I WANT TO LIVE IN THE ALTERNATE UNIVERSE WHERE JC CHASEZ BECAME THE BUDDING MEMBER OF *N SYNC

Every May I find myself listening to embarrassing amounts of *N SYNC thanks to that damn Justin Timberlake meme (you know the one). Usually the obsession is short lived. I have "Girlfriend" and "I Want You Back" on repeat for a few weeks then the boy band's greatest hits retire to be occasionally played on shuffle here and there.

However, this May was a bit different. Despite being 20 years late to the party, I essentially transformed into a modern day *N SYNC fangirl. I found myself watching documentaries, live performances, and group interviews from the Rosie O'Donnell show until 3 in the morning. I became a walking *N SYNC factbook, rattling off random details about each member to anyone that would listen.

"Did you know Lance Bass is the godfather of Joey Fatone's daughter?"

"Did you know *N SYNC had great success in Germany before ever making it big in the States?"

"Did you know the name *N SYNC comes from each members' last letter of their first name? The N is for Jason, who was a short lived member prior to Lance joining the group."

...I could go on.

Through all of my newfound appreciation for pop's original fab five, I couldn't help but to wonder why Justin got all the success. Clearly they are each talented, but come on, everyone besides JT got the short end of the stick. Joey Fatone is now a professional TV host and right-hand man to Guy Fieri, Lance Bass is essentially known as "the gay one", and no one even remembers Chris Kirkpatrick (which is a shame because he seems really nice and was basically the founding father of *N SYNC).

But the one who shined brighter than the other stars around him (and has been the most forgotten...well maybe after Chris) was undoubtedly JC Chasez. Even Justin thought JC had the strongest vocals out of the group.

So what the hell happened?

Well it is pretty obvious when you listen to 99.95% of *N SYNC's music, there were two leads in the group; Justin and JC. Despite JC being more musically inclined (in Timberlake's and my opinion), he was not hyped up the same way Justin was. He didn't have the superstar pop princess girlfriend, the charming (yet obnoxious) demeanor or the golden Ramen Noodle locks. But DAMN IT he was talented.

(Just in case you want your eardrums to be blessed, here are some clips showcasing Chasez's talent from past to present.)

After the band went their separate ways in 2002, JC released his first and only solo album, "Schizophrenic." The album received mixed reviews and was soon forgotten once Justin Timberlake released "Justified." I am not going to get into the nitty-gritty details of why one did better than the other, but if you want to read more about it, Billboard posted a thorough breakdown of what the hell went down. Despite it all, Chasez's talent most definitely warranted more than a one-hit wonder from an album named after a chronic mental disorder.

Now, I highly doubt we will be getting another album from Chasez anytime soon. For now the only glimmer of hope we have from JC Chasez is his small role in a movie called "Opening Night." However, when *N SYNC decides they are ready for residency in Las Vegas or go on a reunion tour, you bet your ass I will be front row fangirling over "that other guy from *N SYNC."

#nsync #music