NSYNC

Teen-pop as we know it may be petering out, at least until the next wave of videogenic boy bands and gyrating girl vocalists comes along to lure image-conscious young consumers.

But the members of NSYNC believe they have enough staying power to outlast this cyclical trend, which has made them one of the biggest-selling acts of the past three years. And they cite a variety of role models - from Michael Jackson and Madonna to Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones - as inspirations for this Florida-based vocal quintet`s quest to beat the odds.

"I think NSYNC will be around forever," said Chris Kirkpatrick, the group`s oldest member at 29.

"And I think we`ll continue to make music and albums, even if only five people get it. Or maybe we`ll have a production company, even if we couldn`t do something as a group because no one would buy it."

Added fellow NSYNC-er Lance Bass, 22: "We reinvent ourselves all the time, and that`s the key to longevity. If you look at Michael Jackson and Madonna, they`ve reinvented themselves every time (they do a new album and tour). That`s just what we`re trying to do."

The latest chapter in the ongoing saga of NSYNC unfolded in San Diego July 16, when the group performed at Qualcomm Stadium. The show is part of the most extensive stadium tour of the year by any act in any idiom. Some dates have sold out quickly, others have been slow.

NSYNC`s Qualcomm concert came just one week before the release of its new album, "Celebrity." The disc boasts a harder-edged sound, and a few surprises (most notably a cameo by Stevie Wonder on harmonica on the ballad "Something Like You.") It is the follow-up to last year`s "No Strings Attached," which is now approaching the 11 million sales mark.

During a round-robin telephone interview from Denver, group members Bass, Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez, 24, discussed their new album, tour and future plans, although it was sometimes difficult to determine which group member was speaking.

The NSYNC triumvirate said their concert repertoire features about half of "Celebrity`s" 13 songs, including "Pop," the group`s current single. A hard-driving number, "Pop" owes a stylistic debt to Michael Jackson, with whom NSYNC will perform in September at two all-star Jackson concerts in New York. The song also seems to take aim at the group`s critics, who dismiss NSYNC as aural confectioners whose success is a triumph of style over substance.

"It`s not one of those things where we`re complaining: `Oh, we need respect,`" Bass said, before offering a contradictory clarification.

"We`re basically making fun of the whole thing. We get respect from a lot of people, and from a lot of our peers. We make the music we like to do and perform. If people want to respect that, that`s great. If not, that`s their opinion, and we respect that. But every artist wants their music to be ... "

" ... respected," said Chasez, completing Bass`s sentence. "Even if (people) don`t like it, because you put so much into it."

"We`re just trying to keep the sound innovative," Kirkpatrick interjected. "We don`t want to be stuck with the sound we had five years ago. We want people to move on with us. And, hopefully, a lot of other people will start to go with us in our (new) direction ...

"We`re not going to go anywhere. We enjoyed proving the critics wrong when they said: `Oh, you`ll only be around three years.` We`ve been together for six years, and we`re still going strong. I think this is the happiest we`ve ever been."

With each new album, Bass, Kirkpatrick and Chasez proudly chorused, NSYNC is assuming more control and becoming more mature in its work. But they acknowledge that they need to remain wholesome to retain their young audience. And they are determined to hold onto that audience, even as it outgrows its appetite for teen-pop.

"If the scene is dwindling," Kirkpatrick said, "history shows even when a style fades, a few (acts) will remain because they`re the chosen few. When grunge faded out Pearl Jam remained, because they`re great at doing their thing. It`s the same with every movement.

"Pop music is the great thing to do right now, (and) the good ones will stick around. In rap, Snoop Dogg came up in the `90s and he`s still doing his thing in a major way. So we hope to be a part of that longevity. We hope we`re one of the quality bands that sticks around through whatever trend, because people will respect the music and the shows that we do."

(c)Copley News Service

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Author: George Varga