They teamed up in Orlando, where they created the name *NSYNC out of the last letters of each of their first names. They arranged a few pop/dance songs, learned the high-energy dance moves that accompanied them and headed for Europe. The guys toured Germany, building up a fan base, before signing to BMG Ariola Munich. From there, the singles, “I Want You Back” and “Tearin’ Up My Heart” were released, and turned *NSYNC from a little known dance act into the hottest act in Europe. The band toured the continent, became huge stars and then decided that it was time to head back across the Atlantic, and test their music on the U.S. market. They aced that test!

Their self-titled first album went diamond, selling over ten million copies in 1998, and reaching number two on the charts. Its success was followed by the seasonal release of their holiday album Home For Christmas, which went multi-platnium. Then the guys hit a snag, as they entered into legal disputes with their management. The band fought for finances, freedom and even their own name. The guys went back in the studio, and after a highly publicized court battle, they signed a new record deal with Jive Records and released the "No Strings Attached" album. The album was released in March of 2000 and broke records with one million copies sold the very first day and 2.4 million albums purchased within the first week. The first single “Bye, Bye, Bye” which was later nominated for a Grammy award for song of the year, was a huge success, and was followed by the equally popular “It’s Gonna Be Me” and “This I Promise You.”

The "No Strings Attached" Tour was just as groundbreaking as the album itself and sold out every arena and stadium that the guys played.

When they returned to the studio in 2001 to create the "Celebrity" album, they decided to venture away from the squeaky clean, “boy-band” image they had acquired, and worked to create a concept album that would be unlike anything they had done before. Justin and JC got a chance to demonstrate their songwriting abilities, while working with hit making producers like The Neptunes, Brian McKnight, Rodney Jenkins, and their choreographer Wade Robson, to create the catchy hooks for the songs that made the album so captivating. The result was a collection of pure dance songs, with infectious beats and more insightful lyrics, which were developed with the fans always in mind. The song “Pop” was the runaway hit from the album, and the accompanying video became a favorite on MTV. “Gone” and “Girlfriend” followed suit, and suddenly the guys were no longer the puppets on strings that everyone had come to label them as, they were now bona fide song writers and producers. The album was a huge success and it inspired them to go on tour again. This time, they would be doing a tour like nothing anyone had ever seen before.

The 2001 POPODYSSEY Tour brought with it, not only the hit songs from their albums, but allowed them to bring to life their cutting edge videos. The five band members oversaw every aspect of the concert, from choreography and sound, to stage props and lighting, all to ensure that the fans who were buying out every stop on the POPODYSSEY Tour were getting more than their money’s worth. The tour was a huge success, and left the fans begging for more. However, the guys decided to take a well-deserved break, and take in all they had accomplished in the past four years.

With the time off, some of the guys took up acting, as Lance starred in the movie “On The Line” with Joey as his co-star. Joey then took another acting job in the sleeper hit of 2002, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, he also took some time to act on Broadway. JC wrote and performed solo hits for the movie “Drumline”. In October 2002, Justin released his debut solo album "Justified" that became one of the biggest albums of the year, and established him as not only one of the biggest acts in music, but also as a respected songwriter.

In July of 2003 the guys got together in Miami for their annual Challenge For The Children charity basketball event. The event drew a wide variety of celebrities, including actress Shannon Elizabeth, R&B singer Brian McKnight, and football star Eddie George and raised over $3.5 million. It was at that event that the guys made it clear to everyone that although they had each tasted their own private success they were looking forward to returning to the studio together, in the fall, to start work on their fourth album. The story of *NSYNC is almost unbelievable, but it all really happened. They broke into the business together, reinvented the industry, and are now getting ready to once again take the world by storm.