History Music / NSync

* MasochismTango: "Tearin' Up My Heart," in which the narrator appears to be in a DestructiveReomance he knows should end, but can't bring himself to do it because he's still in love with her. It's "tearin' up [his] heart" whether he's with her or not.

* ArtifactTitle: The band's name was originally an acronym for the last letter of each member name in the first formation (see FunWithAcronyms below), which intended to include Jason as the bass singer, but he decided to leave the project, being replaced by Lance.

** Music/FallOutBoy filmed a parody of "It's Gonna Be Me" for their song "Irresistible", and got Chris to cameo as a oddly enthusiastic factory worker that helps make the toys, and Joey as one of the toy store workers who's quite amused by Fall Out Boy's bobbleheads...and chucks them into the bargain bin anyway.

* ArtifactTitle: The band's name was originally an acronym for the last letter of each member name in the first formation (see FunWithAcronyms below), which intended to include Jason as the bass singer, but he decided to left the project, being replaced by Lance.

In 2023, the band teaser their reunion and announced that they would contribute to a song in ''WesternAnimation/TrollsBandTogether''.

* ''No Strings Attached'' (2000)

* DreamTeam: Collaborated with Music/PhilCollins and Music/GloriaEstefan, performed live with Music/TimMcGraw, Music/CelineDion, Music/{{Aerosmith}}, Music/MaryJBlige, and Music/MichaelJackson.
** Music/RichardMarx specifically wrote "This I Promise You" for them and ended up doing the production for it.
** JC was a guest vocalist for Basement Jaxx and Music/{{BT}}. (BT did the production for "Pop" and JC returned the favor.)
** Brian [=McKnight=] produced "Selfish".
** Music/StevieWonder played harmonica on "Something Like You".
** They collaborated with Music/{{Alabama}} on their cover of "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time on You".

* BecomeARealBoy: At the end of the "It's Gonna Be Me" video, the marionettes transforms into the band after they're scanned through the register.

* RefrainFromAssuming: The lead single off their Celebrity album is called "Pop", not "Dirty Pop". The latter was a made up term coined by the group to describe their particular brand of pop music

[[caption-width-right:300:From left to right: Music/JCChasez, Creator/LanceBass, Music/JustinTimberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Creator/JoeyFatone]]

** ''Making the Tour'' (2001)

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocYID5ZvBjs "Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)"]]

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIl0-whRM-Q "Yo Te Voy a Amar"]]

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xPkJU8-Pj4 "Gone" (Spanish version)]]

** [[http://dai.ly/xe0078 "Girlfriend (The Neptunes Remix feat. Nelly)"]]

* Chris Kirkpatrick - born October 17, 1971.
* Joseph "Joey" Fatone - born January 28, 1977.
* James Lance Bass - born May 4, 1979.
* Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez born August 8, 1976.

With [[Music/BackstreetBoys one]] successful BoyBand under his belt, Lou Pearlman sought to strike gold twice. In [[TheNineties 1995]], Pearlman approached Chris Kirkpatrick (age 23), an employee of Universal Studios Orlando and singer for The Hollywood Hi-Tones, to form a vocal group in the same vein as the Music/BackstreetBoys. Chris called up Music/JustinTimberlake (age 14), an alumnus of the 1990s revival of Series/TheMickeyMouseClub, whom he'd allegedly met at various auditions around Orlando. Justin then called Music/JCChasez (age 19), his former castmate on MMC. Chris and JC invited Creator/JoeyFatone (age 18), a mutual acquaintance, after running into him at a club. Chris and Joey met while working at Universal Studios, Joey as the Wolfman in the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue. JC and Joey, meanwhile, were old friends and ran in the same social circles during JC's time on MMC. Joey then recruited Jason Galasso, a friend of his from high school.

