Looking back at *NSYNC’s journey through 2001 and 2002, a few things have become clearer. The rumors of Justin Timberlake going solo weren’t just gossip—they point to a shift happening behind the scenes. Meanwhile, the group’s so-called hiatus kept stretching longer than expected, and the idea of a full reunion started feeling less like a certainty and more like a question mark. Now, we’re at 2003—the halfway point in this timeline. This is the year when it seems like *NSYNC could have come back together and picked up where they left off. But why didn’t they? Between member statements, media speculation, and shifting priorities, 2003 plays a crucial role in answering that question.
In terms of a reunion timeline, here’s how 2003 unfolded for *NSYNC:
MTV.Com published an article in which Joey Fatone said he anticipated the group starting to write songs in September.
The Forever NSYNC Fans website published the transcript of a Justin Timberlake web chat hosted by Channel V in Australia. When asked about the next *NSYNC album, Justin replied that he was hopeful that the work would start at the end of the year.
DotMusic.com published an article about JC Chasez’s solo album. The article had a quote from Justin saying he was confident that the group would reunite with a lot of creative ideas and thought they could rise to the challenge of making things work.
Lance Bass and Justin Timberlake reportedly spoke with FOX News journalist Roger Friedman at a pre-Grammy party. Lance told Roger that a new space mission was ready to go in October. Justin said that the group was supposed to start recording in September and answered “No one knows what will happen, do we?” when asked if the next release would be *NSYNC’s last.
When JC Chasez called in to MTV’s Total Request Live Award Show to accept an award on behalf on *NSYNC, he told the crowd that the group was supposed to be getting back together in the fall.
MTV News published an article featuring updates about *NSYNC. Joey Fatone was said to be considering a solo comedy album. According to authors Corey Moss and Ryan Downey, solo projects were expected to wind down in September and the group was supposed to reunite in early 2004. The article featured multiple quotes from Lance:
“We’ve already started writing about a month ago,” Bass said.
“JC and Justin have been writing a lot and are going to have stuff that didn’t make their albums that’s more ‘NSYNC-style, so I don’t know what direction this will go, it will definitely be interesting.”
“Of course Justin will do some solo stuff, and JC will,” Bass said of the outing. “If Joey gets his album, he will too.”
Lance also reportedly said that the group will be producing a lot of their next album and ther were plans to follow the project with a world tour.
The April 19th issue of Billboard’s newspaper featured an article about the touring prospects for artists in mainstream music genres. *NSYNC’s manager Johnny Wright said the group would enter the studio this fall.
BBC’s Radio 1 website featured an interview with Lance Bass in its Chart News section.
Lance said the album was scheduled for release by the end of the year.
Yahoo! LAUNCH reported that Lance said *NSYNC was currently writing songs for their next album and they were going to reunite September. He also said that Jive Records wanted a release before the end of 2003 he thought the album wouldn’t be ready until at least early 2004. “We were planning to take a year-and-a-half off anyway, so a year-and-a-half is almost up,” Bass said. “It will be up in September and we are going to get back in the studio in September. And the record company wants to have the album out at the end of the year, but I see it coming out in like January or February because we really want this album to be really, really good.”
The Entertainment Weekly website published an article claiming that *NSYNC had begun working on a reunion and would head into the studio in October to start recording. Some of the quotes from JC Chasez in this article include “We didn’t break up,” and “Everybody just needed a breather because we had been pushing so hard.”
An Entertaiment Weekly article features comments about Joey Fatone’s current projects and plans for fall. Joey told the author Liane Bonin
“It’s been nice since ‘N Sync took a break…But, honestly, I’m ready to work a little bit now… the group starts writing another album in September. Hopefully I’ll be able to squeeze in a little [solo] recording time in between.”
Yahoo! LAUNCH published another articlewith quotes from Lance Bass, this time with comments about what he perceived as the pressure to “blow people away” with the next *NSYNC album.
MTV News claimed that *NSYNC will be together back in the studio in fall. Justin Timberlake was quoted as saying”…I know that it would have to be something a little new, creative and different,” and “And so I can’t make any promises on what it’s going to sound like, or if we even feel confident enough to put it out. I mean, I’m sure we will.”
TV Guide published a brief article featuring quotes from Joey Fatone as one if its Insider features. Author Ben Katsner wrote :
“While the Fame host and his posse of pals have yet to settle on a sound for their upcoming platter, this he promises us: They at least have agreed on a timetable to begin getting into a groove. ‘We’re starting in September,’ he reveals. “We’ll be getting together and writing then, and hopefully we’ll be done [in the studio] around the end of the year. Then we’ll come out with the album around the beginning of [2004].’”
