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FEATURE - They've Come A Long Way, Baby |
06/29/2001 | |
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By Gary Graff
With all of the elevating, flying around, and pyrotechnics-dodging the members of *NSYNC do at any given moment of their 2001 Popodyssey tour shows--touted as the largest stage production ever to hit the road--you wonder if they don't have one of those contract riders requiring promoters to provide clean underwear in the dressing rooms.
"Nah," says the group's Lance Bass. "We're huge daredevils, and we like all that dangerous stuff."
That's a good thing, because Bass and his bandmates have embarked on one of the most dangerous and difficult missions imaginable: maintaining their stature as a scream-inducing, multiplatinum pop music phenomenon. Since forming during 1995 in Orlando, Florida, the quintet has been one of the brightest stars in the so-called boy-band and teen-pop galaxies, selling more than 25 million copies of its three albums and setting TRL meters haywire with hits such as "I Want U Back," "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You," "Bye Bye Bye," and "Tearin' Up My Heart." And its 2000 effort, No Strings Attached, still holds the record for the most first-week sales ever, with 2.4 million copies.
Pop music is a notoriously fickle and volatile realm, however: One day you're the Backstreet Boys, kings of the world, and the next you're the Backstreet Boys, one of the faces of "The Teen Bust!" according to Entertainment Weekly magazine. And with a new album, Celebrity, the members of *NSYNC--Bass, Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and J.C. Chasez--are all too aware that nothing is guaranteed.
"Pop is definitely not going to be as big in the next few years as it has been," Bass, 22, concedes. "I mean, it's been enormous. And all the new pop artists are kinda getting lost in the dust right now. I think we're very lucky to be one of the ones that kinda stand out. We always focus on what we have to do; we're constantly thinking, 'How can we progress?' And I think all the rest of the groups and people out there are looking at everybody else going, 'Ooh, they're doing this. We have to do this.' And by the time they do it, it's already old news, and we're already two steps ahead."
Bass says *NSYNC is confident that Celebrity is the right next step for the group, which has taken an even greater role than ever before in writing and producing the album's 13 tracks. Things are already off to a good start with "Pop," the first single and, Bass says, a sonic harbinger of what *NSYNC set out to do for the entire album.
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"Pop is definitely not going to be as big in the next few years as it has been. All the new pop artists are kinda getting lost in the dust right now. By the time they do something, it's already old news, and we're already two steps ahead." | | "'Pop' is definitely everything radio is not," he says of the song, which was co-written and co-produced by Timberlake (who, despite rumors to the contrary, is very much alive). "It's not radio-friendly. There's no songs like it out there. It doesn't have a formula. We don't want to do 10 'Bye Bye Bye's or three 'God Must Have Spent's.
"It was scary to release it, actually," he continues. "We just wanted to see how it would do, and everyone says the first time you hear it, you're like, 'Whoa, this is different,' and then the more you hear it, you're like 'OK, that's cool.' Then it just, like, blew up."
The rest of Celebrity moves even further afield from the slick pop/R&B mix of *NSYNC's other albums, according to Bass. "Every album, we try to create and evolve into whatever we're trying to go to in the next level," he explains. "This is like our baby. We wrote about 90 percent of this one, and it's way more energetic--I think. It's way more dance-oriented. We combined a lot of sounds from like, electronica to hip-hop. Every genre of music is in our album. I think you're gonna hear a lot of sounds that you've never heard before."
Still, he acknowledges, "Of course, we have the big, epic ballads we always have, the huge movie soundtrack songs and 'wedding' songs. Then most of the songs on the album are the big, fun, dance..."
Among them are a couple of tracks that embrace the new two-step style from Britain that blends R&B and techno conventions, "that whole Craig David-type sound coming into America now," Bass says. "We're trying to introduce that to America because we love that. Craig David is one of our favorite artists and we're like, 'God, that sound has to come over here.' So we wrote three or four songs like that on the album. Right now, one of them is called 'The Two Of Us'--it's a two-step and that's the fans' favorite on the tour. I mean, everyone's like, 'Oh my God, that's great!'"
