JC Chasez

Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez (/ˈʃɑːzeɪ/; born August 8, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and occasional actor. He started out his career as a cast member on The Mickey Mouse Club before rising to stardom with *NSYNC, and by writing and producing for music acts such as Girls Aloud, Basement Jaxx, David Archuleta, and Matthew Morrison. He also served as a judge for America's Best Dance Crew.

JC Chasez
Chasez arriving at the New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in 2007
Background information
Birth nameJoshua Scott Chasez
Born (1976-08-08) August 8, 1976
Bowie, Maryland, U.S.
GenresPop, dance-pop, R&B
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, actor
Years active1986–present
LabelsJive/Zomba (1999–2007)
Associated acts

Early life

Chasez was born on August 8, 1976, in Bowie, Maryland.[1][2] When he was five years old, his biological mother entrusted guardianship of her son to her own former foster parents Roy and Karen Chasez, who worked as a technology company consultant and an editor, respectively. They adopted him. Chasez often danced at home in front of his parents despite being shy in public, eventually developing an interest in singing in order to become more confident. At the age of 13, he won in a national dancing competition, eventually being offered a position in The Mickey Mouse Club at the age of 15.[3]

He was raised as a Mennonite.[4] He has a younger brother, Tyler, and a younger sister, Heather.[5] Chasez attended the former Robert Goddard Middle School and then Bowie High School.[6][7]

Career

As a child, Chasez was extremely shy, but when a friend bet him $20 to enter a talent show, he won the contest and soon realized he had a knack for performing and that he really enjoyed singing. In 1989, his mother Karen Chasez noticed a small ad in the Washington Post announcing auditions for Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club and encouraged Chasez to try out. He chose to audition, selecting the song "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx. Chasez was soon cast as a performer in the fourth season and stayed until the show's cancellation in 1996. Since there was another Mouseketeer named Josh, Chasez went by his first and last initials, "JC", to avoid confusion. It was during his time as a Mouseketeer that Chasez befriended future bandmate Justin Timberlake, along with other future entertainers including Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Tony Lucca, Keri Russell, and Ryan Gosling.

He wrote the song "Give In to Me" (a.k.a. "Give Me the Love I Need") when he was 18 in 1994 and he sings the lead on it on Euge Groove's debut CD.

He has a four-octave vocal range.[8][9]

NSYNC
Main article: NSYNC

JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake were the two lead singers of what would become the popular boy band NSYNC. The group was formed in 1995 and became popular in Europe in 1996. In 1998, the band released its debut album *NSYNC which sold 11 million copies and became very popular in the United States. After the band had a series of legal struggles with manager Lou Pearlman, they signed with Jive Records. They released their second studio album No Strings Attached in 2000, which became the fastest-selling album of all time, selling 2.4 million copies in the first week. They held this record until 2015 when Adele surpassed the single-week sales record with her third album 25. Singles from the No Strings Attached album included "Bye Bye Bye", "This I Promise You", and the No. 1 hit "It's Gonna Be Me". The band produced their third studio album, Celebrity in 2001, which sold 1.8 million copies in the first week.

After the group's Celebrity Tour in 2002, the band decided to take a hiatus. During this time, Chasez produced his own album, Schizophrenic. The band never formally disbanded, but since 2004, they have not reunited for any musical purposes, and there have been mixed reactions as far as whether the reunion would happen. In August 2013, JC rejoined with Timberlake and the rest of NSYNC for a one-time performance at the MTV Awards. In April 2019, Chasez reunited with bandmates Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick for a one-night performance as part of Ariana Grande's headlining set at Coachella.[10]

Solo career
Chasez giving an autograph

While still a member of NSYNC, Chasez appeared on the remix and album versions of the 1999 single "Bring It All to Me" by the girl group Blaque, though his vocals were credited to NSYNC as a whole.

During NSYNC's scheduled hiatus, Chasez pursued work as a songwriter and producer. His first solo single, "Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love)", co-produced by Dallas Austin, was released on the 2002 Drumline soundtrack.

In 2004, Chasez's debut album Schizophrenic was released on Jive Records. Aside from Chasez, the album was produced by Dallas Austin, Basement Jaxx, Robb Boldt and Riprock 'n' Alex G.

Promotion for the album was affected by former bandmate Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, after which Chasez was unceremoniously dropped from his halftime show performance at the 2004 Pro Bowl. The NFL feared lyrics of the album's first single, "Some Girls Dance with Women", expressed too much sexuality.[11]

In 2007, Chasez parted ways with Jive Records, indefinitely stalling the release of his second album, The Story of Kate.[12] Two singles from the album, "Until Yesterday" and "You Ruined Me" have been released online. Timberlake, who helped produce a few songs for the album, said "In my opinion, he had the best voice out of all of us ... Out of all the boy bands, call 'em what you will, he was the one that could out-sing all of us. And I've known him since I was 12, so it was fun to sit behind the board and push him."[13]

Chasez continues to work as a songwriter and producer, with songs written for David Archuleta,[14] Matthew Morrison and Backstreet Boys. He has written for Taemin, Liz, and NU’EST. Chasez was a judge on Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew on MTV. He stayed on the panel for all seven seasons from 2008 to 2012, until its cancellation.