Pop Dirt published a secondhand transcript of a Chris Kirkpatrick interview with The Kidd Kraddick Show. The transcript’s submission to PopDirt was attributed to “jcsfan88” and the transcript was attributed to Just Justin Board (JJB) poster “chocolate covered raisins”. These are a few of the things Chris reportedly said about *NSYNC reuniting:
“Justin’s….been on tour. So we have to wait till his album is out and been promoted enough and you always have to tour with an album. When his is done, I think JC might do a uh, little tour, too, possibly after that’s done. So, we’ll probably have an album out by…uhh, summer next year? Maybe? I can’t make gaurantee’s [sic] because if I say summer and I ever come back you know, I’ll be held to that but.”
“We could go into the studio next month and not have an album done for two years. Or you know, we could get in and have an album done in a month. When you write albums it’s…it’s so unpredictable. You never know.”
“We’re all friends. It’s not like we’re….I mean we’ve been through all this stuff together. We’re not gonna, you know leave anybody high and dry. We know what we have to do and we’re ready to do it.”
Pop Dirt also published some *NSYNC-related gossip from an anoymous contributor. This person claims that they met Joey Fatone at the Suede nightclub in New York and claimed that *NSYNC had no intention to go back into the studio in the fall or the winter. This person also said that Justin would be working with Turner Sports in November and December and that he would start working on his 2nd solo album the following February.
Pop Dirt published a summary of an interview Justin Timberlake did with the Open House Party radio program. The contributor was “elgato”. Justin supposedly said he would be taking a break when responding to the question of whether or not the group was supposed to go back to the studio in September.
The MMC & *NSYNC News fan site shared a copied version of a Yahoo! LAUNCH article about Joey Fatone’s role in the musical ‘GREASE’. The article claimed that *NSYNC would begin working on their next album in the fall and that Joey Fatone would be chatting with the group’s official fan club on September 15th.
On September 15th MMC & *NSYNC News posted the link to the transcript and a few points about the chat. The transcript link is no longer active and search results from the Wayback Machine show a mostly empty page that says “sorry charlie…”
On September 19th PopDirt.com posted about the web chat and attributed 2 quotes to Joey Fatone. In a comment dated September 20th , commentor “Beach_Babe05” asks for a copy of the chat transcript because *NSYNC’s website says “sorry charlie…”
YM.com published an interview with JC Chasez about his solo music efforts, with author Martine Bury claiming “The group goes back into the studio in October to record the next album.”
LAUNCH.com published an article about *NSYNC’s fourth album. It was noted that Justin Timberlake previously said that *NSYNC would be putting out an album but pointed to JC Chasez’s album release as a reason for a delayed reunion, saying that he thought his bandmate was “planning on releasing it some time around March…”
An MTV News article discusses *NSYNC’s then-anticipated reunion. Authors Jennifer Vineyard, John Norris, and Corey Moss wrote:
“It could be spring or summer. We never really set a date in stone,” Justin Timberlake said. “We just said, ‘Let’s just start getting all of us in place so we can start making a record again’…
While a date for ‘NSYNC to resume working together wasn’t officially pushed back, JC’s debut album Schizophrenic has been…Not that the delays should affect the next ‘NSYNC record indefinitely.
“We’re not really going to postpone it too much,” Chasez said. “My record’s done, so I can go to work any time…we’re going to be friends forever, so the record will get done no matter what. It’s just a matter of timing.”
However long it takes, though, his bandmates are willing to wait. For his part, Timberlake is considering whether his solo stretch has run its natural course, or if it’s time to start thinking about a next single or even the next record.
The Vox Chasez website published a transcribed copy of KZHT’s red carpet interview with JC Chasez at the 2003 Radio Music Awards. The transcript is dated 10/27/03, which matches the broadcast date listed on the 2003 Radio Music Awards Wikipedia entry. In the interview, JC said that the group had just had a conference call a couple of days prior. and that his solo single would be coming out soon. His album would be out January 27th and that the group was “gonna start recording in the spring or whatever.”
The Vox Chasez website published the transcripts of 2 interviews, one with KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and the other with Channel 993 in San Diego. When Jojo from Kiss FM said that he heard that Nsync’s work was on hold until his album had run its course, JC gave the following lengthy reply:
Well, we’re all gonna have – like, we’re all doing our projects. J did his project, and then when Jive approached me, you know, I approached the guys. And I was like, “Dude,” you know, “Is it cool?” you know, because I don’t want to ever stand in the way of the progress of the group. We all actually still put the group first, but when J wanted to do his thing, we all were taking a break anyway, so it’s like, “Go. Do your thing.” And then when I approached the guys they were like, “Absolutely.” Because everybody’s gonna go off – is off doing their thing. Joey’s doing movies and stuff, and Lance is doing TV shows and movies. So, I mean, it’s all good, dude. But the thing is, we do still talk about when we’re going to pull together and start submitting songs for the next *NSYNC record and things like that as well. I always have that in the back of my mind.
