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'N Sync ) were a five-part boy band, formed in Orlando, Florida, USA. The group members are Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Justin Timberlake. The members form a five-part harmony.

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The group first formed in 1996. Kirkpatrick attended Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida and decided to form a vocal group. He saw an ad placed by Lou Pearlman and responded. He knew Fatone from Universal Studios, where the two both worked as performers. Kirkpatrick then hired Timberlake. The logic behind the name *NSYNC came from Timberlake's mother, Lynn Harless. It was created from the last letter of each member's name: Justi. After Lance joined, the group gave him the nickname "Lansten" so his name would fit in the *NSYNC acronym.

After being signed to BMG, the group found success in Europe, especially Germany, in the mid-'90s, and toured constantly there. Eventually, success followed in America, too, with the album "*NSYNC" and the single "I Want You Back" hitting the airwaves stateside in 1998, again followed by constant touring.

Shortly after their extraordinary American breakthrough, in 1999, *NSYNC fought a court battle against Pearlman's company, TransCon, citing illicit business practices on Pearlman's part. *NSYNC left Pearlman to be managed by Johnny Wright of Wright Entertainment Group. Their defining album, , released shortly thereafter, proved that the group was back in business, selling more copies in its first week than any American release ever.

The group produces a blend of pop, dance, and R. After the lawsuit, they broke their record contract and signed to Jive Records, home of rival boy band Backstreet Boys. , released in March 2000, sold 2.4 million copies in its first week of release—the highest first week sales in music history (1.1 million of which was attributed to the first day of release).

Their fourth album, comes in at number two, with 1.8 million records sold in its first week. Their albums have been boosted by a number of successful single releases, including "Tearin' Up My Heart" from . Recent hits such as "Gone" and "Girlfriend" have expanded the group's influence and fan base into the hip-hop crowd as well.

The band has made guest appearances in the TV series .

The group went on hiatus in 2002, as two of its members released solo albums -- Justin Timberlake released , on February 24, 2004. Both have follow-up albums in the works.

Chris closed his clothing business, FuManSkeeto, and has become involved with several indiepunk bands on a business level, including Hawaii-based National Product. He has also been recording as a solo artist as well as with his other band, Little Red Monsters. Lance became a certified Cosmonaut after months of training in Russia in 2002, but has yet to realize his goal of heading into outer space due to lack of funding. He has instead been focusing on his film production company, Bacon and Eggs, with several projects in the works including the upcoming ).

Plans for the group to work on their fifth album are being discussed, however, details are uncertain. Rumors circulating that Justin Timberlake has quit the group have added to the uncertainty over the group's future (rumors which all group members vehemently deny). However, each year the group reunites for its celebrity basketball game, Challenge for the Children.

A greatest hits album was released on October 25 on Jive Records. The album debuted at #47 on the US charts without any promotion from the band. The album was featured on the NBC series