Celebrity also features more collaborations with producer Rodney Jerkins and longtime *NSYNC friends Max Martin and Kristian Lunden. R&B stalwart Brian McKnight produced one of the tracks, while Stevie Wonder showed up to play harmonica another of Timberlake's songs.
"That was, um, unreal, very unreal," recalls Bass, who also spent time earlier this year co-producing and acting (with bandmate Fatone) in the forthcoming film On The Line. "Just to be in the presence of him...It's an honor to stand in the same room and also to produce him. Justin was the main producer on that; he was standing at the board and he was scared to tell [Wonder] anything, 'cause, well, he's Stevie. He's perfect. He didn't want to tell him, 'There's, like, one note flat,' or anything. But it was great, and [Wonder] was very cool about it."
Celebrity wasn't fully wrapped until June, but that hasn't kept the group from performing an audience-testing eight or nine songs from the album in each show. "It's cool," Bass says, "because during the new songs, they're more attentive, like really being quiet. They really want to hear the [new] songs. But they're totally loving it."
Now he and the rest of *NSYNC just have to hope for the same reaction when Celebrity is finally unleashed on the world--although Bass contends that the group's past success, along with gigs this year at the Super Bowl halftime show (with Aerosmith) and inducting Michael Jackson into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, has made for a "more relaxing" situation now than before.
"We worked our butts off to get here, and now it's comforting to know that you can do whatever you want to and be very creative, and you know you're in total control," he says. "You have your fanbase that are gonna get that album and enjoy it and respect it. We definitely have a long way to go, but...we feel like we've done a lot to put ourselves in a position to get there." | |
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FEATURE - Pop Goes The Boy Bands! |
08/16/1999 | |
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By Lesley Holdom
These days, every time you turn around it's as if there's a new boy band cropping up. In fact, there's more of an influx of boy bands and the inevitable pop idolatry that comes with them than there has been in over 10 years. The Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, 'N Sync, Five, C-Note, Youngstown--you see 'em literally everywhere, serving up unadulterated pop entertainment for unadulterated pop fans. The winning formula seems to be four or five young lads belting out songs in near-perfect harmony, either with lyrics of the love variety that promise young (and not-so-young) girls everything they've ever wanted to hear, or upbeat non-ballads encouraging males and females alike to get up and shake their asses, which is exactly what these groups usually do during their polished, well-choreographed live performances.
Backstreet Boys -"I Want It That Way" 'N Sync -"Tearin' Up My Heart" 98 Degrees -"I Do (Cherish You)" It's a phenomenon that has opened the door to anything and everything "teen." In the music world alone, there are now volumes of pinup-based Behind The Music specials on VH1 featuring current-day stars as well as '70s icons like Leif Garrett and David Cassidy and '80s celebs like Rick Springfield and Duran Duran (the latter having never stopped releasing records, touring, or instigating unabashed female frenzy in concert). Rolling Stone, meanwhile, recently fanned the flames with its "Teen Idol" issue, and People's younger sibling, Teen People, scored this past May when more than 5 million television watchers tuned in to the prime-time television special Teen People's 21 Hottest Stars Under 21 to get a peek at Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake and Lance Bass, among others. There's even a new Nickelodeon-sponsored tour catering pretty much exclusively to teen audiences. And when it comes to the almighty charts, consider this: When the Backstreet Boys released Millennium in May 1999, they sold 1.13 million copies in the first week, topping the mark for initial sales set by Garth Brooks--who just happens to be the second best-selling artist in history, behind only the Beatles.
So one may ask, why are these boys, some of whom may not yet be old enough to drink, running the show--again?
"This seems to be just a really good moment for pop, for melodic music, stuff that isn't too heavy," says Bill Flanagan, senior vice president/ editorial director at VH1. "I think it's to some degree a natural reaction after grunge, rap, and heavy metal."
"It's really an exciting time....Music now is upbeat, it's young, and it's fun," adds Teen People senior entertainment editor Lori Majewski. "'Pop' in 1999 is no longer a dirty word."
Such star worship has been in existence since the infancy of popular music. "What we now call 'boy bands' certainly goes back to all those groups that Bing Crosby came out of, and Frank Sinatra came out of," Flanagan observes. "They'd now be called boy bands....You know it was a big thing in the '30s, the five harmonizing 'rascals.' And frankly, that's what the Temptations were. Very often we forget, because of what bands grew up into, that when they started out they were very much a teenage phenomenon."
