Editing Justin Timberlake (section)

===1995–2002: NSYNC===
{{main|NSYNC#History}}
The [[boy band]] [[NSYNC]] formed in 1995, and they began recording and performing in 1996 in Europe; Timberlake and Chasez served as its two lead singers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Story?id=4143898&page=3 |title=Ex-Mouseketeers: Where Are They Now? |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=January 18, 2008 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524063712/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Story?id=4143898&page=3 |archive-date=May 24, 2008}}</ref> In 1998, the group rose to prominence in the United States with the release of their [[NSYNC (album)|self-titled debut studio album]], which sold 11 million copies and includes the single "[[Tearin' Up My Heart]]". The group had a series of legal battles with former manager [[Lou Pearlman]], and they subsequently signed with [[Jive Records]]. They released their third studio album ''[[No Strings Attached (NSYNC album)|No Strings Attached]]'' (2000) which sold 2.4 million copies in the first week,<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9341086/nsync-no-strings-attached-sales-week-2000-oral-history/ | title='It's *NSYNC's World, We Just Live in It': An Oral History of 'No Strings Attached' Selling a Historic 2.4 Million First-Week Copies in 2000 | first=Taylor | last=Weatherby | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date=March 24, 2020 | access-date=June 3, 2021 | archive-date=June 3, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603205623/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9341086/nsync-no-strings-attached-sales-week-2000-oral-history/ | url-status=live }}</ref> becoming the fastest-selling album of all time.  They held this record until 2015 when [[Adele]] surpassed the record with her third album ''[[25 (Adele album)|25]]''. [[No Strings Attached (NSYNC album)|No Strings Attached]] also includes the number one single "[[It's Gonna Be Me]]", "[[Bye Bye Bye]]", and "[[This I Promise You]]". NSYNC's fourth studio album ''[[Celebrity (album)|Celebrity]]'' (2001) was also financially successful, selling 1.8 million copies in the first week and spawning top-five singles such as "[[Girlfriend (NSYNC song)|Girlfriend]]". Upon the completion of the [[Celebrity Tour]], the group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2002. NSYNC performed at the [[Academy Awards]] in 2000,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/NSYNC-Performance-Oscars-2000-Video-43221772 | title=This Actually Isn't Justin Timberlake's First Time Performing at the Oscars | first=LAURA MARIE | last=MEYERS | work=[[PopSugar]] | date=February 26, 2017 | access-date=June 3, 2021 | archive-date=June 3, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603153946/https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/NSYNC-Performance-Oscars-2000-Video-43221772 | url-status=live }}</ref> the [[2002 Winter Olympics]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1451549/creed-nsync-dave-matthews-band-more-set-for-olympic-concert-series/ |title=Creed, 'NSYNC, Dave Matthews Band, More Set For Olympic Concert Series | work=[[MTV News]] |last=Moss |first=Corey |date=December 18, 2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405160909/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1451549/20011218/creed.jhtml |archive-date=April 5, 2008}}</ref> and the [[Super Bowl XXXV halftime show]].<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/music/2001-super-bowl-halftime-show-20th-anniversary/ | title=Watching the 2001 Super Bowl halftime show, 20 years later | first=Darren | last=Franich | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | date=February 5, 2021 | access-date=June 3, 2021 | archive-date=June 3, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603153947/https://ew.com/music/2001-super-bowl-halftime-show-20th-anniversary/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The band sold more than 70 million records worldwide, becoming the [[boy band#top|fifth-best selling boy band]] in history.<ref name="nsync records">{{Cite magazine |last=Newman |first=Melinda |title=*NSYNC And Epic Rights Join Together For Merchandise Line to Celebrate Band's 20th Anniversary: Exclusive |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8031516/nsync-and-epic-rights-join-together-for-merchandise-line-to-celebrate-bands |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=November 14, 2017 |access-date=March 9, 2018 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511090158/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8031516/nsync-and-epic-rights-join-together-for-merchandise-line-to-celebrate-bands |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2000, Timberlake appeared in [[The Wonderful World of Disney]] movie ''[[Model Behavior]]''. He played Jason Sharpe, a model who falls in love with a waitress after mistaking her for another model.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8383578/boy-band-flashback-nsync-era-justin-timberlake-model-behavior | title=Boy Band Flashback: When *NSYNC-Era Justin Timberlake Played a Teen Heartthrob in TV Movie 'Model Behavior' | first=Shanté | last=Honeycutt | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date=April 25, 2018 | access-date=June 3, 2021 | archive-date=June 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604221333/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8383578/boy-band-flashback-nsync-era-justin-timberlake-model-behavior | url-status=live }}</ref>

The rise of his own stardom and the general decline in the popularity of boy bands led to the dissolution of NSYNC. Band member [[Lance Bass]] was openly critical of Timberlake's actions in his memoir ''[[Out of Sync (book)|Out of Sync]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2007-10-23-bass23-story.html |title=Lance Bass book comes out | first=Jim | last=Abbott | work=[[Orlando Sentinel]] | url-access=limited | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915134447/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/orl-bass2307oct23%2C0%2C2291743%2Cprint.story?coll=orl_mezz |archive-date=September 15, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> By 2002, when the group went on an indefinite hiatus and members were doing individual projects, he partnered with [[Pharrell Williams]] of the producing team [[The Neptunes]]–and [[Timbaland]] to start working on new music.<ref name="vanity fair">{{Cite news |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2011/07/justin-timberlake-201107 |title=A Free Man in L.A. |last=Grigoriadis |first=Vanessa |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] | date=July 1, 2011 | url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116032523/http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2011/07/justin-timberlake-201107 |archive-date=January 16, 2017}}</ref> The idea of going solo was strengthened a year earlier. Timberlake originally wrote the single "[[Gone (NSYNC song)|Gone]]" around 2001 for [[Michael Jackson]], but he turned the song down, and it was instead recorded by NSYNC. Before its release, however, Jackson contacted him. Timberlake declared in a later interview that the first time he felt confident to go solo happened after that conversation.<ref name=jackson>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/07/justin-timberlake-career-michael-jackson |title=Justin Timberlake says his solo career is owed to Michael Jackson |last=Michaels |first=Sean |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=May 7, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621183543/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/07/justin-timberlake-career-michael-jackson |archive-date=June 21, 2017}}</ref> In a retrospective article in 2020, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' considered ''Celebrity'' "the group's swan song, setting the stage for Timberlake's equally massive solo career".<ref name=Greatest>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/9338589/greatest-pop-star-every-year |title=The Greatest Pop Star By Year (1981–2019) |date=April 2, 2020 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=April 3, 2020 |archive-date=March 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314060347/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/9338589/greatest-pop-star-every-year |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Quote box
|quote =[Michael] called me on the phone and said that he wanted to cut the record ("Gone"), but he wanted it to be a duet between himself and I. And I said, 'Well ... we've already cut the song as an 'N Sync record. Could we do, like, 'N Sync featuring Michael Jackson', or 'Michael Jackson featuring 'N Sync'? And he was very absolute about the fact that he wanted it to be a duet between himself and I.. [That was] the first time I ever really felt the confidence to do it
|source = – Timberlake on ''[[Oprah's Master Class|Master Class]]'', 2014<ref name=jackson/>
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