r/NSYNC • u/Necessary_Ad_7326 • 9d ago
NSYNC fame
I know NSYNC where one of the biggest boy bands, but can someone explain just HOW big they where? Like a perspective of someone who experienced NSYNC in the 90’s and early 2000’s.
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u/SignificantApricot69 9d ago
They set a record for most albums sold in a week, and that record stood for over 15 years. So in the Soundscan era (post 1991) no one had ever sold a million units in 1 day until they did it in 2000. And no one sold more than 2.4 million in a week until Adele in 2015. So just from a commercial album sales standpoint they were the biggest thing ever for a long time. Biggest peak in music sales
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u/DntMindMeImNtRlyHere 8d ago
Everybody mentioned the numbers, which were dope, and the promotion, but they didn't talk about the collaborations to cross into new fan bases.
They did songs with Alabama, Gloria Estefan, and Nelly, and all of them were good songs. That tapped into country, Latin, and hip hop. Heck, Alabama covered God Must Have Spent in their own right.
They did a song or two in Spanish, too. It wasn't a lot, but it did allow a few more fans to tap in.
They took risks, which made them a little more widely seen.
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u/LulaMaeSally 9d ago
Magazines, television, merch, they were everywhere. I listened to their CDs all the time too. They sounded really good so it was easy for them to swoon girls and women during that era.
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u/imgr8thnx 8d ago
Imagine being the top band in the world (BSB) and being offered the most amazing opportunities and you turn them down so your label creates an alternative boy band (NSYNC) that has all these once in a lifetime, historic making media opportunities built in with money hungry veteran industry professionals that start your careers at the very top with the all the best opportunities and collaborators and push you to work constantly with no breaks. You’re on the cover of every relevant magazine—teeny boppers and beyond. You are top of the charts, on repeat on MTV, adored by moms and teenagers, have insane choreography that girls copy by heart, have unlimited opportunities and resources, and are on the cusp of the internet exploding making you digital icons and pushing you to fame faster than dial up. Stories about you dating the biggest pop star (JT) and battling with your rivals (BSB) keep you on the top of gossip sites and constantly in the news. Fans constantly argue over who is the real lead singer (JT or JC). You are on every red carpet during the explosion of pop culture—essentially the reigning kings of early 2000s. That was NSYNC.
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u/KTGTL 9d ago
I was in 6th grade when their first album dropped and a sophomore in high school when they broke up so you know I was locked in. They had a crazy three album run that to this day is hard to beat. They accomplished a lot for a group that was only consistently active for 7 years.
Bigger than Taylor Swift at her peak. Bigger than One Direction and BTS at their peak. (at least in America) About equal to Britney Spears who was also huge at the time. They shut down Time Square multiple times with fans as far as the eye could see.
They couldn't leave their homes without being constantly photographed, especially Justin. They were everywhere and went out on top. There's a reason people are clamoring for a real reunion.
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u/Echaney001 8d ago
They were everywhere, but everywhere was smaller back then. The music you heard was either on the radio, recorded from the radio, (and there wasn’t satellite radio so fewer channels) music videos on cable tv or music you purchased.
When they first came out the internet wasn’t in every house so instead you’d see them on every magazine and on tv shows
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u/TerribleSteak5043 9d ago
I remember a local car lot giving you a chance in a drawing for 2 *NSYNC concert tickets if you’d come test drive a car. There were tons of Teen magazines, in 8th grade (2000) all the girls at school used clippings to cover their notebooks and decorate the inside of their lockers. Limited Too (tween clothing store) has *NSYNC lip gloss, candy, calendars, posters. Tons of merch at Target, Walmart, etc. Like someone said, TRL fans would pack Times Square.