And to go on from there: In the '50s, there was Frankie Avalon and Fabian; the '60s had the Beatles, Stones, and even the Monkees, if on a different level; and the youth mania of the '70s produced such teen dreams as Garrett, Donny Osmond, and two stars with the last name Cassidy. And with the launch of the image-conscious MTV in 1981, the cute factor and fashion sense of pop bands became a live-or-die situation. "Personally, I really look back to the '80s as a huge teen idol era," Majewski says, fondly. "I myself was a teenager in the late '80s and a preteen in the early '80s, so my life back then was all about Duran Duran, and to a lesser degree, artists like Paul Young and Wham!."
Soon after that, in the late '80s, came a different form of boy pop that was as much a conglomerate as a musical group: New Kids On The Block. "The New Kids On The Block was the first act of its kind where you could purchase a New Kids towel, a New Kids can opener, a New Kids doll--the marketing was just incredible," Majewski says. "That kind of mass-marketing was unique to them at that time, and now we're seeing that kind of thing again."
Meanwhile, along with the new boy bands comes the boy band alumni, like former Menudo member and current chart-topper Ricky Martin; like former New Kid members Jordan Knight and Joey McIntyre (both of whom released records this year); like Robbie Williams, late of the U.K. pop sensation Take That, whose solo CD The Ego Has Landed--designed to attract a American audience--came out earlier this year. "They're kind of following in the tradition of Michael Jackson and George Michael," says Flanagan. "And I don't think there's any stigma to coming from a teen-pop sensation either....There's as much chance of a future serious adult artist coming out of that as there is a future serious adult artist coming out of a garage-rock band. There have been certainly a fair number of former child pop idols, from Stevie Wonder to Steve Winwood to Michael Jackson, who have grown up to be really important musical figures."
Ah yes, Michael Jackson. Remember the bubblegummy Motown-crafted boy band, the Jackson 5, resplendent in its animated Saturday morning cartoon show and merchandising? Ever meet anyone with a Jackson 5 lunchbox? Or did you perhaps own one yourself? Now look at his musical legacy.
"I just think that you shouldn't discount it, because there've been many surprises coming out of that 'real pop' thing," says Flanagan. "Let's face it, most of the really great rock 'n' roll acts evolved from doing pop music for screaming young girls."
But what about in the here and now, before these performers mature and possibly prove their mettle in later years? How can one or two--or even three--of these artists ultimately stand out in a very over-saturated field? "They need really great songs," Majewski says matter-of-factly. "You can't sell millions and millions of albums to just teenagers--that kind of success comes from a crossover artist. If you have well-crafted songs, you're going to stay around. It's not just about image, it's not about five cute boys getting up there and dancing well."
"If someone's really good, it isn't that hard to make a musical transition to being accepted across the board," Flanagan adds. "It's down to a song, and if they have a truly great song, then they'll deserve to graduate. And if they never do get a song as good as, say, 'I Will Always Love You' or 'Every Breath You Take' or 'Yesterday,' then they probably didn't deserve it. They were probably just pinups to begin with."
For now, and on into the foreseeable future, boy bands rule. "They're literally taking over the world...And I mean the entire world," states Majewski. "Everyone is waiting for it to die--pop music has never been a favorite of the critics. But the critics can't really kill pop music because the audience will speak, and will continue to love it. I believe it's just the beginning for this kind of music to resurface. Music is everything to you when you're a teenager, and the teenagers will be there for these bands because there was a time in these kids' lives when the bands were there for them. That's the cool part about being a teen idol. "
And the little girls understand. | |
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FEATURE - Hearts On A String |
03/24/2000 | |
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By Jason Gelman
If fan loyalty is any indication of an album's success, 'N Sync will never feel the sting of a sophomore slump with No Strings Attached, the follow-up to their 10 million-selling self-titled debut. The screaming, crying, and undying devotion of 'N Sync fans worldwide is expected to translate into record-setting album sales for the fabulous fivesome from Orlando, Fla. This time Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, Justin Timberlake, J.C. Chasez, and Joey Fatone are doing it their way--with no strings attached.
