Christopher Alan Kirkpatrick (born October 17, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, music producer, podcaster, and actor. He founded the pop group NSYNC, in which he sang countertenor. The band has sold over 70 million records, becoming one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.[1] Kirkpatrick was the lead singer in various songs including "Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)", "Together Again", "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", "I Thought She Knew", "Just Got Paid", and many songs from their Christmas album, Home for Christmas.
Kirkpatrick was born on October 17, 1971, in Clarion, Pennsylvania to single mother, Beverly Eustice, when she was 16 years old. She raised him on her own along with his four younger half-sisters (Molly, Kate, Emily, and Taylor). He is of Irish, Scottish, Native American, and Hispanic ancestry.[2]
Kirkpatrick and his family grew up in poverty and on welfare, sometimes homeless and living out of a car, and had to move around a lot. As a result, he attended many different schools and lived in several states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, and California.[3] At one point, his family lived in a trailer during the winter with no electricity and a hole in the side of it, and his mother had to pile dirty laundry in front of it to keep the snow from coming in. Since his family could not afford to wash their clothes, he rarely had clean clothes to wear and had to sleep in the piles of dirty laundry at night to keep warm.[4] Kirkpatrick recalls frequently going without food and not always knowing where their next meal would come from, often relying on food stamps, free school lunches, and donated items to survive. To help his mom cover the bills he began working on a farm while still in grade school.[5][6] Due to his family's financial problems and his ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Kirkpatrick struggled in school. [7]
Despite their financial struggles, Kirkpatrick's family had a musical background: his mother was a vocal coach, his grandmother trained in opera, his grandfather was a country-western singer, and his aunts and uncles were all in bands. Kirkpatrick also showed a keen talent for music from a young age. In sixth grade, while living in Oil City, Pennsylvania, Kirkpatrick won the lead role as Oliver Twist in the city's high school musical production of Oliver!. From then on, he began to study music more seriously, enrolling in gifted classes for music and learning to play a number of different instruments.[2] In seventh grade, he moved to Dalton, Ohio, and attended Dalton High School where he continued his involvement in music, starring as Lieutenant Joseph Cable in his school's production of South Pacific and appearing in many other musical productions throughout high school. In addition to musicals, Kirkpatrick participated in his school's choir, and made the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir, which opened for New Kids on the Block at the Ohio State Fair. Besides music, Kirkpatrick also participated heavily in sports, including football, basketball, baseball, and track.[2][8][3][6]
After graduating from high school in 1990, he moved to Orlando, Florida, to get to know his biological father, who offered to help him pay for college. He attended Valencia College, where he originally intended to pursue an acting career in theatre. However, he changed his major to music after receiving scholarships for his involvement in Valencia's choir. While at Valencia, Kirkpatrick began forming various a cappella groups and arranging music to practice and perform at coffee shops. Later, he auditioned and became involved as a caroler for the Caroling Company, which eventually led him to a job as a doo-wop singer at Universal Studios. Kirkpatrick received his associate degree in music in 1993.[7][9]
Afterwards, Chris received another scholarship to attend Rollins College where he studied music and psychology and worked performing at Universal Studios Florida as a member of a doo-wop group called The Hollywood Hi-Tones, as a photographer at Sea World, waiting tables at Outback Steakhouse, and as a local DJ.[10]
Career
In 1994, while working at Universal Studios and singing in The Hollywood Hi-Tones (a throwback doo-wop group of aspiring singers and actors) Chris Kirkpatrick was introduced to Lou Pearlman through Charlie Edwards, a mutual friend that he had met in choir. Edwards had briefly been a part of the Backstreet Boys before quitting, and had heard that Pearlman was interested in financing another vocal group, so he passed the information to Kirkpatrick.[10]
Originally, when the Backstreet Boys were forming Kirkpatrick was unaware about their auditions so he never tried out. [11] However, after hearing about what Lou Pearlman was doing with the Backstreet Boys (he was acquainted with Howie Dorough), Kirkpatrick became interested in doing more than just a cappella. When Pearlman finally met Chris Kirkpatrick and saw him perform in his doo-wop group, Lou immediately took an interest in him. They discussed the idea for Kirkpatrick to form a vocal group, which Pearlman promised to finance if Kirkpatrick could find other young singers to join him.[7]