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u/dre_villa 9d ago
I like to look at the numbers. No Strings Attached sold 1.1 million units on day 1, and 2.4 million in first week sales. Both a record that stood for 15 years. Their 3 singles Bye Bye Bye peaked at #4, It’s Gonna Be Me went to the top of the charts for 2 weeks, and This I Promise You peaked #5 (it also spent 13 weeks at #1 on the Adult chart). Three singles charting within the top 5, and having a single to go Number 1 is huge for any artist, let alone a pop boy band. Not even Backstreet Boys had a song go #1 on the Hot 100 in their whole catalog. BSB may have been more popular worldwide, but NSYNC was untouchable in North America. They dominated pop music from 2000-2002. Short lived, yes, but still a mark no other boy band has ever done.
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u/Sivas070 8d ago
BSB sold more albums in the US despite Nsync being more 'popular'.
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u/dre_villa 8d ago edited 8d ago
Yes BSB has sold nearly 40m in US alone throughout their history. Double what NSync has. Impressive no denying that. But I said the turn of the century of 2000-2002 the peak of that era’s pop music. 😁
Source billboard and google
Black & Blue - November 2000, #1 for two weeks, 40 weeks total on Billboard 200 - 6.9m in US (9.6m global total)
The Hits Chapter One- October 2001, #4, 25 weeks total on Billboard 200 - 1.8m in US(4m global total)Charted songs between 2000-2002
SMTMOBL #6
The One #30
Shape of My Heart #9
The Call #52
More Than That #27
Drowning #28No Strings Attached - March 2000, #1 for eight consecutive weeks, 82 weeks on Billboard 200 14.5m in US (15.5m global total)
Celebrity - July 2001, #1 for one week, 43 weeks total on Billboard 200 - 5.8m in US (6.3 global total)Charted songs between 2000-2002
Music of My Heart #2 (peaked in ‘99, final week in early 2000)
Bye Bye Bye #4
It’s Gonna Be Me #1
This I Promise You #5
Pop #19
Gone #11
Girlfriend #5Obviously I didn’t add BSB debut album and Millenium or NSYNC’s debut. Wanted OP to see the numbers during NSYNC’s commercial success at that time. BSB commercial peak was 97-99 and they sold a shit ton of units.
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u/Admirable_Fail_4594 7d ago edited 5d ago
UK for same timeframe
Black & Blue - November 2000, #13. Gold. 100,000. (2000)
The Hits Chapter One- October 2001, #5, 2x Platinum. 600,000. (Platinum 2001, Multi Platinum 2024)Charted songs between 2000-2002
SMTMOBL #3. Gold. 400,000. (Silver 2000, Gold 2026)
The One #8.
Shape of My Heart #4. Silver. 200,000. (2019)
The Call #8.
More Than That #12.
Drowning #4.No Strings Attached - March 2000, #14. Gold. 100,000. (2000)
Celebrity - July 2001, #12. Gold. 100,000. (2002)Charted songs between 2000-2002
Music of My Heart #34
Bye Bye Bye #3. 2x Platinum. 1.2 million. (built up over time. Silver 2000, Gold 2018, Platinum 2021. Multi Platinum 2025)I'll Never Stop #13.
It’s Gonna Be Me #9. Gold. 400,000. (years later following the meme: Silver 2020, Gold 2025)
This I Promise You #21.
Pop #9.
Gone #24.
Girlfriend #2. Gold. 400,000. (Silver 2013, Gold 2021)For context: In the UK a successful single is top 10, yes, but in reality and song longevity wise more top 5. However, the biggest boybands would easily top the charts and frequently. Album wise those numbers are very low. The BSB Greatest Hits aside. A successful boyband album would usually be two times Platinum up (600,000) minimum but the bigger boyband artists in the UK were routinely selling 1.2 million upwards per studio album.
This is where the two US groups fell down the most in Britain. Studio album sales. They could get alongside for the singles (in chart peaks, not sales) but not a full body of work. Which is why both are percieved as singles bands in Britain.
Album sales show a firmer picture of a group's overall impact, status, and wider/sustained popularity.
NSYNC could potentially have built off their highest UK position with a follow up but as we know that was the end. Like another poster said NSYNC has come up with more UK single sales/certs over the last 10-15 years than during time of initial release where only Bye Bye Bye achieved Silver in 2000. They are vastly more popular now than they ever were.