LAUNCH: What will differentiate No Strings Attached from your 1997 debut album?
JUSTIN: I think the album is really cool because as far as pop goes--the new sound of pop is very diverse. It explores a lot of dimensions of R&B within the pop and it also goes totally mainstream, and it goes into some dance and club-style songs. So I think it's a very diverse album. It's for a lot of different crowds if you like top 40 music.
LAUNCH: Why did you decide on No Strings Attached as the title of the album, and how did the title impact the cover art?
CHRIS: Basically, we designed the album because we wanted to show that it looks like we've been puppets on a string, you know, for a really long time now--like our destiny's been controlled by all these other people. But you know, this is the first album that we're going to come clean. And it's--you know, it's our heart and soul in this album. And we enjoyed making this album. We enjoyed working on this album with the producers. And the only reasons that the strings are still attached on the album is so people can get the whole feel of the vibe of, you know, No Strings Attached. That's what we mean by the strings, so they'll understand that we're not puppets.
LAUNCH: Did you approach this project looking to prove something to the critics who didn't believe you would make it this far?
JUSTIN: We want to prove to people that we're not a flash in the pan. You know, like Chris said before, the second album is about credibility, really. You know, anybody can be a one-album group. And that's, you know--well, not anybody. But as far as being respected, you know, there are a lot of one-album groups. There are a lot of one-hit wonders. Now, luckily, we've already overcome that barrier. We've had, you know, three or four songs that have been out there and have really pushed. But the second album is about career now. It's about establishing a career and proving yourself as an artist and a musician. And that's what we're trying to do with this second record.
LAUNCH: What served as the inspiration for the music on the album?
J.C.: The guys actually inspired the No Strings Attached. I mean, every song has its own concept and its own meaning. I think that because we had all the control in the world on it and that we got to write half of it, and, you know, it's actually the music that we like to listen to. And the music that we like to listen to is basically, you know, what are fans our going to like listen to, because half of them are our age.
LAUNCH: Did all of your legal problems last year distract the group from putting all of your focus on creating No Strings Attached?
CHRIS: We just basically felt a little bit hurt by what was going on, but we just wanted to continue business as usual and keep working on what we were working on and keep our eyes focused towards the future, so it just got in the way a little bit.
LAUNCH: Does the group feel more pressure to have a successful album the second time around?
CHRIS: I always think there's pressure because, you know, your second album's the one that establishes you. The first album's the one that people get to know you with. The second album's the one that definitely establishes you. You know, we had a second album in a Christmas album, but that's not really considered a full, you know, album that is of new material. So, you know, it's real important for us to at least establish ourselves with this album.
LAUNCH: Do you think the fans who purchased your first album in 1997 will be there once again to support 'N Sync?
JUSTIN: I think our audience is growing with us, too. I mean, you know they came out and appreciated the first one, so hopefully they will like the second one.
LAUNCH: How did your collaboration with Gloria Estefan on Music Of The Heart come about?
LANCE: What happened was Music Of The Heart was coming out as a movie and Gloria was in the movie. And she was looking for someone to do the duet theme song with. So she gave us a call. And we knew Diane Warren also. And Diane Warren and David Foster wrote and produced the track. And so we went and we actually recorded the song with them before we even met Gloria. We met her first when we had the performance and did the video.
LAUNCH: That must have been an amazing opportunity for the group.
LANCE: That was. I mean, it was a great opportunity because we knew if we did something with a legend like Gloria Estefan, that it would kind of broaden our markets to an older audience, to show people in the Latin market and the older guys what we can do. And I think we did get a lot more respect from that song.
LAUNCH: What about your work with Alabama?
LANCE: The Alabama track came about because we did a song, "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You." And they heard it and loved it and wanted to cover it for country music. And we actually were even thinking about releasing it ourselves as a country song because I really thought it was just an amazing country song--but they called. They wanted to do it. And they, you know, asked if we would come in and do some background with them too. And we went for a day. We were on tour. We stopped in to sing with them. It was a great, you know, kind of like a jam session. It was wonderful. And that turned out great too. It was a huge hit for country radio.
LAUNCH: What is the most important thing that the group has learned over the past year?