With [[Music/BackstreetBoys one]] successful BoyBand under his belt, Lou Pearlman sought to strike gold twice. In [[TheNineties 1995]], Pearlman approached Chris Kirkpatrick (age 23), an employee of Universal Studios Orlando and singer for The Hollywood Hi-Tones, to form a vocal group in the same vein as the Music/BackstreetBoys. Chris called up Music/JustinTimberlake (age 14), an alumnus of the 1990s revival of Series/TheMickeyMouseClub, whom he'd allegedly met at various auditions around Orlando. Justin then called JC Chasez (age 19), his former castmate on MMC. Chris and JC invited Joey Fatone (age 18), a mutual acquaintance, after running into him at a club. Chris and Joey met while working at Universal Studios, Joey as the Wolfman in the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue. JC and Joey, meanwhile, were old friends and ran in the same social circles during JC's time on MMC. Joey then recruited Jason Galasso, a friend of his from high school.

Sometime later, the group was set for a live showcase at Pleasure Island in Orlando and started negotiations with Pearlman's label, Trans Continental Records. Galasso suddenly dropped out a few weeks before the showcase, unhappy with the group's direction, and left the others scrambling to find a replacement. Justin eventually called his old vocal coach in search of a bass singer, who recommended a kid from Mississippi named Lance Bass (age 16). October 1, 1995, *NSYNC officially formed.

[[caption-width-right:300:From left to right: Music/JCChasez, Lance Bass, Music/JustinTimberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone]]

* BreakupBreakout: Justin went on to a hugely successful solo career, winning multiple Grammy Awards and also acting in films.

* PeoplePuppets: The main concept of the "Bye "Bye Bye" music video. Basically it symbolizes how manipulative the PsychoExGirlfriend is, who just wants to toy with them.

They took a brief break in early 2001, during which Lance and Joey filmed the movie ''On the Line'', which was critically panned. Although they were not expected to begin work on their next album for some time, Justin's and JC's sudden stream of songwriting would cut short the group's break and recording for the next NSYNC album began with Lance and Joey still in the midst of filming. Their single "Pop" was released in May 2001 and they set off on a stadium tour, titled the ''[=PopOdyssey=] Tour'', months before the release of their album. ''Celebrity'' was released on July 24, 2001, and although it sold substantially less than the previous album, it still sold a record 1.88 million its first week.

In March 2002 they embarked on the second leg of their ''[=PopOdyssey Tour=]'', rebranded the ''Celebrity Tour'', after which they went on hiatus. Justin kickstarted his massively successful solo career, Joey went on Broadway, Lance became a licensed cosmonaut, Chris got on an RV and traveled the US, and no one really knows what JC was up to, though he did release his own solo effort in 2004. Work on the next NSYNC album was to begin in the fall of 2003, but plans ultimately fell through. They still attended awards shows and even regrouped for the 2003 Grammys, where they performed an a cappella tribute to Music/TheBeeGees. Their last public appearance together would be 2005's Challenge for the Children VII, their annual charity event they had been holding since 1999.

In 2007, Lance released an autobiography, titled ''Out of Sync'', in which he described what was essentially their break up. At 2004's Challenge for the Children VI, NSYNC sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" for what would be their final public performance together. At some point during the event, Justin admitted to the others that he didn't want to return to the group. JC was intent on carrying on with NSYNC without Justin, but Chris refused to go on without all of them and with only three members willing to continue, they called it quits. However, since there has been no official statement regarding a breakup, they're technically still on hiatus. They briefly reunited at the 2013 [=VMAs=], but have stated they have no further plans for the group.

* BreakupBreakout: Justin's solo career has still shown no signs of stopping, a full decade after the group's breakup.
** While obviously not on the same level as Justin's career, JC was a judge on ''America's Best Dance Crew'' and does behind the scenes production work, Joey and Lance have modest careers as television personalities, Lance is heavily involved with the gay community as well as other political causes, and Chris owns a production and recording studio and also voiced recurring character Chip Skylark on ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents''.

