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'N Sync in sync with MTV generation
BPI Entertainment News Wire Feature 900)
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By TAMARA CONNIFF
Entertainment News Wire
LOS ANGELES - The boy wonders of 'N Sync have been touring on and off for the past six months. ``It's just worn me out,'' says singer James Lance Bass from a tour stop in Atlanta. ``I'm about to sleep for a whole month coming up!''
But before 'N Sync can settle down for a well-deserved nap, they have one more stop to make - New York City for the MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday. Their video, ``Tearin' Up My Heart'' received three nominations - for best group video, best pop video and viewer's choice.
The band will also present an award and perform with former tour mate and pal, teen queen Britney Spears, who received four nominations for ``... Baby One More Time,'' including best female video and best pop video.
Spears, says Bass, is ``like one of my best friends. She's been friends with us since before she was `Britney Spears.''' Their joint musical number, he promises, will be ``totally rocked out.''
Hosted by comedian Chris Rock, MTV's 16th annual Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from New York's Metropolitan Opera House at 8 p.m. ET (tape delayed on the West Coast). Also set to perform are Lauryn Hill, Ricky Martin, Nine Inch Nails, Jay-Z, TLC, Backstreet Boys, Kid Rock, DMX, Eminem, Fatboy Slim and Moby. The night's contenders include Korn, who leads the pack with nine nominations, followed by Martin, TLC and Will Smith with six nominations each.
``It's so surreal,'' gushes Bass in his southern drawl. ``I remember last year, before we released `I Want You Back,' ... never did I think, oh my gosh, we're going to actually be on MTV with, like, one of the most played videos!''
Not long ago, 'N Sync wasn't sure how to break into the U.S. pop market. Formed in 1995, the quintet features Bass, 20, JC Chasez, 23, Joey Fatone Jr., 22, Chris Kirkpatrick, 27, and Justin Timberlake, 18. At first, they were quite content just playing gigs close to home in Orlando, Fla. Given that Timberlake and Chasez where both ``Mickey Mouse Club'' alums (as was Spears), the group had a built-in local fan base.
Then, following the example of the Backstreet Boys - also signed to Jive/RCA Records, as is Spears - 'N Sync took their sound overseas for a two-year test run. Bass laughs. ``We didn't really think you could release music in other countries.'' But Europe, which never seems to tire of bubble-gum pop, gladly embraced the newest kids on the block.
Still, 'N Sync didn't expect the same kind of support from American teens because, Bass says, ``Americans just don't do that kind of stuff.'' But the band was in for a surprise. ``We came back to America and it was just like, all of a sudden ... pop was way back in and the fans just went crazy!'' 'N Sync-mania had begun.
`` 'N Sync,'' their March 1998 debut, which spawned the top 10 single ``I Want You Back'' and radio hit ``Tearin' Up My Heart,'' has sold more than 7 million copies. Their quickie follow-up, ``Home for Christmas,'' has sold in excess of 1.5 million. And for the past year, ``Tearin' Up My Heart,'' ``God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You,'' and ``I Drive Myself Crazy'' have consistently ranked among the most requested videos on MTV.
``I think it's great to see youth interested in music again in a big way,'' says MTV Video Music Awards executive producer Salli Frattini. Bands like 'N Sync ``have created this 13-year-old-girl frenzy. It's clean fun. These aren't bands that I think are insulting in any way, and it's good for kids.''
Are 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys rivals in teen boyland? ``Oh no, please, no!'' Bass protests. ``We've known them for years. If anything, it's a friendly competition.'' He admits, though, that the appearance of a rivalry is ``fun for the media and it's fun for the fans, actually. They love controversy, so if they like it - oh well.''
While teenagers may be under the spell of pop bands like 'N Sync, older critics often dismiss them as nothing more than highly marketed dancing dolls. ``I think that's going to change,'' Bass says. ``I think (our music is) going to evolve and people will start respecting it. It's just like what happened to the Beatles.''
'N Sync's next release is due out this fall. It will include four or five original tunes in addition to songs penned by hitmakers like Diane Warren and Babyface. ``There will be a song for everybody,'' promises Bass. And what is it about these songs that makes young females swoon? Bass laughs. ``I have no idea. It must be a girl thing.''
Given that Bass is already a superstar at age 20, the Mississippi native seems to have managed to keep his ego very much in check. Does he ever get swept away by the hype? ``No, never,'' he replies. ``Shoot, my family would kick my butt! You have to just kind of laugh it off, and you realize it's not real.''
With his busy schedule, has this teen heartthrob found time for a girlfriend? Bass sighs. ``I had a girlfriend for about seven months, but we broke it off about a couple of months ago because it was just incredibly hard. We're still friends and we still go out a couple of times, but it's just - right now, it's impossible.''
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