CHRIS: I think we learned a lot about the business itself in general--I mean, with the lawsuit and everything that happened to us. We definitely learned the business end of the music business. You know, I think we always have been in tune with the music part and we've always--we've had a lot of experience in the studio and we enjoy being in the studio.
LAUNCH: What is your favorite song on the album, J.C.?
J.C.: I would say my favorite one that I've done so far is probably "Space Cowboy" on the album, just because it's--it's just a great song. I'm just very proud of it. I love everything that happened on the song. And it's not just another, you know, love song. It's actually something else. It's a concept song, which is pretty good.
LAUNCH: Was changing labels from RCA to Jive while working on the album rough for the group as a whole?
J.C.: You know what? We didn't talk about it a lot, because we didn't really think people needed to worry about it. We don't like to show our dirty laundry. We like, you know, we're artists and musicians. And people don't like, go buy our albums because we're business people. So, I didn't--you know, we didn't really think that they wanted to listen to all our business. What we hope is that they want to listen to our music. The way it came about, it was a sticky situation. We were pretty much between a rock and a hard place. And in order--we had to leave our label really at the point where...because we had no choice. We tried to renegotiate a deal. Nobody, you know, they didn't want to bend on the points that we wanted. And, you know, it was either stay there and be in a deal you're unhappy with or take a change and make--that's what we did. And luckily, you know, it worked out the way it did. And now everybody's happy.
LAUNCH: It seems that you took a different direction with the sound of the tracks on No Strings Attached. What did you do differently this time?
J.C.: It's just...it's heavier. It's not as polished, as far as like, you know, pop is always labeled as being cheesy and is bubblegum and as candy because it's sugar and spice and everything nice and blah, blah, blah. So people forget that, you know. I mean, pop, it's a very broad sound. It's not just candy. I mean, Janet Jackson is pop. Madonna's pop. So you're looking at some very diverse artists--Madonna especially. And we wanted to bring something to the table that wasn't, you know, all candy and overly polished. And we weren't too formulated. We wanted to do something that was heavier, a little more in-your-face. Like the sound for 'N Sync is very raw. And, you know, so when you turn it up in the club, the whole place shakes. So it's just heavier. The sounds are a little bit dirtier. I mean, that's basically it. It's just not so overly polished and sweet all the time.
LAUNCH: Can you tell us a little about the tour in support of No Strings Attached?
CHRIS: We go in rehearsals in April for the whole month of April. And then May, June, and July we'll be on tour. So it'll be mostly arenas and I think a few stadiums.
JUSTIN: I don't think we're going to take the touring aspect out of our music. That's always been something that we love to do, is go on tour. Touring is a big part of what we do to us because we get to, you know, bring our music to our fans in a live sense. You know, they get to actually see it rather than just listen to it.
LAUNCH: What do you think your audience is going to take from your new album and your new attitude?
CHRIS: I think it's just--it's fun. You know, our first album had a couple fun songs. But then we had a lot of midtempos and ballads on there. You know, this album, we said, "Let's just come out and have a fun album." So it's mostly uptempos, you know, maybe one midtempo and maybe two or three ballads. But, you know, basically when you hear every track, you're going to listen to it and pull something from the song. And mostly the vibe of the whole thing is just about having a good time. That's why we wanted to keep it uptempo. Because it is our second album we want people to know that this isn't our ending album. This isn't our greatest-hits album. This is something that we want people to know that we're going to be around for a while. We're going to have fun with our music.
LAUNCH: The group has accomplished so much in such a short time. Where can 'N Sync possibly go from here musically speaking?
JUSTIN: I think our main focus is--I mean, I don't know what style we would evolve into. I think it's something that we'll decide when the time comes. Our music is kind of evolving, you know, as we speak. And with this new album it's definitely taking a step upward. | |
NSYNC Get Dirty
by Chris Connelly
The men of 'NSYNC wouldn't be taking the stage for another seven hours, but a few hundred fans were already gathered outside the Rose Bowl gates, screaming their love on the first day of Celebrity's release. The fans might have been busy learning the words to the songs from the band's new studio album, but they already knew the tune: that even after years of ceaseless touring, recording and promotion not to mention selling more records in one week than anyone in SoundScan history with No Strings Attached these guys still enjoy their work, their fans and one another's company.
