Let's be honest here; if you don't know who *NSYNC is, you are living under a rock. This past year has been an emotional rollercoaster for both the band and the fans, because what started out as a pop fairy tale almost turned into a musical nightmare. *NSYNC started in what can now be labelled the birthplace of modern pop - Orlando, Florida. And although sweaty boy-band guru Lou Pearlman managed them, he did not create them like BSB or LFO. *NSYNC is the brainchild of oldest member Chris Kirkpatrick. The name was the brainchild of youngest member Justin's mom.
So begins the fairy tale, with the boys falling under Transcon-
tinental's management wings, which had them cut a record and shipped them off to Europe where success was immediate. Six months after the first album was released in the US, it was sitting comfortably in Top 10 land. Success wasn't all it was cracked up to be under their current management. Tension brewed
and then as the fall of '99 hit so did the fall of *NSYNC, right off their record label and onto to Jive Records - home of BSB and Justin's girl, Britney. They also slapped Transcon with a lawsuit. On Halloween, like a bad scary movie, *NSYNC was slapped right back with a lawsuit that would not just take their money ($150 mil) but their name as well. The fans who had been dying to hear the new album which was supposed to happen in November now had to wait and see if there was even going to be an *NSYNC. Both the guys and the fans got an early Christmas gift when on December 24th an out-of-court settlement was reached and the band we all know and love got to continue, name intact, pockets not completely empty.
So for *NSYNC fans there was a rainbow at the end of the twister in the form of the March 21 release of No Strings Attached, which featured a newly street smart, polished and stylin' *NSYNC. And for the band there was a pot of gold at then end of the rainbow in the form of a record breaking 2.4 million copies sold in the first week. Their once rocky road is now paved in gold... and the boys are happily living a pop rock fairy tale.
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