When JC was being interviewed by Cha Cha in San Diego, his answer about the group’s time frame for working was more specific and more succinct:
“No, we definitely aren’t split up, we’re actually um… gonna start like, demo-ing songs with each other in the spring, and then probably work on it over the summer. We’re gonna try and get something out by the fourth quarter of next year.”
Kirkpatrick.nu reposted an interview with Chris Kirkpatrick’s mother, Beverly Eustice. The interview was reportedly an exclusive for FuManSkeeto.com and its forum The Buzz. One question submitted by a fan asked how Chris had changed from when *NSYNC first became famous up to the point at that time, which is when the group was taking a break. Beverly replied that when the group first went on a break, most of the members were still focused on the group. But with Justin being on his own for a while and the future of the group seeming uncertain, Chris has started to shift his focus a bit into his own music while still being mindful of *NSYNC.
The Boston Globe publishes an article in which the author claimed *NSYNC had been having casual conversations about a working timeline and they would probably start working in the end of 2004 after the promotional period for Schizophrenic ended.
Here is an outline of what each member of *NSYNC was doing during 2003, based on the provided sources:
Justin Timberlake
Justin spent much of 2003 on the Justified/Stripped Tour, promoting his debut solo album, Justified. He released several singles from the album, including Cry Me a River, Rock Your Body, and Señorita. In June, he co-hosted the MTV Movie Awards. While he said that *NSYNC would eventually record another album, he acknowledged the challenge of balancing individual creative visions within the group. Reports suggested that he planned to take a break from his demanding schedule in September and October before shifting focus to new projects.
JC Chasez
JC spent a lot of 2003 actively working on his debut solo album, Schizophrenic, collaborating with several producers and songwriters, many of whom were close friends. Initially, he considered pursuing acting during *NSYNC’s hiatus but ultimately chose to focus on music after recording Blowin’ Me Up(With Her Love). Throughout the year, JC maintained that the group had not broken up and planned to reunite once his solo project was complete. He made several public appearances and attended industry events like Wango Tango and a pre-Derby party.
Lance Bass
Lance spent part of the year training with the Russian space program, though his mission was ultimately canceled due to funding issues. He shifted his focus to entertainment, hosting America’s Most Talented Kid and developing TV and film projects, including the horror film Imaginary Friend and the animated series Free For All. Throughout interviews, he emphasized the significance of *NSYNC’s next album, calling it a “career record,” and hinted at ’80s influences in the group’s evolving sound. He also attended multiple events, including a pre-Oscar party and the annual pre-Derby gathering.
Chris Kirkpatrick
Chris explored his own musical interests, writing and recording outside of *NSYNC’s signature style. He was working a solo a project with another band, tentatively titled “Me,” collaborating with Steven Holt of the band Ohno. He also took on a managerial role with Ohno, attending their performances, supporting their development, and signing them to his lable, Roundtable Records. Outside of music, Chris stepped away from his clothing line due to legal complications. He participated in charity events like the Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game and *NSYNC’s Challenge for the Children. He also gave several interviews discussing both his personal projects and the band’s uncertain status.
Joey Fatone
Joey focused on acting, appearing in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding spinoff My Big Fat Greek Life, a sitcom which premiered in early 2003. After wrapping up his Broadway stint in RENT, he looked for another musical role while mulling over an album of song parodies. In the summer he hosted the NBC game show Fame. Joey hosted nightlife events, including ‘Suede Tuesdays’ in New York, and made public appearances at the American Music Awards and a pre-Derby party. He frequently commented on *NSYNC’s status, though reports about his statements varied, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the group’s future plans.
Beyond the band’s public statements, people close to them—whether anonymously or directly—offered insights that hinted at deeper tensions and shifting priorities.
Anonymice
All the anonymous info I found for 2003 came from Pop Dirt. Not sure if August was a turning point for *NSYNC, but there were three submissions that month. One source, “J,” claimed Joey Fatone said they wouldn’t be back in the studio that fall or winter. “J” also mentioned Justin taking a break in September and October, then working with Turner Sports in November and December.
Although it wasn’t included in the Riddle On Her Mind Visual Archive, additional research shows Justin hosted The Thrill of Victory 2003 on ABC in December. https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/CHECK-THIS-OUT-ABC-showcases-Thrills-2510237.php
“J” also predicted Justin would start his next solo album in February and debut a new single at the 2004 MTV VMAs, but I haven’t found proof that he was ever scheduled to perform there—so that rumor didn’t pan out.
Another anonymous poster backed up the break claim, saying Justin mentioned it on the Open House Party radio show.
