NSYNC (sometimes stylized as ★NSYNC) was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. NSYNC consisted of Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass. After heavily publicized legal battles with their former manager Lou Pearlman and former record label Sony BMG, the group's second album, No Strings Attached, sold over 1 million copies in one day and 2.42 million copies in one week. In addition to a host of Grammy Award nominations, NSYNC has performed at the World Series, the Super Bowl and the Olympic Games, and sang or recorded with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Celine Dion, Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Nelly, Left Eye, Mary J. Blige, and Gloria Estefan.
The group released its debut American single, "I Want You Back" on January 20, 1998. It reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. An album called NSYNC followed on March 24, 1998. Album sales were sluggish, debuting at No. 82 on the Billboard 200, but were helped when the Disney Channel aired a concert special on July 18, 1998. The concert was first offered to the Backstreet Boys, but they had to back out due to member Brian Littrell needing heart surgery. Three weeks before the concert, the album sat at No. 85 on the albums chart; three weeks after the concert, the album reached number nine. The group's profile continued the rise with subsequent single release "Tearin' Up My Heart", which became hit on pop radio and one of the "100 Greatest Songs of the 90's" according to VH1. Regular touring, including an opening spot on Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope Tour, and television spots on shows like Sabrina, the Teenage Witch also bolstered sales for the album, which was eventually certified diamond for shipments in excess of 10 million units.
