Despite their non-stop touring and multi-platinum album sales, their first real paycheck amounted to a meager $25,000 per member. For several years Pearlman had been withholding money from the group, stating that boys had yet to make up for all the money he put into financing the group.
Having been restless for quite some time at that point, this would be the event that led the group to finally break away from Lou Pearlman and Trans Continental Records. In May 1999, Lance collapsed following the filming of Summer Jam, a televised concert on ABC, and it was discovered that Lance had an undiagnosed heart condition and that the collapse was caused by a heart murmur triggered by stress and general exhaustion.
BACKSTREET BOYS I WANT IT THAT WAY MALL MEME FULL
With their Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now Tour still in full swing, they began work on their next album while also filming for television specials and making various other public appearances. They were also being severely overworked.
They made several television appearances, including a Christmas special for the Disney Channel and a spot in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, recorded a Christmas album, Home for Christmas, which went multi-platinum, and after some time opening for Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope World Tour, set off on their own headlining tour in the US.īy 1999, NSYNC had successfully broken into the US market. The special was just what the group needed after its initial airing (and subsequent re-airings) *NSYNC shot up through the Billboard charts and they suddenly found themselves in high demand. The album floundered for a bit, but they soon received their big break by way of, funnily enough, the Backstreet Boys, who bowed out of a concert special for the Disney Channel. Their reworked album, featuring an altered tracklist including newly recorded songs and now titled *NSYNC, was released March 24 the same year.
They released "I Want You Back" in the US on January 20, 1998, which charted moderately well. They were eventually signed to RCA and began retooling their album for the US market. They released several other singles, such as "Tearin' Up My Heart", "Here We Go", and "For The Girl Who Has Everything", before getting the attention of Vincent DeGiorgio, an A&R rep for RCA Records, the American subsidiary of BMG Entertainment. Their debut album, 'N Sync, was released May 26, 1997, and reached number one in Germany by its second week. Their first single, "I Want You Back" was released on October 7, 1996, and they set off on a whirlwind tour of Europe. They were sent to Sweden to begin work on their first album. The boys fought back and after some negotiating they were signed to BMG Germany and brought in Wright to manage them. Second, they wanted Lance out of the group, as they felt he was a weak link within the group. First, they wanted the group to change their name, due to not understanding the meaning and it being difficult for German people to pronounce.
The reps liked what they saw and were ready to sign NSYNC, but not without a few stipulations. Impressed with the guys' demo tape and showcase, he brought over reps from BMG Entertainment in Germany to Orlando to meet with the group. Johnny Wright, former manager of New Kids on the Block and then-current manager of the Backstreet Boys, was on the lookout for more American acts to bring overseas. Unfortunately, the musical climate in the US was still very much entrenched in the Grunge scene and no labels were willing to take them on. The showcase was filmed and sent out to record labels and the boys signed to Trans Con. October 1, 1995, *NSYNC officially formed. Justin eventually called his old vocal coach in search of a bass singer, who recommended a kid from Mississippi named Lance Bass (age 16). Galasso suddenly dropped out a few weeks before the showcase, unhappy with the group's direction, and left the others scrambling to find a replacement. Sometime later, the group was set for a live showcase at Pleasure Island in Orlando and started negotiations with Pearlman's label, Trans Continental Records.