** Lance and Joey's acting efforts were their attempts at this... it didn't go over so well.

[[caption-width-right:300:From left to right: JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Music/JustinTimberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone]]

They released "I Want You Back" in the US on January 20, 1998, which charted moderately well. Their reworked album, featuring an altered tracklist including newly recorded songs and now titled ''*NSYNC'', was released March 24 the same year. The album floundered for a bit, but they soon received their big break by way of, funnily enough, the Backstreet Boys, who bowed out of a concert special for the Disney Channel. The offer was then given to NSYNC & the special was just what the group needed; after its initial airing (and subsequent re-airings) ''*NSYNC'' shot up through the Billboard charts and they suddenly found themselves in high demand. They made several television appearances, including a Christmas special for the Disney Channel and a spot in the UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade, recorded a Christmas album, ''Home for Christmas'' (which went multi-platinum) and after some time opening for Music/JanetJackson's ''Velvet Rope World Tour'', set off on their own headlining tour in the US.

By 1999, NSYNC had successfully broken into the US market with a Diamond-selling debut album and hit singles. They were also being severely overworked. With their ''Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now Tour'' still in full swing, they began work on their next album while also filming for television specials and making various other public appearances. In May 1999, Lance collapsed following the filming of ''Summer Jam'', a televised concert on ABC, and it was discovered that Lance had an undiagnosed heart condition and that the collapse was caused by a heart murmur triggered by stress and general exhaustion. Having been restless for quite some time at that point, this would be the event that led the group to finally break away from Lou Pearlman and Trans Continental Records. For several years Pearlman had been withholding money from the group, stating that boys had yet to make up for all the money he put into financing the group. Despite their non-stop touring and multi-platinum album sales, their first real paycheck amounted to a meager $25,000 per member. While they first aimed to simply renegotiate, they quickly changed their tune after looking through their contracts, in which they discovered the full percentages Pearlman was taking from them as well as a clause in their original contract with Trans Con which stated that their first album was to be released in the US within a certain time frame; not only was the time frame not met, but the fact that they were first released in Germany was technically a violation of the contract. In September 1999, they announced they were breaking their contract with RCA and Trans Con and signing on to Jive Records.

They released "I Want You Back" in the US on January 20, 1998, which charted moderately well. Their reworked album, featuring an altered tracklist including newly recorded songs and now titled ''*NSYNC'', was released March 24 the same year. The album floundered for a bit, but they soon received their big break by way of, funnily enough, the Backstreet Boys, who bowed out of a concert special for the Disney Channel. The offer was then given to NSYNC. The special was just what the group needed; after its initial airing (and subsequent re-airings) ''*NSYNC'' shot up through the Billboard charts and they suddenly found themselves in high demand. They made several television appearances, including a Christmas special for the Disney Channel and a spot in the UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade, recorded a Christmas album, ''Home for Christmas'', which went multi-platinum, and after some time opening for Music/JanetJackson's ''Velvet Rope World Tour'', set off on their own headlining tour in the US.

By 1999, NSYNC had successfully broken into the US market. They were also being severely overworked. With their ''Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now Tour'' still in full swing, they began work on their next album while also filming for television specials and making various other public appearances. In May 1999, Lance collapsed following the filming of ''Summer Jam'', a televised concert on ABC, and it was discovered that Lance had an undiagnosed heart condition and that the collapse was caused by a heart murmur triggered by stress and general exhaustion. Having been restless for quite some time at that point, this would be the event that led the group to finally break away from Lou Pearlman and Trans Continental Records. For several years Pearlman had been withholding money from the group, stating that boys had yet to make up for all the money he put into financing the group. Despite their non-stop touring and multi-platinum album sales, their first real paycheck amounted to a meager $25,000 per member. While they first aimed to simply renegotiate, they quickly changed their tune after looking through their contracts, in which they discovered the full percentages Pearlman was taking from them as well as a clause in their original contract with Trans Con which stated that their first album was to be released in the US within a certain time frame; not only was the time frame not met, but the fact that they were first released in Germany was technically a violation of the contract. In September 1999, they announced they were breaking their contract with RCA and Trans Con and signing on to Jive Records.

