With critics forced to admit that the group had pulled it out of the bag, the track peaked at #9 in the UK and #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the meantime, however, if *NSYNC intended to create material that put authenticity over commerciality, then Pop’s chart performance landed in the right way. It was an entirely, er, justified suspicion because that’s precisely what happened 16 months later. There was only ever one person in the spotlight here, and the creeping sense that this was a means to an end for Justin Timberlake to launch his solo career became harder and harder to ignore.

He and JC Chasez were consistently the lead vocalists within *NSYNC, but Pop tipped the balance further still. But it came at a high price because this is also where the group arguably sacrificed themselves to become a vehicle for Justin Timberlake. Coming off the back of a record-breaking album, they were influential in opening the floodgates for other mainstream acts to make similar departures with songs like I’m A Slave 4 U and Dirrty. Without any need to do so, they willingly threw caution to the wind, ditched their usual writing and production team, and leapt five strides ahead of their peers. On the one hand, it showcased how unpredictable and daring the group could be. Those themes were taken much further during subsequent years, but this is where the revolution started.Īs such a loaded single, in many ways, Pop represents both the best and worst of *NSYNC post- No Strings Attached.

This was a watershed moment as self-awareness crept into the lyrics and criticism became a two-way street.

Far from trying to disassociate themselves from the material they performed (as was often the case), it was utterly refreshing for a group like *NSYNC to stand up for pop music proudly and defiantly. That started to change here: “Sick and tired of hearing all these people talk about, what’s the deal with this pop life and when is it gonna fade out” / “Now, why you wanna try to classify the type of thing we do, ‘cause we’re just fine doin’ what we like, can we say the same for you”. Pop acts had, for too long, been put on pedestals and expected to smile pleasantly as people took pot-shots at them. The other notable shift in Pop is the occasionally barbed lyrics *NSYNC used this opportunity to bite back at their critics, and although it may seem somewhat tame by today’s standards, in 2001 this was not commonplace at all.

Coreografia de pop nsync