’s No Strings Attached tour and the subsequent year’s PopOdyssey stadium extravaganzas, millions of fans were left wondering if they would ever see its members together again.
*NSYNC: Life During the Hiatus
During the band’s extended break, Timberlake would go on to have a highly successful solo career marked by popular tours of his own and, somewhat notoriously, the “wardrobe malfunction” Super Bowl performance with Janet Jackson. Meanwhile, Joey would make a name in Hollywood with the reoccurring role of cousin Angelo in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding film franchise by Nia Vardalos, as well as in the short-lived spin-off TV series My Big Fat Greek Life. He would also do voice actor work and host the musical competition show The Singing Bee for three seasons.
JC Chasez, a former cast member of The New Mickey Mouse Club alongside Justin, found moderate success with his album Schizophrenic in 2004. When JC’s second album wound up being canceled, he went on to write and produce for musical artists like David Archuleta, and Glee star Matthew Morrison. Chasez would also link up with the other members of *NSYNC in a seriews of mini-reunions, appearing with them at the band’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star presentation.
For some time after *NSYNC’s split, founding member Chris Kirkpatrick chose to stay out of the limelight. But he then got back to making music with his own alternative rock band and other ventures. Kirkpatrick would find a niche in several different musical acts and voice the character of Chip Skylark in “The Fairly OddParents,” eventually declaring he’d made family his number one priority.
Lance (Lansten) Bass proved the outlier, turning his focus from music to movies and television. Lance would appear in the film On The Line with fellow *NSYNC star Joey Fatone, as well as on his own celebrity cooking show with his mom. He would later have a reality TV program focusing on his then upcoming wedding to actor Michael Turchin.
*NSYNC: The Reunion
When Justin Timberlake landed the role of Branch in the hit film franchise Trolls, optimism grew that he would reach out to his former bandmates. But the prolonged strikes in Hollywood left fans guessing whether anything definite was in the pipeline–at least until their appearance at the 2023 MTV VMA Awards, where they presented Taylor Swift with the Best Pop Award, one they themselves had earned years before. Accepting it from the band onstage, Taylor coyly teased their reunion. “Are you doing something?” she asked. “What’s going to happen now? … I need to know.”
Clearly *NSYNC had something big in the works–namely a cameo in the series’ newest movie, and a brand new song recorded for its soundtrack.
In Trolls Band Together, the band members appear as themselves in (you guessed it) Troll form, which ought to be a blast for longtime fans– not to mention their families. The movie’s set to hit theaters November 17, 2023, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.