They took a break in early 2001, during which Lance and Joey filmed the movie ''On the Line'', which was critically panned. Although they were not expected to begin work on their next album for some time, Justin's and JC's sudden stream of songwriting would cut short the group's break and recording for the next NSYNC album began with Lance and Joey still in the midst of filming. Their single "Pop" was released in May 2001 and they set off on a stadium tour, titled the ''[=PopOdyssey=] Tour'', months before the release of their album. ''Celebrity'' was released on July 24, 2001, and although it sold substantially less than the previous album, it still sold a record 1.88 million its first week.

With [[Music/TheBackstreetBoys one]] successful BoyBand under his belt, Lou Pearlman sought to strike gold twice. In [[TheNineties 1995]], Pearlman approached Chris Kirkpatrick (age 23), an employee of Universal Studios Orlando and singer for The Hollywood Hi-Tones, to form a vocal group in the same vein as the Music/BackstreetBoys. Chris called up Music/JustinTimberlake (age 14), an alumnus of the 1990s revival of Series/TheMickeyMouseClub, whom he'd allegedly met at various auditions around Orlando. Justin then called JC Chasez (age 19), his former castmate on MMC. Chris and JC invited Joey Fatone (age 18), a mutual acquaintance, after running into him at a club. Chris and Joey met while working at Universal Studios, Joey as the Wolfman in the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue. JC and Joey, meanwhile, were old friends and ran in the same social circles during JC's time on MMC. Joey then recruited Jason Galasso, a friend of his from high school.

With one successful BoyBand under his belt, Lou Pearlman sought to strike gold twice. In [[TheNineties 1995]], Pearlman approached Chris Kirkpatrick (age 23), an employee of Universal Studios Orlando and singer for The Hollywood Hi-Tones, to form a vocal group in the same vein as the Music/BackstreetBoys. Chris called up Music/JustinTimberlake (age 14), an alumnus of the 1990s revival of Series/TheMickeyMouseClub, whom he'd allegedly met at various auditions around Orlando. Justin then called JC Chasez (age 19), his former castmate on MMC. Chris and JC invited Joey Fatone (age 18), a mutual acquaintance, after running into him at a club. Chris and Joey met while working at Universal Studios, Joey as the Wolfman in the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue. JC and Joey, meanwhile, were old friends and ran in the same social circles during JC's time on MMC. Joey then recruited Jason Galasso, a friend of his from high school.

* ThemeTuneCameo: "Bye Bye Bye" plays at the beginning of the "It's Gonna Be Me" video.

* AdamWesting/SelfDeprecation: A large part of their charm was that they were far more self-aware than their peers about their boy band image and were absolutely not afraid to make fools of themselves and mock their own images.

* AdamWesting: A large part of their charm was that they were far more self-aware than their peers about their boy band image and were absolutely not afraid to make fools of themselves and mock their own images.

** JC landed a minor role in the independent film ''Opening Night'' as an [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jc-chasez-gives-topher-grace-898900 exaggerated version]] of himself.* ArtifactTitle: The band's name was originally an acronym for the last letter of each member name in the first formation (see FunWithAcronyms below), which intended to include Jason as the bass singer, but he decided to left the project, being replaced by Lance.

* ArtifactTitle: The band's name was originally an acronym for the last letter of each member name in the first formation (see FunWithAcronyms below), which intended to include Jason as the bass singer, but he decided to left the project, being replaced by Lance.

* BadassBoast: "Pop" was basically this. "We got the gift of melody[=/=]We're gonna bring it 'til the end."

