*NSYNC Reunited For Surprise Performance
Over a decade after going “Bye Bye Bye,” *NSYNC reunited for a surprise performance at Justin Timberlake’s latest concert. Fans went absolutely bonkers when the curtain behind JT opened up, revealing the other members of the popular Y2K boy band. JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick rocked the stage on Wednesday night (March 13) for his One Night Only show at Los Angeles’ The Wiltern.
In clips circulating on social media and reposted to Timberlake’s Instagram Story, the “SexyBack” singer patiently waited center stage with his arms crossed as he soaked in the crowd’s reaction. Breaking into a smile before long, the other four members sang the opening notes of “Gone.”
During the night, the former boy band treated the audience to a number of their early 2000 hits, including “Bye Bye Bye,” “Girlfriend,” and “It’s Gonna Be Me.” They also performed their latest collaboration for Timberlake’s new album, Everything I Thought It Was, called “Paradise.” JT teased the new song the day before their performance.
The show was an intimate one for its celebrity-filled audience. Per E! News, an after-party was also held in the venue upstairs, where Justin’s wife, Jessica Biel was present. Backstreet Boys alum AJ McLean posted on his Story a video of Justin singing “My Love.” He wrote over the clip: “This is my jam!” Another famous face taken aback by the reunion was Chrissy Teigen. The Cravings author posted a number of clips of *NSYNC to her Story, over the first of which she wrote, “Oh my f—ing god,” before panning the camera to her own shocked face. And then, alongside a clip of the group performing their new song, Chrissy summed up her feelings simply with: “Dead.”
After the show, when Justin shared a picture of five stools on The Wiltern’s stage, which he captioned “Paradise,” Lance commented, “That was fun. Let’s do it again soon.” The band’s onstage reunion comes after the release of their first song in twenty years, “Better Place,” for the Trolls Band Together soundtrack. As we previously reported, the boy band reunited on stage for the first time in ten years in September for the MTV Video Music Awards.
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.