Kirkpatrick took the opportunity, and after over a year of searching and trying out different people he eventually recruited Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez (members of the 1990s Mickey Mouse Club revival), and the three formed the nucleus of NSYNC. Later, Chris recruited Joey Fatone who was also working at Universal Studios at the time. After some difficulty finding a consistent bass singer, the group eventually found Lance Bass through Justin's vocal coach, and the group collectively came together in September 1995.[12]
The group moved into a house together and began practicing their singing and choreography in a warehouse in Orlando for hours to help train their vocals and stamina. Shortly after Lance joined the group, they recorded their first performance at Pleasure Island in Orlando as their demo for record companies. Afterwards, Chris dropped out of Rollins College to pursue a music career with NSYNC in Germany.[7]
NSYNC
Chris Kirkpatrick circa 1999
With NSYNC, Kirkpatrick sold over seventy million records throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. He sang countertenor/soprano and lead in various songs including "Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)", "Together Again", "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", "That's the Way Love Goes", "I Thought She Knew", "Just Got Paid", and many songs from their Christmas album.[13]
On November 10, 1998, the group released a holiday album, Home for Christmas. The album peaked at number 7 and sold 2 million copies, with their most popular song being "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays". With this, NSYNC achieved the rare feat of having two albums in the Billboard Top 10 at the same time. Later the next year, the band had a series of highly publicized financial and legal struggles with Lou Pearlman. They were eventually released from their contracts with Pearlman in 1999 and signed with Jive Records.[14]
NSYNC's sophomore album, No Strings Attached, was released the following year and sold a record-breaking 2.4 million copies in its first week and by the end of the year had sold over 9.9 million copies making it the best-selling album of the year.[15] The album produced 3 hit singles including "Bye Bye Bye", "It's Gonna Be Me", and "This I Promise You". Not only was No Strings Attached the best-selling album of 2000,[16] but it was also the second-best selling album of the decade behind The Beatles' 1.[17]
NSYNC's third album, Celebrity, was released in July 2001 and produced three hit singles: "Pop", "Gone", and "Girlfriend". NSYNC's Celebrity album sold 1,879,955 copies in its first week,[18] making it the second-fastest-selling album in SoundScan history at the time, only behind the group's previous album No Strings Attached.[19] The Celebrity album featured more creative involvement from the group, who wrote and produced many of their own tracks, of which Kirkpatrick is credited for writing the song "Falling".
After their Celebrity Tour, NSYNC announced in April 2002 that they would be taking a hiatus, and each member of the group began venturing into their own solo projects. Although NSYNC never officially broke up, they have not reunited, with mixed responses from members as to whether a reunion would ever happen. NSYNC's last official performance was at the 2003 Grammys during their Bee Gees medley tribute, however, the band briefly came together to perform at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards during Timberlake's Video Vanguard Award performance.
In 2018, all five members reunited when they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[20] In April 2019, NSYNC reunited without Timberlake for a one-off performance with Ariana Grande for her headlining set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
In September 2023, a new NSYNC song, "Better Place" was announced following a reunion of the band at the MTV Video Music Awards. The song, part of the soundtrack to the movie Trolls Band Together was released September 29, 2023. In addition to their song, all five members also made cameos as trolls for the movie, which was premiered in the U.S. on November 17, 2023. As part of their reunion, they also recorded an episode of the show Hot Ones (released September 21, 2023) and reminisced while discussing their legacy.[21][22][23]
Solo music
After NSYNC disbanded, Kirkpatrick started working on several musical projects, including writing and singing lead for his alternative rock band Nigel's 11 (also written as Nigels 11 or Nigels11). Nigel's 11 was an American alternative rock band officially formed in Florida in 2007 by Chris Kirkpatrick, and consisted of Chris Kirkpatrick (lead vocalist), Mike Bosch (guitar), Dave Carreiro (bass), and Ernie Longoria (drums). The band was originally called The Little Red Monsters when Kirkpatrick debuted their first songs at the April Fool's Ball in 2004 before the group's name and lineup changed.[24]
Nigel's 11 began working on their album in 2009 and released their first album, Clandestine Operation, independently in 2010. The album featured five original songs: "Who Am I?", "All The Way Around", "Mr. Jealousy", "Get Out", and "Crazy Girl". The songs from Clandestine Operation focused heavily on themes of overcoming personal struggles and issues of self-identity. Kirkpatrick stated that his band's sound was influenced by various 1970s and 1980s rock groups that he admired such as Electric Light Orchestra, Queen, and Boston.[25]