In November 2010, the song "If U C Kate" written by Dallas Austin, Taio Cruz, Alan Nglish, and Chasez was featured on the British band McFly's album, Above the Noise. Chasez wrote and produced two songs on AJ McLean's debut album Have It All, released in the US in February 2011.

In February 2012, Chasez announced via his website[15] that he was holding auditions, together with the producer and songwriter Jimmy Harry, to form an all-girl group with ages between 18 and 24. Most of the band members were selected as of November 2012, and the group was named Girl Radical.[16]

In 2014 Chasez was selected to join the North American tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar as Pontius Pilate. Other cast members included Superstar winner Ben Forster and other well-known artists, including Incubus' Brandon Boyd, Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams, and Public Image Ltd's John Lydon.[17] However, on May 30, 2014, the entire North American tour was abruptly canceled, with poor projected ticket sales cited as the reason.[18]

Along with Miguel and Aloe Blacc, Chasez was featured on a new version of "My Girl" with Smokey Robinson on the album Smokey & Friends.[19] In 2015, Chasez appeared, along with 3OH!3, on the title track of the Blues Traveler album Blow Up the Moon, and on the song's accompanying music video.[20] In 2016, Chasez starred in the film Opening Night, in which he played a dramatized version of himself.[21]

Discography
See also: NSYNC discography and JC Chasez discography

With NSYNC

Solo

Filmography
Films
Year Title Role Notes
2000 Longshot Pizzeria Worker (along with NSYNC; credited as Joshua Chasez in credits)
2008 Killer Movie Ted Buckley
2009 21 and a Wake-Up Dr. Tom Drury
2014 Red Sky Alex Cruise
2017 Opening Night Himself
2019 The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story Himself Documentary film in YouTube Premium
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1991–1996 The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (TANMMC) Himself Seasons 4–7
2000 Saturday Night Live Himself/Musical Guest (along with NSYNC)
2001 The Simpsons Himself Episode: "New Kids on the Blecch"
2002 What I Like About You Himself "Spa Day" (Season 1, episode 2)
2003 Greetings from Tucson Jay Dugray "Home Sweet Home" (Season 1, episode 18)
2005 What's New, Scooby-Doo? Himself A Scooby-Doo Valentine
2006 Ghost Whisperer Samson "The Curse of the Ninth" (Season 2, episode 9)
2008 Las Vegas William "I Could Eat a Horse" (Season 5, episode 12)
2008–2012 America's Best Dance Crew Himself Judge

References
  1. "JC Chasez Biography". Biography.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  2. "Who Does JC Chasez Think He Is?". Blender. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved April 14, 2003.
  3. Carter, Brooke (January 2, 2017). "What Happened to JC Chasez From 'NSYNC – News and Updates". Gazette Review. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  4. "The Religion of JC Chasez, singer with 'N Sync". Adherents.com. January 9, 2001. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
  5. "MP3 of Chasez Interview on 104.7 KISS FM". January 24, 2008. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011.
  6. "In Sync in D.C." The Washington Post. December 9, 2006. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  7. Pryce, Delina D. (April 6, 2000). "Ex-Bowie resident on cover of TV Guide". Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  8. Streeter, Leslie Gray (November 2, 2007). "Brooke on British fans, blogs and former boy banders". Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  9. "JC Chasez | The Range Planet". therangeplanet.proboards.com. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  10. "Ariana Grande Rules Coachella with 'NSYNC in Throwback-Fueled Set". Rolling Stone. April 15, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  11. "Chasez Out of Pro Bowl, Rips NFL". E!. February 5, 2004. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  12. Vozick, Simon (September 10, 2007). "Chasez Says 'Bye Bye Bye' to Jive". EW.com. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  13. Moss, Corey (August 17, 2006). "Justin Opens Up About Britney, Lance, JC and the Media – Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  14. "N Sync | Chasez Helps Idol Archuleta". Contactmusic. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  15. "Singers/Dancers Wanted". Jc Chasez. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  16. "Girl Radical". Girl Radical. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  17. "JC Chasez, Michelle Williams and More Team Up for Jesus Christ Superstar North American Tour". E!. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  18. "Anger for 'Jesus Christ Superstar' Cast, and a Black Eye for Its Promoter". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  19. Ayee, Gloria (August 22, 2014). "Aloe Blacc & JC Chasez Talk Making of Smokey Robinson's 'My Girl' Remake". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  20. "Blow up the Moon (Official Video) – Blues Traveler". Vevo. September 14, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  21. Palmieri, Lea. "JC Chasez Stars In 'Opening Night' On Netflix – And It's Required Viewing For All *NSYNC Fans". Decider. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
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