*NSYNC’S 6 Defining Career Moments

As the boy band receives a star, its members recount their ascent to success

By the turn of the millennium, the members of boy band *NSYNC — Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick — were massive stars, so it’s no surprise that, on the anniversary year of the group’s first album, they would be recognized with their own everlasting star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It’s even more fitting that the ceremony is taking place on April 30, because, cracks Fatone: “It’s gonna be May!”

That’s right, you know you’ve made it when a song released nearly two decades ago — “It’s Gonna Be Me” — finds new life each year as a popular meme. But *NSYNC was no ordinary group, which is why demand for a reunion follows the guys’ every move. For now, though, fans will have to be satisfied with the rare appearance of all five members on Hollywood Boulevard.

“It will be a special moment,” says Bass. “Everyone we’ve worked with — every choreographer, every record person, our families, our friends and our fans — that star ceremony is honoring.”

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“It’s something you dream about,” adds Fatone, a sentiment shared by Kirkpatrick, who says, “This is iconic.”

In honoring the group’s permanent place in music history, we look back at six defining moments of *NSYNC’S short but impactful career. In the mid-1990s, boy bands were out of fashion in the U.S., where radio was still living in a post- grunge haze. So the decision was made to break into Europe first. The strategy worked. “I felt like we were an overnight sensation,” says Bass. “We were on the cover of every magazine before we even released a song, which was strange. They’re all about boy bands over there.”

Another prescient move was aligning the group musically with Swedish producer Max Martin, who had yet to see his first hit (but has since written 20 U.S. No. 1s).

“We had never been able to get to that caliber of producer,” recalls Bass.

It’s a relationship that paid off in dividends, leading to six chart-topping hits for the group, including “It’s Gonna Be Me,” “Tearin’ Up My Heart” and “I Want You Back.”

And even as recently as 2016, Timberlake teamed with Max Martin for the smash, “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”

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Banding Together

*NSYNC members, from left, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick perform in 2000.

You could say *NSYNC was ahead of its time when it came to styles in hair and fashion. Or maybe the trends took a detour during those years.

Says Kirkpatrick of their chosen hair styles: “Ramen noodles, bright red and pineapple. I think one time JC had a Caesar Frankenstein haircut.”

Chasez defends both choices. “At the time, we were like, ‘Dude, that’s so rad!,’” he says. “We would call Chris the pineapple. Now he’s thinking, ‘Why did I do that to my head?’ Joey had bright, bright fire engine-red hair and it was fun for a while.”

Adds Bass: “We had the frosted tips, the curls, the dreads … We’ve had it all!”

*NSYNC’S outfits for performances and appearances also feel a bit off in retrospect. “I don’t think anybody loves everything they ever wore to school or to college or even 10 years ago,” Chasez defends. “As trends change, your tastes change. … I mean, we wore every kind of rhinestone on the face of the earth.”

Bass says budgets limited what they were able to wear. “We had zero money for anything, especially outfits,” he recalls. “We would just kind of stitch things together.”

In the early years, “We were essentially wearing Velcro onesies and white motorcycle helmets,” adds Chasez. “But at the time, you’re, like, ‘We’re going to have these slick white outfits and look like robots — like we came out of outer space.’ ”