Lance Bass Suggests Justin Timberlake’s Replacement If NSYNC Reunite
Lance Bass attends the Environmental Media Association IMPACT Summit And Cocktail Reception at Pendry West Hollywood on June 02, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. Justin Timberlake attends the Los Angeles Premiere FYC Event for Hulu's "Candy" at El Capitan Theatre on May 09, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Lance Bass is prepared to say “Bye, Bye, Bye” to Justin Timberlake if an NSYNC reunion ever happens. In a recent interview, Bass, 43, responded to questions over who he thinks should replace Timberlake with if the group was to tour again. The singer said that he was sure it would be actor, singer and songwriter Darren Criss, who is best known for playing Andrew Cunanan in Glee.
“Oh, I know exactly who it would be,” Bass said. “He studied music and is amazing with harmonies: Darren Criss. He loves boy bands. He’s from that era. He would just be the perfect fit with us.”
There are currently no plans for an NSYNC reunion in any form, sadly. NSYNC, originally made up of Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick and Justin Timberlake, formed in 1995. The band announced a hiatus to pursue solo material back in 2002, but after Timberlake’s career took off with his debut Justified, the band never reunited and officially called it quits in 2005.
The last reunion NSYNC had was at the 2013 MTV VMAs as part of Justin Timberlake’s Michael Jackson Vanguard Award win performing “Girlfriend” and “Bye Bye Bye.”
The band got together for another performance six years later in 2019 sans Timberlake, joining Ariana Grande’s set at Coachella. They joined Grande to sing their 1997 hit “Tearin’ Up My Heart.”
“I’ve been rehearsing my whole motherf—ing life for this moment,” Ariana said before they all start singing the iconic bop in unison.
Lance Bass is currently working on a movie with Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel about their past relationship. Bass, who came out as gay publicly in 2006, said that going to prom with Fishel was a big turning point for him. “So many people in the LGBT community, their prom night was the night they were like, ‘Oh, wait a minute. This can’t happen anymore,'” he said.
Fishel said, “I dated Lance for about a year while I was on Boy Meets World. It was my senior year and Lance came with me to my high school prom.”
The former couple met when NSYNC made a guest appearance on a live Boy Meets World special in 1999. After spending the day together, Bass had a crush on Fishel — something she didn’t find out about until much later — and had Justin Timberlake ask her for her phone number. The duo began dating while NSYNC was on tour and Fishel was filming the sitcom.
“I thought I was going to marry Lance. I had envisioned our future,” she said. “I held on for hope for way too long that we were going to get back together and get married and have a family… It turns out I’m not Lance’s type.”
Justin Timberlake’s 14 Greatest Music Videos Ranked
Justin Timberlake is one of the most legendary men in pop music. The Aquarian crooner was born on January 31, 1981, and boasts a fantastic music library. He isn’t called the “Prince of Pop” for nothing, Justin comes from a musical family. Growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, his grandfather introduced him to music from country music artists like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. Performing as a child, Timberlake sang country and gospel music. At eleven years old, he appeared on the television show Star Search, performing country songs under the name “Justin Randall” (Randall is his middle name). With broadening exposure to different music genres, JT was listening to rhythm and blues musicians from the ’60s and ’70s, like Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye. He would also have listening sessions with his father of the Eagles and Bob Seger.
From Mickey Mouse to World Famous
In 1993, Justin landed the gig as a Mouseketeer on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, along with future famous castmates Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, JC Chasez, Ryan Gosling, and Keri Russell. After Mickey Mouse Club, Timberlake recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group, put together by Chris Kirkpatrick and financed by boy band manager Lou Pearlman, which eventually became *NSYNC. The boy band formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995, and began their career in 1996 in Germany. Timberlake and Chasez were the group’s lead vocalists. Their self-titled debut album was successful in Europe and later debuted in the US with the single “I Want You Back.” The band released four albums, with over 70 million records worldwide, becoming the fifth-best selling boy band in history. They performed at the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show.
The rise of JT’s own stardom and the general decline in popularity of boy bands led to *NSYNC’s hiatus in 2002. Moving onto his solo career, he partnered with Pharrell Williams. He released his debut studio album, Justified, that same year. He then
released his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds four years later. By 2013, he released The 20/20 Experience, with a second part of the album releasing later the same year. His fifth album, Man of the Woods, released in 2018. Five years later, the singer-songwriter announced his sixth album, Everything I Thought It Was, would be released in March.
To commemorate the former *NSYNCer’s amazing career, we’ve compiled our favorite music videos of his career. See how your favorites ranked below:
Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.