If Celebrity's dirty pop represents bonafide artistic growth for the group, what hasn't changed about them is just as impressive: They're still friendly, unpretentious and always willing to chat. And chat we did, about their songwriting, hooking up with Stevie Wonder and how their fame has affected their private lives ... or what's left of them.
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Chris Connelly: You gave yourselves a huge writing responsibility on this record. Why was it so important for you guys to take that lead?
Justin Timberlake: I don't know if it was a conscious thing that we said, "We have to write our stuff." I think it's just something we've always wanted to do. We're realizing that we're getting the time to do it. We're also realizing that we're not having any insecurities about it ... that we can do it. It's one thing to go and write a song, but it's a whole other thing to go in and be turning knobs that you don't know what they mean. Now we know what they mean, [which] comes with experience being in the studio. We feel that we are in that place now, and we just wrote a whole lot of stuff after the No Strings Attached tour. [RealVideo]
Connelly: The big theme of this record is getting respect and earning respect. Who do you want respect from that you think doesn't respect you already?
Chris Kirkpatrick: When we talk about that stuff, it's all tongue-in-cheek. We're real happy with where we are. ... We're just having fun making the music that we love to make. We hear a lot of good feedback from what we do on tour and what we do on the albums. The most feedback we enjoy is from our fans, and what they like. I know we're happy with the record.
Connelly: JC, you say in the liner notes that this was the most difficult year of your life. Why is that?
JC Chasez: Just because it's been a roller coaster ride. This record is tough because we're trying to do three things at once. The last record, even though we had a lot of adversity, it was one thing at a time. You record the record, you promote it, you go out on tour and you breathe for a second. This time, it's everything at once. We were still recording while we were preparing and touring, and promoting all at the same time. The workload has been triple what it usually is. The tour has been nicer, because it's big and we have days off in between, but the days off are usually filled with something else. So your head's gotta be in three different places instead of totally focused on one thing at a time. [RealVideo]
Connelly: Did you guys ever dream that you would get to work with someone like Stevie Wonder on the song "Something Like You"?
All: Yes.
Chris: We always dreamed about it. But that's it. You just dream about it.
Connelly: What was it like for you, Justin?
Justin: That was crazy. It came very spur of the moment. We came in the studio and we wrote the song with a harmonica part in mind and that's what I told the record company. I said, "We have to get him to do it." I mean, that's the other thing that he's famous for. Besides his incredible voice, he's killer on the harp. Somehow, the record company got a hold of him and he came in, and it was definitely a surreal moment.
Connelly: Was he familiar with any of your stuff? Did you get to talk?
Justin: Yeah. He's such a nice guy. Very humble. The thing that really impressed me is he's such a perfectionist. He stayed in there until he got [his solo] exactly like he wanted.
Connelly: Well ["Pop" producer] BT has been talking about what perfectionists you guys all are in the studio, too.
JC: We've always expected the best out of each other. We're our own worst critic, so we're gonna beat it up until it's right, at least in our eyes. We're gonna make it as good as we can, always. Everybody that we encounter usually says that we're hard working and it's great to get it from people that you look up to as well.
Connelly: How does this compare to the last time you put a record out? You had the huge SoundScan number for the first week. What number will you be satisfied with for first week sales this time?
Lance Bass: We're satisfied already with the response that we've had to it. Last year it was crazy, because we did so much promotion for the album. It was a perfect time in history to do it. This time, we've been on tour and we haven't had time to promote it. We promoted it by doing a show in every city. It's great, because people are really paying attention to the album. Yeah, there's a lot of hype of, "Oh, is it gonna break the sales record?" It's not gonna break the sales record, most likely. [RealVideo]
Chris: Last time we were not even talking about the first-day sales. We didn't even think about that. We were thinking about how much fun we had putting out an album that was us. That's why we called it No Strings Attached. We had no clue it was gonna do as well as it did. We were hearing from other people who were like, "You're gonna be lucky if it sells 100,000 copies." And then when the numbers came back ... one million or something the first day. We were just blown away. We didn't even know what to do.
Justin: I was like, "The week's not over, how do they know that?" I thought they meant that we were going to sell a million records in the first week. And they were like, "No, no, no, the first day. I was just like, "Whoa!"
