*NSYNC joined Sean Evans to kick-off a new season of Hot Ones — and the wings were tearin’ up their mouths.
Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick took on the “wings of death” challenge while opening up about their new single, “Better Place,” which will be released later this month.
When it came to working on their first single in 20 years, it was all about channeling their classic sound and taking a modern approach.
“I think the trick was to try to capture both, for our fans that have been with us for so long to give them something that felt not necessary, felt nostalgic but familiar,” Justin explained, adding, “and then see if we could take that sound and make it feel modern.”
“We listen to the world today, we’re obviously influenced by 20 years of experiences,” JC noted. “But we still want to give them us.”
When speaking about their vocal ability as a group, the couldn’t help but give props to One Direction, as they addressed the differences between themselves and the boy band.
“I think the crazy part about it is that you have a lot of these bands that were put together, even the really good bands,” Chris said. “One Direction is an amazing band, but you have five guys that are amazing singers and have great soloists, so when they come out and do songs, they fight over where they are going to be. We kinda knew we sucked singing certain things so we just fell into our spots and we knew our place. It was a lot easier since we started with a sound, rather five amazing vocalists.”
Chris then clarified that they are amazing vocalists.
Throughout the challenge, which left the “Bye Bye Bye” singers sweating and trying to break the record for the most f-bombs, they discussed memorable fan moments, Lance attempting to travel to space and their cut appearance in Star Wars.
Justin also noted his “slightly regrettable” beat box battle from their No Strings Attached Tour.
Getting to the bottom of one of the most buzze-about NSYNC moments, the band discussed Justin’s now-viral pronunciation of the word “me” in their hit single, “It’s Gonna Be Me,” which sounds a lot like he’s singing, “It’s gonna be May.”
Clarifying that Swedish producer Max Martin requested for the word to be exaggerated, Justin admitted that it was indeed on purpose.
“It was a specific note that I got and I was just like, ‘This guy is crazy.’ But yes, it was a specific note and I did it the way that he requested and that’s what made the record,” he shared.
On the topic of their music, the group had no hesitation when it came to putting together the Mount Rushmore of NSYNC songs.
“‘I Thought She Knew,’ ‘Bye Bye Bye,’ ‘Tearin’ Up My Heart,’ ‘It’s Gonna Be Me,'” Lance and the group concluded.
“‘With a This I Promise You’ sliding in as honorable mention,” JC added.
The interview ended with Joey accidently plugging their new single, “Better Place.”
After making quips about the amount of time they’ll be spending in the bathroom, Joey noted to the group’s excitement, “But we’re all going to be in a better place.”
While they discussed a lot on Hot Ones, NSYNC did not announce another tour or more new music.
The “Makes Me Ill” singers recently reunited onstage at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. The brief (yet iconic) moment was the first time the group has hit the VMAs stage together since 2013, when they performed during Justin’s Video Vanguard honor. Since then, the group has taken to TikTok to drop some amazing content, and given the fans a taste of this long-awaited reunion.
“Better Place,” off the Trolls: Band Together soundtrack, drops Sept. 29, while the movie hits theaters on Nov. 17.
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