We all know what Justin Timberlake is up to. He’s everywhere! But as he sits at the top of the charts, where are his former bandmates?
Justin’s success has effectively ruined their careers. He has cost them millions of dollars from the tours and re-releases they could do if they made even a temporary comeback. As long as he is so much more famous than the others, there is almost zero chance he will reunite with the group. *N Sync must be the most successful of the pop groups from the turn of the century that have not had any form of comeback or reunion. If the group reformed without Justin, the effort would be mocked, so they are basically stuck on the Z list until he slips off the A list, and as his star seems to have reached a new high that looks increasingly unlikely.
Here’s what JC, Lance, Chris and Joey have been up to since *N Sync split 11 years ago:
As the group member with the second most star quality, JC Chasez managed to forge a solo career around the same time as Justin, providing a slightly edgy alternative. His album Schizophrenic mixed the sleazy electro-pop and intricately-produced R&B trends of the time, including tracks such as All Day Long I Dream About Sex and Some Girls (Dance With Women), but only reached no. 46 in the UK and 17 in the US. His best solo moment was a collaboration with Basement Jaxx, Plug It In. He went on to write and produce music for other artists, including Girls Aloud (Watch Me Go) and McFly (If U C Kate). He’s now managing a girlband called Girl Radical, which bizarrely has 12 members, but the music sounds promising.
Lance’s post-*N Sync plans were undoubtedly the most unexpected of the group. As a science geek, Lance used his boyband millions to buy a trip into space. However, after months of training, his sponsors pulled out and his dream was over. Returning to the US, Lance made a few film cameos but was fairly quiet until he came out as gay in 2006. The announcement seemed to boost his career, as he went on take part in Dancing With The Stars, work as a voiceover artist, play cheesy TV host Corny Collins in Hairspray and write an autobiography. The book, which I reviewed, is terribly written but tells fascinating stories from *N Sync’s years at the top. He still occasionally appears on US TV and hosts a radio show.
To me, Chris is only famous for two things: His pineapple hairstyle, and being mentioned in an Eminem song. So if that’s all I, as an *N Sync fan, know about him, you can imagine how little interest there was in his post-*N Sync career. However, he has managed to find work doing voiceovers for kids’ TV shows, including The Fairly OddParents. He was also a contestant on a reality TV series called Gone Country, where he learnt to write and perform country music, and he took part in the US version of Totally Boyband on MTV, Mission: Man Band. Chris has made cameos in a few music videos, such as Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous by Good Charlotte and, most recently in 2012, 2nd Sucks by A Day To Remember.
Joey Fatone… surely the most unfortunate name ever for the least slim member of a boyband? Luckily Joey has run with the joke, and even references it in his Twitter bio. He has worked as an actor and TV presenter since *N Sync, with his most famous role in My Big Fat Greek Wedding (although his family is actually Italian, not Greek). He has appeared on Broadway in Rent and Little Shop of Horrors, and presented a karaoke game show called The Singing Bee. Like Lance, who has remained his best friend, he took part in Dancing With The Stars. Additionally, he has appeared in reality shows Celebrity Circus and Celebrity Cook-Off. He now presents a cookery show called Recipe Rocks on The Live Well Network.
Do you know what happened to JC’s second album? Some demos were leaked a few years ago, and there were rumours JT had written a song or two for it. Then nothing…