Nigel's 11 also made a number of other songs that were not included on their debut album, but were released either online or at live shows, including "All She Wrote", "Say You Will", "Tokyo", "Jodi's Song", "Everybody Gets Lost", and "My World". Some of their music was also included in the soundtrack for A Christmas Snow, and included an original song, called "All Alone", as well as a punk rock remix of a traditional Christmas song, "O Come, All Ye Faithful".[26]
Nigel's 11 eventually stopped performing together due to geographical distance and Kirkpatrick's busy schedule of managing and producing music for other artists at the time.[27][28]
Television and film
In addition to his solo music, Kirkpatrick also became involved in voice acting, providing his voice for the famous popstar character Chip Skylark (a caricature of Kirkpatrick himself) on the animated television series The Fairly OddParents on Nickelodeon. Having appeared in numerous episodes spanning from 2002 to 2009, his character did many songs such as "My Shiny Teeth and Me", "Find Your Voice", and "Icky Vicky", and developed a significant fan following.[29][30]
In 2007, Kirkpatrick agreed to host and star in the MTV reality show Mission Man Band alongside the late Rich Cronin of LFO as a favor to him as Cronin battled his leukemia. Also on the show was Bryan Abrams of Color Me Badd and Jeff Timmons of 98°. The show was about former boyband members of the 1990s forming a new group together and debuted on August 7, 2007. Kirkpatrick hosted the show at his Orlando house, and the guys formed the supergroup "man band" called Sureshot in which they recorded three original songs, including "Story Of My Life", "Withoutcha", and "Work That Out" and performed at local sporting events, charities, and fairs. The show's last episode aired on January 1, 2008.[31][32][33]
In April 2008, it was announced that Kirkpatrick would be a part of the second season of CMT's show Gone Country. Kirkpatrick participated in Gone Country with other cast members: Sebastian Bach, Irene Cara (one episode), Mikalah Gordon, Jermaine Jackson, Lorenzo Lamas, and Sean Young. The show was hosted by John Rich of the country duo Big & Rich. During the show, for which each contestant had to prepare and perform an original song, John Rich told Kirkpatrick that he had one of the strongest songs of the competition with "That'll Get Ya By", which he dedicated to his mother, who he said: "held the family together". On the show, John Rich said that Kirkpatrick impressed many country fans when he stepped on stage and proved he had the writing skills and voice to be a successful country artist. The first place prize of having a record produced by John Rich and the promise of play from Kix Brooks on his radio show went to Sebastian Bach. However, John Rich congratulated Kirkpatrick on his success and told him he had the writing skills and voice to be a successful country artist and that he could see his song going number one as a country hit. The second-season last show episode aired on September 26, 2008.[34][35]
In 2021, Chris Kirkpatrick participated in ABC's A Very Boy Band Holiday with Joey Fatone, Wanya Morris, and other figures from prominent vocal groups. During the special, which aired on December 6, 2021, he sang "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and provided his vocals to numerous other holiday classics.[36]
In 2022, Chris Kirkpatrick participated as a houseguest on the third season of Celebrity Big Brother, which began on February 2, 2022, and was able to win an HoH competition before leaving the show.[37] Kirkpatrick later competed in season eight of The Masked Singer as "Hummingbird". He placed second in his group, but ultimately lost to season eight's winner Amber Riley as "Harp", becoming the third contestant to be unmasked after William Shatner as "Knight" and Eric Idle as "Hedgehog".[38] In 2022, Chris Kirkpatrick was also featured on an episode of MTV Cribs.
Besides television, Kirkpatrick has also done some minor acting in films such as Trolls Band Together where he voiced Trickee, Sharknado 3 where he played a lifeguard, and Dead 7, a 2016 western zombie film written by Nick Carter, where he played the role of Mayor Shelby.[29]
Other ventures
In 1999, Kirkpatrick founded a clothing line called FuMan Skeeto, which was a cross between the urban and skater fashion trends of the time. His unisex line of clothing included casual items like T-shirts, shorts, cut-off shirts, long-sleeved jerseys, and hats. Fuman Skeeto also produced specialty clothing items for notable celebrities like Britney Spears as well as members of his own band. The clothing line ceased as of 2002.[39]
In 2002 / 2003, Kirkpatrick was offered the role of Jesus in Broadway's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. However, he turned down the role to spend some time away from the spotlight.[25][40]
In 2004, Kirkpatrick founded his own non-profit organization, the Chris Kirkpatrick Foundation, which seeks to enhance the lives of underprivileged children in central Florida by providing health care as well as educational, developmental and monitoring programs, citing his own difficult childhood as his major inspiration for starting the foundation. In addition to these programs, his foundation also hosts annual events for children.[25][40]
Since NSYNC, Kirkpatrick has also appeared in various music videos for other artists including "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" by Good Charlotte, "2nd Sucks" by A Day to Remember, "Irresistible" by Fall Out Boy featuring Demi Lovato, and "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" (2019 Version) by David Archuleta.
