NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 12: (L-R) Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass and Joey Fatone of NSYNC seen backstage during the 2023 Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey.
Justin Timberlake’s reunited with his NSYNC teammates Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, and Joey Fatone to record “Better Place,” the group’s first song in more than 20 years. It’s for the film Trolls Band Together, and they’re calling it “a love letter to fans.”
“Better Place” will be released on September 29th, and Trolls Band Together will hit theaters on November 17th.
The fans who are hoping NSYNC’s reunion for the new song “Better Place,” and their MTV VMA appearance, was just the beginning of a reunion tour should be prepared to be let down. Billboard has confirmed that there aren’t currently any plans for the guys to hit the road together any time soon.
The reason is that Justin Timberlake plans to hit the road solo in 2024, after releasing a new album. In fact, Justin already has a hold on specific arena dates in North America. This goes along with what JT’s collaborator Timbaland recently told Entertainment Tonight. He said Justin’s new album is coming out “top of next year.”
But if NSYNC ever did decide to do a full-fledged reunion tour, Billboard projects that such a trek could easily gross $95 million in North America alone. Add in merch sales and sponsorships, the publication notes, and they could be looking at as much as $120 million.
As for whether or not NSYNC could reunite as a foursome, without Justin, a source tells Billboard that even though JC, Lance, Joey, and Chris received offers following their appearance at Coachella in 2019, they never seriously considered it. Billboard reports that, “anything short of a five-person comeback is off the table.”
TMZ reported that a couple of the band members say that a full reunion is not something that should be ruled out. JC and Lance said, “anything is possible.”
Hopefully, “Better Place” is enough to satisfy some fans.
Hailey Bieber, Maya Hawke, Bella Ramsey Make 'Time100 Next'
TIME 100 Next‘s yearly list of 100 inspirational people was unveiled Wednesday (September 13). In 2019, Time launched the list as part of their effort to evolve how their news magazine tells stories. With its Time100 feature, the publication spotlights those who have “achieved peak influence in their fields.” Besides reflecting on the present, Time expresses that their choices should “push us forward, showing what is possible as well as what society’s future and future leaders” in health, climate, business, sports, the arts, and more will look like.
As the publication states on its website, making this list requires research and reporting across Time’s global network of editors and correspondents. They sift through hundreds of suggestions and then meet to debate who belongs on the list. Editorial editor Caye Matthews says, “Through this process, we get to know so many extraordinary leaders who are creating change across the world. Our hope is that this list offers a glimpse into their important work.” And so, Time put together this list of a growing variety of rising individuals whose talents and achievements complement the group as a whole.
Last year’s list featured Keke Palmer, Sydney Sweeney, Machine Gun Kelly, Jack Harlow, Jonathan Majors, and SZA, just to name a few highlights. All of these actors and musicians have had a standout year — for various reasons — since last year’s feature in the publication. For example, multi-talented entertainer Palmer starred in Jordan Peele’s 2022 film Nope. In 2023, she debuted her first studio album in almost a decade, titled Big Boss. The artist, who made her directorial debut with the album’s accompanying visual film, is currently on a US tour across eight cities.
After giving birth to her first child, son Leodis Andrellton Jackson in February with boyfriend Darius Jackson, Keke’s relationship made headlines when Jackson shamed her outfit she wore at an Usher concert. The two have since made up, but not before Keke capitalized on the situation by starring in Usher’s music video for “Boyfriend.”
See the four women spotlighted in this year’s Time100 list that have made an impact in pop culture below.
