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Like their boy band predecessors, the Backstreet Boys, teenage vocal group 'N Sync were formed in Orlando, Florida, USA. Singers JC Chasez (b. Joshua Scott Chasez, 8 August 1976, Washington, DC, USA) and Justin Timberlake (b. 31 January 1981, Memphis, Tennessee, USA) had previously appeared on the [ Walt ] Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club, a training ground for other future teenage pop stars Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. They met up again when working on separate solo projects in Nashville with the same vocal coaches. Returning to Orlando, Timberlake joined Chris Kirkpatrick (17 October 1971, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA) and Joey Fatone (b. 28 January 1977, New York City, New York, USA). With the addition of Chasez and James Lance Bass (b. 4 May 1979, Clinton, Mississippi, USA), and managed by former New Kids On The Block manager Johnny Wright, 'N Sync was formed in 1995. Enlisting several hot pop producers, including Kristian Lundin (Backstreet Boys), and Denniz Pop and Max Martin (Robyn, Ace Of Base ), the team recorded a collection of lightweight pop/dance tracks designed to appeal to a teenage audience. Their debut album was originally released through BMG Ariola Munich, and the band became an instant success in Europe on the strength of the bestselling singles "I Want You Back" and "Tearin' Up My Heart". A tour of American roller rinks introduced them to the US audience, as a result of which "I Want You Back" climbed to a high of 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1998. Their album gained a US release in spring 1998, and eventually climbed to number 2 in October. The band opened for Janet Jackson and performed their first television concert on the Disney Channel in August.
Home For Christmas was released to cash in on the seasonal market. An insipid mix of new material and standards, the album still debuted at number 7 on the US album chart in November. In the UK, 'N Sync entered the album chart at number 2 in January 1999, while "I Want You Back" debuted at number 5 in February. Their new single, "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You", climbed to US number 8 in February 1999, while "Music Of My Heart", a soundtrack single recorded with Gloria Estefan, debuted at number 2 in October. After protracted discussions the group signed to Jive Records. Their debut for the label, No Strings Attached, became the first album in US chart history to sell more than 2 million copies in its first week of sales. The album also generated the US chart-topping single, "It's Gonna Be
Me". |
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