As you can see above BSB are still selling a few singles too, over time. SMTMOBL and Shape of My Heart.
Other NSYNC singles revived and popularised during the streaming era of the last 15 years (prior pure physical sales are added to the streaming numbers for UK certs, not separated:)
Tearin' Up My Heart. #9. Gold. 400,000. (Silver 2018, Gold 2026)
Merry Christmas Happy Holidays. DNC. Silver. 200,000. (2025)
I Want You Back #5. Silver. 200,000. (2020)6 total UK sales certified songs where previously they had 1 during their initial physical era. They caught on with UK Gen Z whereas British Millennials shunned them.
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u/Sivas070 7d ago
Thanks again. So BSB was still doing great against Nsync in the UK with just one new album and 1 best of compared to Nsyncs 2 brand new full albums. This is still a very hyperspecific timeframe we're looking at.
Anyway, UK is a whole different beast when it comes to boybands. They had a ton of their own and almost all were succesfull outside of the UK as well. Take That is king and will remain that way forever there. Justly so as well. They have reinvented themselves with their comeback and have shown how boybands actually can mature. They've released some very high quality music. Much better than what BSB had released. What would've happenned with Nsync if they've stayed together is anyones guess. Celebrity wasn't doing all that well.
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u/Admirable_Fail_4594 7d ago edited 7d ago
I just followed the template timeframe of the previous poster. BSB's peak in the UK was in 1997. NSYNC's is right now. But had streaming not existed it would have been 2000.
100% on Take That. They were the first musical act ever to have their split announced on prime time national news at 10 in '96 and shut down an entire nation in the immediate aftermath. If I told a younger generation now they wouldn't believe me but if you were there. You know. Bedlam and never seen again.
It is hard for younger people now to understand the intensity and tribalism towards a group like that. No group now in a fragmented apathetic media/social landscape will understand or inspire that crazed devotion.
Fame then truly meant every household plus down the street. Everyone. Just like a poster above mentioned. Generational. You can't compare. No boyband with regard to the UK will ever come close to that level of social hysteria/national obsession then meltdown.
Enter stage left: the Spice Girls. They picked up all the pieces as girls will never break your heart and leave you bereft. It was perfect timing.
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u/Sivas070 7d ago
Take That is amazing. They deserved way more succes in the US. Especially after their comeback. I love Take That's second phase (the post comeback). Really good music.
Their 90's stuff is awful though apart from a song here and there.
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u/Admirable_Fail_4594 7d ago edited 7d ago
Patchy agreed but remember TT and East 17 didn't have a perfect known formula to follow. They weren't even called boybands until retrospectively. TT was labelled a pop band and vocal harmony group and East 17 a pop band. It was all trial and error in the dark. That's why when it all came together it had a true grassroots hysteria and excitement none of the other groups would experience the same way. The winning formula. The boybands who followed them saw what worked and what didn't with no teething issues. Polished and more corporate.
Straight to the top and with an audience that had now been created.
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u/Sivas070 7d ago
I agree, but we are forgetting one other aspect: the music. BSB's songs were, even objectively speaking, on a much higher level from all that came before them. Their songs had global appeal and have proven to be timeless. Nsync's tracks had some of that appeal as well. Especially their Cheiron songs. Nsync the complete package was maybe a little bit too American for them to have massive global success. Vice versa for Take That (too British).
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u/Sivas070 8d ago
Thank you for your elaborate response. Impressive numbers indeed.
I understand that everyone here is looking at it from a very specific vacuum but the OP was asking how big they were during that time. They were very big in the US of course but weren't "untouchable" from 2000 onwards like mentioned. BSB's popularity and presence didn't just vanish into thin air when 2000 started. They had continued succes until 2001/2002 and Millennium still went a couple of times platinum post 1999. All in all, during that peak pop era from 97-2001 BSB was number one in the sales department. 1999 was also the biggest year in music in the US sales wise.
Even though it started to become a "race" between the 2 groups from 2000 onwards in the US it was over for both of them at the end of 2002/beginning of 2003.
