50 Fun Facts About NSYNC

Who founded NSYNC in Orlando in 1995 after a mutual friend introduced him to Lou Pearlman?

He was singing doo-wop at Universal Studios at the time and spent over a year recruiting the others.

Which member joined last, after Jason Galasso quit just before the group signed its first deal?

The 16-year-old from Mississippi was nicknamed "Lansten" so the group's initials-based name still worked.

Whose mother, Lynn, inspired the band's name by remarking how "in sync" the five voices sounded?

Lynn Harless later co-managed the Pearlman girl group Innosense.

The band's name is also a play on what?

Justin, Chris, Joey, Jason and JC spell it out; when Jason quit, his replacement was dubbed "Lansten" to preserve it.

Which record company first signed NSYNC and launched them in Europe before any US success?

The label had doubts about the band's name and Lance Bass's dancing, but signed them anyway.

NSYNC's debut single "I Want You Back" was first released in 1996 in which country?

The song was written and produced by Max Martin and Denniz Pop, and the band flew to Stockholm to record it.

NSYNC's holiday album Home for Christmas came out in which year?

It went double platinum within a year and gave the group two albums in the Billboard top 10 at once.

In 1999 NSYNC sued Lou Pearlman, saying he took what share of their earnings instead of one-sixth?

Pearlman had made the same one-sixth promise to his other big boy band, who sued him first.

For how much did Pearlman and RCA countersue NSYNC when the group tried to leave in 1999?

The suit also tried to stop the band from performing under the NSYNC name; the request for an injunction was denied.

After settling with Pearlman in December 1999, NSYNC released all their later albums on which label?

The same label was home to Britney Spears, and it later put out Justified as well.

In the "Bye Bye Bye" video the members appear as marionettes on strings. What is that a nod to?

The album title No Strings Attached carries the same message about their independence after the legal fight.

"Bye Bye Bye" peaked at which position on the Billboard Hot 100?

It topped the Mainstream Top 40 chart for ten weeks and hit number one in Australia and New Zealand.

Who directed the videos for "Bye Bye Bye", "It's Gonna Be Me" and "Pop"?

He also shot Bon Jovi's and Metallica's biggest clips; the toy-store video was filmed at 12 frames per second to mimic stop motion.

"Bye Bye Bye" was nominated for Record of the Year at the 2001 Grammys but lost to which song?

It was also up for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal that night.

"Bye Bye Bye" shot back into the charts in 2024 after featuring in which film?

It was also the last video shown on MTV 00s before the channel signed off at the end of 2025.

No Strings Attached sold roughly how many copies in the US during its first week in March 2000?

The record stood for 15 years until Adele's 25 sold 3.38 million in a week in 2015.

Which single is NSYNC's only number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

It held the top spot for two weeks in summer 2000, even though six of the group's singles reached the top 10.

The annual "It's Gonna Be May" joke traces back to a Tumblr image of Timberlake posted in which year?

Barack Obama and Timberlake himself have both played along, and the song was briefly retitled on streaming services in 2020.

Which producer had Timberlake over-pronounce "me" so it came out sounding like "may"?

Timberlake said the idea was to make him sound like he was from Tennessee.

Which singer-songwriter wrote the ballad "This I Promise You"?

It spent 13 weeks at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart, and a Spanish version, "Yo Te Voy a Amar", was cut at the same time.

NSYNC co-headlined the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show in January 2001 with which rock band?

The show, billed as "The Kings of Rock and Pop", was the first halftime with fans standing on the field around the stage.

NSYNC, Britney Spears and Mary J. Blige closed the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show on which rock song?

Steven Tyler had earlier sung the final line of the group's own hit before launching into "Jaded".

Which rapper was added to the 2002 single remix of "Girlfriend"?

His own label warned it would ruin his career; the Neptunes remix reached number five and was the group's last top-10 hit.

Which electronic artist produced "Pop", building it from thousands of stutter edits?

He used 3,642 vocal edits and kept Timberlake's under-his-breath beatboxing for the outro.