** NonuniformUniform: When their stage costumes and public appearance outfits weren't matching, or worse, clashing, they generally adopted an overall themed look with modifications for each member. (See their NSA Tour [[http://i.imgur.com/go4SeuN.png marionette costumes]] or the [[http://i.imgur.com/K6fCnWD.jpg "Bye Bye Bye" single photoshoot]].)

* LargeHam: Joey Fatone. This has served him well in his career as a television presenter after the band split.
** WorldOfHam: Really, with their energetic personalities as evidenced on their behind the scenes specials, things can get pretty loud and boisterous quickly.

** BecomeARealBoy: At the end of the video, the marionettes transforms into the band after they're scanned through the register.

* SelfDeprecation[=/=]AdamWesting: A large part of their charm was that they were far more self-aware than their peers about their boy band image and were absolutely not afraid to make fools of themselves and mock their own images.
-->'''JC''': It's fun to make fun of your friends. You can't take yourself seriously all the time.
-->'''Chris''': We're not dolls, we're puppets. If you're a doll, your career is over.
-->'''Lance''': I get confused myself, like, was it 98 Degrees? Backstreet? I always had to google it myself to make sure.
-->'''Chris''': We make fun of ourselves more than anybody.
** They parodied themselves on the ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where Justin and Lance secretly signed JC off to the Navy.
** They made a cameo on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' as a boy band named No Refund who sang in nothing but food innuendos. They even did one of TRL's infamous shout outs as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=173UFV-Pg1I&feature=youtu.be&t=1m45s No Refund]].
** Chris, Lance, and Joey have participated in animated parodies of boybands and teen idols. (Chris was on ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', Lance and Joey were on ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', Joey was on ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'', and Lance was on ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls''.)
** JC [[AdamWesting parodied himself]] on an episode of ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo''.
** Chris even had an [[http://sparklydanceboys.tumblr.com/post/95124269653/context-after-nsync-announced-they-would-be "*[=NSUCK=]" baseball cap]] printed up and they all owned t-shirts with the words "Boy Bands Suck" printed on them. The hat is also an especially pointed reference to their lawsuit against Lou Pearlman, as he was suing them for, among other things, the rights to their name.
** In the opening cutscene of their [=PopOdyssey=] tour, Justin's shirt has "*[=NStink=]" emblazoned on it.
** One of their [=McDonald's=] commercials had Lance sneak into the audience and hold up a sign saying "[[NobodyLovesTheBassist Lance is cool too]]".
** Lance later trolled ''everyone'' with his own parody "[=Heart2Heart=]". He's also appeared in gay-themed parodies making fun of himself.
** Joey's Twitter profile: "They call me the FAT-ONE!"
** Joey's sole motivation to appear in the Creator/SyFy movie ''Jersey Shore Shark Attack'' as an exaggerated version of himself? He wanted to be eaten by a shark. Same thing for Chris's appearance in ''Sharknado 3''.
** One of their commercials for Chili's lampooned Justin's tendency for MelismaticVocals as he starts grabbing at JC while belting out notes. (Chris, Joey, and Lance walk away in irritation as Lance throws off his headphones and Chris mimics strangling Justin.)
** Lance poked fun at his failed attempt at space on an episode of ''Review with Forrest [=MacNeil=]'' and he appeared on a sketch on ''Series/TheTonightShow'' riffing on his own name. His and Joey's entire media careers after the band are essentially AdamWesting with some SelfDeprecation thrown in.
** Music/FallOutBoy filmed a parody of "It's Gonna Be Me" for their song "Irresistible", and got Chris to cameo as a oddly enthusiastic factory worker that helps make the toys, and Joey as one of the toy store workers who's quite amused by Fall Out Boy's bobbleheads...and chucks them into the bargain bin anyway.
** JC landed a minor role in the independent film ''Opening Night'' as an [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jc-chasez-gives-topher-grace-898900 exaggerated version]] of himself.

** LuckyCharmsTitle: While they do prefer the all caps and asterisk, they're willing to accept the older spelling with the apostrophe.