JC: We still don't really understand that one. I mean, it's really not fathomable.
Justin: People probably don't think we think about this kind of stuff. But if you really wanna get technical about it, the whole country's economy is down 15 percent, so if you put the calculations in to sell somewhere between 1.6 to 1.8 million copies, that would be the equivalent of selling 2.4 million [copies] when the economy was a little bit stronger last year. But all that stuff, we really don't take it into consideration. Like Chris said, we put out music that we feel is us and we feel is taking our sound to a different place. ... We wanna stick around for longer than the first week.
Connelly: We're getting a peek into your lives on this record, but also we've seen more of your personal lives lately. You're being a little more forthcoming about who you're dating these days. What's that like for the people you're involved with?
Chris: They hate us. [All laugh]
Connelly: Justin, you bear the brunt of it because you have such a high-profile relationship with Britney. What's that like for you?
Justin: You just have to separate what you feel from your career. People look at people in the entertainment business differently. It all kind of runs together, your personal life and your career. Even more so for musicians, because actors and actresses can go to work and play a part, but when they get home there's still a piece of them that they feel like they have. But we kind of put ourselves out there. You get to a certain point where your priorities change and ... [RealVideo]
Chris: It was difficult for the people we were with too, because they have to understand that we're in the business. We came out with all the Celebrity stuff and with everything we talk about, it's all tongue-in-cheek. We're not complaining about it, we're just telling people this is what it's like. It's all in fun, but the people we're with in our relationships ... I know [it was hard on] my ex-girlfriend because she didn't want to be in the spotlight all the time. It was nice to go to the award shows, but she didn't want people prying in her business. She's got her own career. She has her own thing she's doing, and now suddenly all of our relationships are out in the open and it really bothers them. It hurts them because it's not what they're there for. [RealVideo]
Connelly: You're gonna have fun on this run, even with all the pressure. Look, you're smiling already.
Justin: This is cool, man.
JC: This is the biggest tour of all time, and we just get to jump around and look like fools every day.
Connelly: [Pointing to Justin] I noticed that you thanked Pinky on the record. I assumed that it was the character from Pac-Man.
JC: Pinky and the Brain.
Connelly: I always kind of liked Sue better. Is that a shout-out to Britney?
Justin: Yeah.
Chris: Sue is what happens when she leaves ya, right? [All laugh]
Justin: Exactly.
Connelly: You gave a very thoughtful shout out to A.J. from the Backstreet Boys on the phone a couple of weeks ago when you heard he was going into rehab. What did that event mean for you, and what kind of hopes do you have for him?
JC: I feel for the guy. I wouldn't want to go through anything like that.
Justin: As a person, you don't want anybody to go through that, and we wish him all the best.
JC: Speedy recovery, dude. We hope everything's cool.
Connelly: I believe you have a series of covers to share with us? [Distributes magazines and reads headline] We've got "'NSYNC, The biggest band in the world." This is the first time Rolling Stone has done split covers.
Lance: I look like the biggest dork on my cover.
JC: No, Joey's got you beat, hands down. What you looking at, man?
Lance: OK, maybe Joey does.
Connelly: Are they all sold for the same cover price, or can you get one cheaper?
Lance: Mine is way cheaper.
Chris: I heard somebody in the parking lot trying to trade three Chris's for a Lance.
Justin: I just don't think we can live up to this headline.
JC: That's, like, according to my mom, or something.
Justin: They mixed that headline up with like the actual Rolling Stones.
Lance: And you know what I like? They're not making fun of it. They're not like saying [sarcastically], "Biggest band in the world?"
Connelly: No question mark, no exclamation mark.
Chris: Biggest band in the world ... at least today.
Joey Fatone: It's amazing. Can't thank them enough ...
Connelly: Do you have a second single chosen yet?
All: Nope.
JC: This has been the toughest decision we've had to make on the record so far. It was easy to pick the songs to go on the album. But it's hard to pick the single off of this one, because everything is so different.
Connelly: Do you think you'll go three or four singles deep on this record?
Joey: Who knows? Depending on how everyone enjoys it.
Lance: This record's gonna last a long, long time. We could even go five deep. |