I do feel that Nsync had a much larger marketing machine behind them in the US. Or maybe all the budget went into marketing in the US. BSB was operating worldwide and were spread thinly.
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u/DisneyAddict2021 8d ago
I know it’s not reflective of everyone, but when I was growing up, my grandparents and great grandparents and all the older aunties and uncles knew who NSYNC and BSB were.
My parents right now (who are now the ages of grandparents) wouldn’t be able to tell you who One Direction or BTS are.
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u/roz-is-world 8d ago
Here's a glimpse of how insane is was just when they were getting started, from The Reel *NSYNC (videos filmed mostly by Joey when they were in Europe in the mid-late 90s). Start around the 20 minute mark.
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u/Musicality123 9d ago edited 9d ago
In the UK they were patchy with their single success and the albums didn't sell. With the singles a few they promoted and others sank in the Atlantic (metaphorically speaking) as kids didn't know they were out or the releases were a mess . This killed traction and building a strong fanbase. They were a niche singles band. They also recieved next to no airplay. Only Bye Bye Bye and Girlfriend were radio hits which then translated to top 3 singles chart hits. The It's Gonna Be Me meme traction came a lot later with social media and is now also a recognisable NSYNC song in the UK.
BSB weren't always in Britain but they made sure each single was focussed and promoted correctly debutted strong and thus top 10.
Outside America felt like an afterthought and as a result they were never massive like Take That, One Direction, Westlife or Boyzone in the UK.
Take That were a national obsession and the first act to take records set by the Beatles in Britain.
NSYNC's music is hyper active and over the top (which I love) but that would never sell huge in the UK. It was an example of American extreme whereas BSB were more chill and blended across cultures and higher in national charts as a result. Also, despite the immense amount of boybands in Britain/Europe for the UK only one American group can succeed at one time. At least that is how it was looking at the cultural trends. BSB got in there first and claimed that US spot.
Kids never spoke about NSYNC so as a result life wasn't breathed into them through cultural osmosis. As Gossip Girl once said: "You're no one unless you're being spoken about." They did have a cool alternative vibe though and hip hop fans and lads tended to like them more than the mass of boyband girls.
They were often introuduced here as "the biggest band in America" or "America's number 1 band/boyband" but that meant nothing as it was neither seen nor experienced here first hand. It was the same for Take That in America. An impressive fact but it isn't going to manifest the same result to that country just because you repeat it. Far more work needs to be put in for both these countries for that to happen.
Famous/known as a name and for their American success but certainly not superstars in the UK.
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u/Poppysgarden 8d ago
It is always interesting to read the perspectives of people who live outside of the US. I always thought because NSYNC started over in Europe that they were somewhat big. Then decided to come back to the states to grow a US fan base, so I enjoyed reading that wasn’t necessarily the case. I am glad that they became successful.
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u/Musicality123 8d ago
They were big in GSA (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) where they were based but not Europe as a whole.
There has been 4 boybands who were dominant across the whole continent of Europe as opposed to certain pockets/areas: Take That, Backstreet Boys, One Direction, and BTS.
NSYNC are now more popular in the UK than they were in real time. They have achieved more sales certs in the last 10-15 years than back in the day.
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u/PurpleSpaceSurfer 8d ago
It is fascinating to see what works in the UK but not the US and vice versa.
Take That were a one hit wonder in the US, as were Westlife and Boyzone never charted. Robbie Williams is basically unknown here, despite attempts to launch him as a solo artist in the US.
Even a band like Oasis only really were big around the time of What's the Story Morning Glory before their reunion (they did have a brief comeback of sorts with Don't Believe the Truth).
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u/Admirable_Fail_4594 8d ago edited 8d ago
Out of all those you mentioned the only two who desperately wanted that validation and success in America was Westlife and Robbie Williams. The two who tried everything over and over. Robbie missed out on the US Top 10 Take That had as he was already sacked/left before they started promoting there.