Currently, Kirkpatrick continues to write and produce music, work with charities, manage other artists, host and perform events across the country (including the Pop2000 Tour with O-Town, Smash Mouth, Ryan Cabrera, LFO, and Mark McGrath), co-host his podcast Name Drop with Brian McFayden, and has collaborated on songs with various artists, including David Foster ("I Will"), Blake Lewis ("She's Makin Me Lose It"), AJ McLean's project ATCK ("Air"), and Tony Lucca ("Wiggle It Out").
Personal life
Relationships
Kirkpatrick kept his relationship status relatively private until 2010, when he started dating Karlyn M. Skladany. In October 2012, Kirkpatrick proposed to her in Capri, Italy. They married on November 2, 2013, at the Loews Resort Hotel in Orlando, Florida, with all his former NSYNC bandmates in attendance as ushers.[41] In March 2017, the couple announced that they were expecting a child.[42] His wife gave birth to his son on October 10, 2017.[43]
In 2018, Kirkpatrick sold his half-acre estate (dubbed Casa Della Musica) in Orlando, Florida, after having moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2016, where he currently resides with his wife and son.[44]
Controversies
After Eminem's arrest in 2000, Chris Kirkpatrick was quoted as saying, "His arrest is karma. It's really sad when people have to put everybody else down to make themselves look good. The guy's digging himself a grave, and soon he's not gonna have any friends." As a result, in 2002 Kirkpatrick was name dropped in Eminem's hit song "Without Me". The rapper told MTV's Total Request Live that the reason he name dropped him was because Kirkpatrick was the only boyband member who had the guts to say something back to him, after the rapper attacked the group and boybands in general on his last album. [45]
Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and dancer. He started his career as a singer, actor, and dancer on The All New Mickey Mouse Club before rising to prominence as a member of the 1990s boy band NSYNC. The band has sold over 70 million records, becoming one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. Chasez released his debut single "Blowin' Me Up " in 2002, following NSYNC's decision to go on a hiatus earlier that year. Schizophrenic, his debut solo album, was released in 2004. Chasez has written and produced for a wide variety of music acts such as Liam Payne, Diplo, Backstreet Boys, McFly, Sugababes, Victoria Duffield, and Matthew Morrison. He also served as a judge on the first seven seasons of America's Best Dance Crew.
James Lance Bass is an American singer, actor, dancer, podcaster, and film and television producer. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band NSYNC. The band has sold over 70 million records, becoming one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. NSYNC's success led Bass to work in film and television. He starred in the 2001 film On the Line, which his company, Bacon & Eggs, also produced. Bass later formed a second production company, Lance Bass Productions, as well as a now-defunct music management company, Free Lance Entertainment, a joint venture with Mercury Records.
No Strings Attached is the third studio album by American boy band NSYNC. It was released by Jive Records on March 21, 2000. Looking to distinguish their music from that of their labelmates, NSYNC chose to incorporate pop and R&B styles. Prior to the release of the album, the band separated from their management Trans Continental and their label RCA Records; its title is a play on the idea of independence from corporate control. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including NSYNC members Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, and collaborators including Kristian Lundin, Jake Schulze, Rami, Teddy Riley, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Richard Marx, Veit Renn, Babyface, and Guy Roche.
Brian Thomas Littrell is an American singer and a member of the Backstreet Boys. He is also a contemporary Christian music artist and released the solo album Welcome Home in 2006. He is the father of country singer Baylee Littrell.
Louis Jay Pearlman was an American music manager and scam artist. He was the person behind many successful 1990s boy bands, having formed and funded the Backstreet Boys. After their massive success, he then developed NSYNC.
Joseph Anthony Fatone Jr. is an American singer, dancer, actor, and television host. He is best known as a member of the boy band NSYNC, in which he sings baritone. The band has sold over 70 million records, becoming one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
'NSYNC is the debut studio album by American boy band NSYNC, initially released in Germany on May 26, 1997, by Trans Continental Records and internationally on March 24, 1998, by RCA Records. The album reached number one on the Offizielle Top 100 and includes the singles "I Want You Back" and "Tearin' Up My Heart".
Celebrity is the fourth studio album by American boy band NSYNC. It was released by Jive Records on July 24, 2001. Due to constant criticism that they were not a "credible group", NSYNC began experimenting with genres such as hip hop and two-step. As with their previous studio album, No Strings Attached (2000), numerous producers, including BT, Rodney Jerkins, Brian McKnight, PAJAM, and the Neptunes, worked on the album. Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez also contributed to production, while they co-wrote 10 of 13 tracks in an attempt to develop a unique sound, which includes pop, R&B, and teen pop.