Which member hurt his leg days before the "Pop" video shoot and needed a body double in wide shots?

Co-writer Wade Robson did the dancing while the injured member's face was superimposed on top.

"Gone" was originally written by Timberlake and Wade Robson for which artist, who turned it down?

It reached number 11 on the Hot 100 and made NSYNC the only pop boy band to chart on Billboard's R&B airplay list.

What was the name of the four-month 2001 stadium trek that supported the Celebrity album?

It grossed over $90 million and was the group's first outing with backup dancers.

What is the title of Timberlake's debut solo album, released in November 2002 during the group's hiatus?

It debuted at number two with 439,000 first-week copies and won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album.

What was the title of Chasez's 2004 debut solo album?

Its release month coincided with the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime controversy, which hurt its promotion.

With what did organizers replace Chasez at the 2004 Pro Bowl halftime show after the NFL pulled him?

The crackdown came a week after the Super Bowl XXXVIII wardrobe malfunction involving his former bandmate.

In the early 2000s Bass moved to Star City, Russia, to train for a paid seat aboard what?

He was certified by both NASA and the Russian program, but lost his seat when his sponsors backed out.

Bass came out as gay in July 2006 in a cover story for which magazine?

His 2007 memoir Out of Sync covers his childhood, the space training and the decision to go public.

Fatone finished second on Dancing with the Stars in 2007, losing the mirror ball to which Olympian?

He returned for season 15 with the same partner, Kym Johnson, and went out second.

Which member voiced teen pop idol Chip Skylark on Nickelodeon's The Fairly OddParents?

He later competed on The Masked Singer as the Hummingbird and on Celebrity Big Brother.

Lou Pearlman was sentenced in 2008 to how many years in prison for his Ponzi scheme?

The scheme left more than $300 million in debts; he died in federal custody in 2016.

Pearlman fled the US in 2007 and was arrested in which country?

He was caught in Bali; the blimp-obsessed Queens native was a cousin of Art Garfunkel.

In which year did all five members reunite to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

They marked the day with a joint appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

At the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, the reunited group presented the Best Pop award to whom?

She called them "pop personified" while accepting.

The 2023 comeback single "Better Place" was recorded for which animated film?

It debuted at number 25 on the Hot 100, tying the group's highest ever chart debut.

In the Trolls films, Timberlake voices which character?

The third film's plot, about a boy band called BroZone reuniting, was the hook for getting NSYNC back together.

"Better Place" earned a Grammy nomination in which category?

It also won a Hollywood Music in Media Award for best original song in an animated film.

NSYNC voiced themselves in a 2001 episode of which cartoon, about a boy band hiding Navy messages in its songs?

In "New Kids on the Blecch", Bart's group Party Posse chants "Yvan eht nioj", which is "join the Navy" backwards.

At age 11, Timberlake competed on Star Search singing country songs under what name?

His middle name did the work; a couple of years later he was a Mouseketeer.

Timberlake and Chasez were both cast members of which Disney Channel show in the early 1990s?

Their castmates included Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell.

Bass and Fatone starred in which 2001 rom-com about a Chicago man searching for a girl from the "L" train?

Bass's own production company made it, and Timberlake and Kirkpatrick appear in cameos.

"Tearin' Up My Heart" was originally pitched to which group before NSYNC recorded it?

Max Martin and Kristian Lundin wrote it in three days once the debut single started charting in Europe.

NSYNC's first public performance, on October 22, 1995, took place at which Orlando venue?

Pearlman had put the five in a house together to rehearse dance routines and vocal parts around the clock.

An RCA talent scout signed NSYNC to their US deal after seeing them perform in which European city?

Vincent DeGiorgio caught the show and closed the deal in 1998; the US debut single stalled at number 13.

Fatone and Kirkpatrick starred in Dead 7, a 2016 zombie western written by which fellow boy-band member?

The Syfy film premiered on April 1, 2016.

After the group's split, Kirkpatrick wrote and sang lead for an alternative rock band with what name?

Fuman Skeeto was actually his early-2000s clothing line, which also dressed Britney Spears.