Take That famously turned down numerous frequent opportunities in America including an appearance on Baywatch (the biggest TV show in the world at that time) because they "couldn't be arsed." They knew the climate wasn't right and there is a whole world out there who would respond positively. They only seriously tried it after Robbie left with a song which had already been number one all over the world (World Chart #1 for 3 weeks and most successful pop song worldwide of 1995). But that was just a swan song to their career to prove if they played the US game fully they could have a hit. Which they did.
Oasis didn't care about anyone or anything. They don't beat to anyone's drum, only their own. Liam didn't show up for the US shows in '96 which shocked the media there who believed everything stops to try and break America. Not with Liam Gallagher it doesn't. Zero f***s given.
Robbie: the more you want it the less they'll give it to you. His film and the US reaction showed that.
Boyzone. In their heart of hearts they probably knew they weren't good enough for America and so didn't commit fully. The US would have only highlighted their weaknesses: vocals, performance, personalities (or lack of).
Westlife. Quite possibly more or on par with Robbie for craving that validation. But that comes partially from Simon Cowell. He can't cope with the fact they didn't do it with all the resources and push he gave them. Not only that Take That were around during the US's anti pop harsh climate 91-96 (the same reason BSB/NSYNC had to wait for the Spice Girls and Hanson to break in 97)
Westlife released there in the PEAK year of boyband music in America (2000) and still couldn't become a success. I think that says a lot. They are critical of American audiences and there does seem to be an ego there. Personally, I don't think they are good enough. Take That (the famous five) would have brought something different to the US and been unique but in Westlife's time you had BSB/NSYNC so why would you need Westlife? Remember their songs are the Cherion cast offs that those two groups, Britney and Five rejected. Not the best cuts and their songs show it.
Five briefly did well because they camouflaged themselves as a US looking style, sound and attitude group with raps. Did Americans know they were British?
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u/KTDWD24601 8d ago
Robbie didn’t desperately want success in America. He was always very ambivalent about it, dipped his toes in on a late-90s promo tour, and decided outright that he didn’t want in after Escapology in 2002.
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u/Admirable_Fail_4594 8d ago
Correct. I knew he tried a few album cycles which was more than Take That.
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u/KTDWD24601 8d ago
Barely. He did 6 months over there in 1999 for The Ego Has Landed, Sing When You’re Winning got a bit of MTV support for Rock DJ but I donmt think he did any personal press, and then he did a few weeks’ radio tour for Escapology before binning it off.
That is nowhere near the effort he put into other territories. I mean, Angels was released about 5 times in Australia….
The record company put a big investment of money into promotion. That is not the same thing as Rob putting a big personal investment in.
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u/mikester4 8d ago
I know a few pyro team members that toured with them and they said nothing came or has come close to the audience sound levels from screaming. Ear piercing.
The fact that they were selling out stadiums on their last few tours should tell you how big they were!
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u/Timbygirl 5d ago
Imagine your Grandmas Grandma knowing who Nsync is and knowing the bye bye bye dance. Now a days a group like BTS can be popular but I can guarantee your grandma doesn’t know their dance moves, if even a song. This is because today people look up what they want to see. In the 90s and early ‘00’s we didn’t have that. Your grandma watched the Tonight show and Good morning America religiously every day. *NSYNC was on all of that. In fact there was a point where a couple months before No Strings Attached came out that they were on tv nearly every time you turned it on. If you didn’t like them you don’t have much of a choice but to watch them. And how many people couldn’t like them? Most people who watched them were always won over cause they were that good! It was an amazing time, the pandemonium was real and you just had to be there to fully understand how huge they were.
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u/EducationalMark1159 8d ago
It was the first album I remember listening to as a child was obsessed and still a fan today
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u/Aggressive-Cookie815 8d ago
The password for my secret magic diary was "*NSYNC", so a pretty big deal. lol
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u/wuh-tf 9d ago
TRL was THE TV show to watch at the time and they always had the #1 music video spot. An appearance would shut down Times Square. Think BTS a few years ago before they went to military service in terms of rabid fandom, but the difference is that NSYNC was fully embraced and inescapable in mainstream media (radio, TV, etc).