JC Chasez

JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake were the two lead singers of what would become the popular boy band NSYNC. The group was formed in 1995 and became popular in Europe in 1996. In 1998, the band released its debut album *NSYNC which sold 11 million copies and became very popular in the United States. After the band had a series of legal struggles with manager Lou Pearlman, they signed with Jive Records. They released their second studio album No Strings Attached in 2000, which became the fastest-selling album of all time, selling 2.4 million copies in the first week. They held this record until 2015 when Adele surpassed the single-week sales record with her third album 25. Singles from the No Strings Attached album included "Bye Bye Bye", "This I Promise You", and the No. 1 hit "It's Gonna Be Me". The band produced their third studio album, Celebrity in 2001, which sold 1.8 million copies in the first week.

After the group's Celebrity Tour in 2002, the band decided to take a hiatus.[10] During this time, Chasez produced his own album, Schizophrenic. The band never formally disbanded, but since 2004, members have stated that the band is done and has no plans to record new music or tour.[11][12] The group has reunited for sporadic, one-off performances over the years. In August 2013, JC rejoined with Timberlake and the rest of NSYNC for a one-time performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. In April 2019, Chasez reunited with bandmates Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick for a one-night performance as part of Ariana Grande's headlining set at Coachella.[13]

Chasez giving an autograph

While still a member of NSYNC, Chasez appeared on the remix and album versions of the 1999 single "Bring It All to Me" by the girl group Blaque, though his vocals were credited to NSYNC as a whole. During the band's time Chasez became involved with songwriting and production for his group and other artists, including Wild Orchid.[14][15]

During NSYNC's scheduled hiatus, Chasez continued to work as a songwriter and producer. After the release of his first solo single in 2002, "Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love)", co-produced by Dallas Austin for the Drumline soundtrack,[16] Chasez began work on a solo album that was scheduled for a 2003 release by Jive Records.[17][18]

In February 2004, after numerous delays,[19] Chasez's debut album Schizophrenic was released.[20] Aside from Chasez, the album was produced by Dallas Austin, Basement Jaxx, Robb Boldt and Riprock 'n' Alex G.

Promotion for the album was affected by former bandmate Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, after which Chasez was unceremoniously dropped from his halftime show performance at the 2004 Pro Bowl. The NFL feared lyrics of the album's first single, "Some Girls (Dance with Women)", expressed too much sexuality, so Chasez agreed to sing "Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love)" instead.[21] The NFL continued to object to the song's lyrics and choreography, resulting in Chasez being pulled from the show and replaced with Hawaiian hula dancers.[22][23][24]

In late 2004, Chasez began work on his second LP with Jive Records,[25] The Story of Kate.[26] Chasez said the album would be more musically cohesive and have a more pop-alternative sound than Schizophrenic.[27] The album featured production from Chasez's former NSYNC bandmate Timberlake,[28] Timbaland,[27] Dallas Austin,[29] Jimmy Harry,[27] and Emanuel Kiriakou.[30] Timberlake, who helped produce a few songs for the album, said, "In my opinion, [JC] had the best voice out of all of us...Out of all the boy bands, call 'em what you will, he was the one that could out-sing all of us. And I've known him since I was 12, so it was fun to sit behind the board and push him."[31]

Chasez performed his lead single “Until Yesterday” with Timberlake at a post-VMAs club show.[32] The pop-rock song, which Chasez said has influences from Freddie Mercury and The Beatles,[33] earned positive reviews.[34][35] The album was said to be released in 2006,[27] but was then delayed to the following year.[29] To promote the album, Chasez did promotion at radio stations[36] and did guest appearances on the TV shows Ghost Whisperer,[37] Las Vegas,[38] and Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious,[39] where he played his new songs. After repeated stalling of the release of Kate,[40] JC and Jive Records parted ways in 2007.[41] Two singles from the album, "Until Yesterday" and "You Ruined Me" were made available on iTunes,[42] but were taken down after Chasez's departure from Jive Records.

Chasez continues to work as a songwriter and producer, with songs written for David Archuleta,[43] Matthew Morrison[44] and Backstreet Boys.[45] He has written for Taemin,[46] Liz,[47] and NU’EST.[48] In 2008, Chasez became a judge on Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew on MTV.[49] He stayed on the panel for all seven seasons until the show's end in 2012.

In November 2010, the song "If U C Kate" written by Dallas Austin, Taio Cruz, Alan Nglish, and Chasez was featured on the British band McFly's album, Above the Noise. Chasez wrote and produced two songs on AJ McLean's debut album Have It All, released in the US in February 2011.

In February 2012, Chasez announced via his website[50] that he was holding auditions, together with the producer and songwriter Jimmy Harry, to form an all-girl group with ages between 18 and 24. Most of the band members were selected as of November 2012, and the group was named Girl Radical.[51]

In 2014 Chasez was selected to join the North American tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar as Pontius Pilate. Other cast members included Superstar winner Ben Forster and other well-known artists, including Incubus' Brandon Boyd, Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams, and Public Image Ltd's John Lydon.[52] However, on May 30, 2014, the entire North American tour was abruptly canceled, with poor projected ticket sales cited as the reason.[53][54]

Along with Miguel and Aloe Blacc, Chasez was featured on a new version of "My Girl" with Smokey Robinson on the album Smokey & Friends.[55] In 2015, Chasez appeared, along with 3OH!3, on the title track of the Blues Traveler album Blow Up the Moon, and on the song's accompanying music video.[56] In 2016, Chasez starred in the film Opening Night, in which he played a dramatized version of himself.[57]