Home for Christmas is the first Christmas album and second studio album by American boy band NSYNC. The album was released, exclusively in the United States, on November 10, 1998, by RCA Records following the success of their self-titled debut album. On October 27, 1999, Home for Christmas was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA for shipment of two million copies in the United States. Home for Christmas was released on September 30, 2002 in the United Kingdom as The Meaning of Christmas on Ariola Express with an altered track listing.
Johnny Wright is an American talent agent and media proprietor. He has managed groups including New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, the Jonas Brothers, Menudo, Triple Image, and solo acts such as Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Stevie Brock, and Ciara. In 2022, he formed the boy band NoLonelyHearts.
"Bye Bye Bye" is a song by American boy band NSYNC from their third studio album, No Strings Attached. It was released on January 17, 2000, as the lead single from the album. The song was written and produced by Kristian Lundin and Jake Schulze, with additional writing by Andreas Carlsson. Its lyrics describe the end of a romantic relationship; it was reported to also reference the group's separation from their manager Lou Pearlman and their record label RCA Records. "Bye Bye Bye" is widely considered to be the group's signature song.
"It's Gonna Be Me" is a song by American boy band NSYNC. It was released through Jive Records, as the second single from their third studio album No Strings Attached (2000) in the United States, and as the third single from the international edition of No Strings Attached. The song was written by Max Martin, Andreas Carlsson, and Rami Yacoub, and produced by the latter. The lyrics are about a man attempting to persuade a woman to start a new relationship together as she recovers from a previous breakup.
Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group and boy band consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Florida.
"Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" is a song by American boy band NSYNC. It was released on November 29, 1998 as the first and only single from their second studio album, Home for Christmas and was also featured on the end credits of the 1998 Disney Christmas movie I'll Be Home For Christmas. The song charted at #37 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart. The single was also the second from NSYNC's European seasonal album, The Winter Album. A cappella group Pentatonix covered the song in their 2016 Christmas album, A Pentatonix Christmas. The song has also been covered by American singer David Archuleta for the deluxe version of his album Winter in the Air in 2019, and by singer-songwriter Betty Who for Spotify Singles in 2020. In 2021, popular Christian singer Tauren Wells covered "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" as a non album single.
Gone Country is an American celebrity reality television show in which contestants compete to become a country music singer. The winner gets a country single produced by host John Rich, one-half of the country duo Big & Rich. It aired on CMT, with reruns on TV Land, and VH1. On the first-season finale, Julio Iglesias Jr. was named the winner.
Gone Country uproots these seven musical celebrities and moves them into a Nashville mansion together to embark on a two-week adventure, hosted by singer-songwriter John Rich. Each celebrity will be paired up with some of Nashville's finest songwriters in an attempt to prepare them for a career in country music. In each episode, the cast competes against each other in challenges that will test them musically and physically to adapt to a country music lifestyle, both on and off the stage. At the end of the two weeks, the artist who is most prepared to impress a country audience, as determined by Rich, will record and release a song.
PopOdyssey was the fourth concert tour by American boy band NSYNC. Sponsored by Verizon Wireless and Chili's, the tour promoted the band's fourth studio album, Celebrity. The tour's name is defined as "an adventurous journey towards popularity, beginning as just a dream and ending in reality". The tour became the biggest production in pop music, beating U2's PopMart Tour. The tour, which visited stadiums, was NSYNC's first to include backup dancers, and is known for its elaborate audio and visual effects which included lasers, fireworks, animation, and suspension wires.
The No Strings Attached Tour was the third concert tour by American boy band, NSYNC. Primarily visiting North America, the tour supported the band's third album No Strings Attached. Beginning in May 2000, the tour sold out all dates within the first day of the ticket sale. Additional dates, also in North America, were added for the Fall of 2000. When the tour ended in December 2000, it became the second highest-grossing tour in North America, earning more than $70 million.
NSYNC is an American vocal group and boy band that was formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, and JC Chasez. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to European countries in 1997, and later debuted in the U.S. market with the single "I Want You Back". A Christmas album titled Home for Christmas followed in 1998.
The Celebrity Tour was the fifth and last concert tour by the American boy band NSYNC. Promoting their fourth studio album, Celebrity (2001), this is the second tour to showcase the album. The group stated that the tour would go "back to their roots", as they would be performing obscure songs from all three of their albums. The tour earned nearly $30 million.
The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story is an American documentary film that premiered on March 13, 2019 at SXSW. Produced by Lance Bass, the film explores the career and legacy of record producer and convicted criminal Lou Pearlman.
↑ Kirkpatrick, Chris (January 17, 2022). "Boybands with Chris Kirkpatrick". Marcus & Eric Learn Stuff From Smarter People (Interview). Interviewed by Marcus Monroe.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
