1995–2002: 'N Sync
Timberlake and JC Chasez, who had known each other in the Mickey Mouse Club, were the two lead singers of the popular 1990s boy band, 'N Sync.[12] The group formed in 1995 and started their career 1996 in Europe, and hit it big in the United States two years later in 1998 with the release of their debut album *NSYNC in the US. *NSYNC sold 11 million copies alone.[13] The album included a number of hit singles such as Tearin' Up My Heart. For the next two years, they, encouraged by similar situations in the Backstreet Boys, engaged in a lengthy legal battle with corrupt manager Lou Pearlman. Eventually they signed with Jive Records.[14] They released a long-awaited album, No Strings Attached, in March 2000, which became the fastest-selling album of all time with 2.4 million copies sold in its first week[15] and produced a #1 single, It's Gonna Be Me. The release was followed by their third album, Celebrity, which held the title of the second-fastest selling album of all time. In 2002, after the completion of their Celebrity Tour and release of Girlfriend, the third single from Celebrity the group decided to take time off, at which point Timberlake began work on his first solo album and the group went into a hiatus. In its lifetime, NSYNC was internationally famous and performed at the Academy Awards,[16] the Olympics,[17] and the Super Bowl,[18] as well as selling more than 50 million copies worldwide,[19] becoming the third best-selling boyband in history
source:Wikipedia