Beverly Eustice
I was surprised to come across an interview with Beverly Eustice, Chris Kirkpatrick’s mom, since most of the members’ parents rarely went on record to talk about their sons or *NSYNC. Her comments about Chris’s shifting focus really stood out. She openly shared how he was adjusting to *NSYNC’s uncertain future, framing his perspective as evolving alongside the group’s changing dynamics:
“I think his focus has changed. When Justin first announced his intention to do a solo project, I think Chris and the other guys kept focused on *NSYNC. Now that Justin is out there, and we’re not sure what will happen, I think Chris realizes that he needs to keep walking forward with his own music, and is really focused on his writing—both for *NSYNC AND for Chris’ rock group. (Although *NSYNC is still his first love, and I doubt that will ever change!)”
While she emphasized that *NSYNC was still Chris’s “first love,” her words also subtly acknowledged a reality that was becoming harder to ignore—priorities were shifting, and Chris was preparing for whatever came next.
If I had to sum up the themes in your chronology, I’d say that 2003 was a year of evolving priorities and cautious optimism for *NSYNC. Here’s the big picture:
Uncertainty & Fluid Timelines – From January to December, reunion prospects were frequently mentioned but remained in flux. Early plans pointed to September, then shifted toward early 2004, then spring or summer. Members were hesitant to commit to specific dates, acknowledging how unpredictable the process could be. In his interview with Kid Kraddick, Chris is openly acknowledging how unpredictable the recording process can be. He presents two drastically different possibilities: *NSYNC could finish an album in a month, or it could take two years. This adds more weight to the idea that even though plans existed, there was never a concrete or guaranteed timeline.
Solo Careers Taking Center Stage – JC’s and Justin’s solo projects both seemed to play a part in delaying a reunion. By mid-to-late 2003, it looks like individual ambitions were affecting the group’s timeline, with the media pointing to JC’s album release in particular pushing things further out.
I noticed a pattern while piecing together the 2002 reflections and I think it’s worth pointing out. Looking back, things that probably should have been official announcements about Justin’s solo project were often relayed indirectly—through rumors, gossip, managers, spokespeople, or even *NSYNC members instead of Justin himself. Three big examples of this were Johnny Wright’s reply to a fan at the MTV VMAs, Joey Fatone’s comment to Carson Daly as a guest on Later, and the KIIS-FM radio interview with JC Chasez in November.
Johnny Wright’s statement—”Justin’s gonna finish *NSYNC’s album, go out on his solo tour, then come back, then *NSYNC are gonna go on tour straight after.”—sounds like a soft confirmation that Justin’s solo tour was happening. But rather than explicitly stating that it could affect *NSYNC’s plans, his phrasing makes it seem like the tour would neatly fit between group projects—even though *NSYNC never actually started on their next album.
Later in 2002, Joey told Carson that *NSYNC had a meeting planned to determine when they’d start writing again, but also noted that Justin “might be going out on tour for about a month or so, which is gonna be in the beginning of next year, I think. And then we’re gonna start writing probably in March or April.” Joey framed it as a scheduling issue rather than an obstacle, but Justin’s solo tour clearly pushed back *NSYNC’s timeline—without any direct media scrutiny acknowledging its impact.
Contrast this with October 2003, when Schizophrenic promotion was gaining momentum. MTV News heavily focused on JC’s album, reinforcing the narrative that *NSYNC’s delays were because of his solo project. Then in November, DJ Jojo Wright says to JC “I just read a note somewhere that everybody’s gonna pause the *NSYNC project until the JC Chasez album does its thing” during their interview. There’s a noticeable contrast in how media coverage framed JC’s timeline compared to Justin’s: while JC’s work was explicitly pointed out as a reason for the group’s shifting plans, Justin’s solo success—despite being arguably more impactful— seemed to remain unexamined.
When selecting parts of that article to include in the October graphic for the visual archive, I originally ended the excerpt with a mention of Justin considering another single or possibly another solo album. At the time, I felt the rest of the article wasn’t fully relevant to what I was hoping to learn. Now, looking at the bigger picture, the second half of the article holds more weight:
“Everything is peaceful and easy right now,” Timberlake said. “Obviously, all the jitters will come back when it’s time to do the second album. But I hadn’t really listened to my record in a while, and the other week, I listened to it and I really enjoyed it… The first four or five months [after Justified’s release], it was me out there trying to prove to everybody that I could do this on my own, because there was so much skepticism… I stepped up to the plate, so the second half of this year has just been about enjoying the ride, and feeling like there was no pressure anymore.”
Because of that experience, Timberlake said that he wanted Chasez to have the same chance to prove himself, away from *NSYNC:
“I want to sit back and support his record,” Timberlake said. “Just as his friend, I want him to have every opportunity I had.”
Platitudes aside, this feels like a soft launch—or soft announcement—of Justin’s second solo project. Meanwhile, the overarching theme of the article suggested uncertainty for *NSYNC, and the media pointed to JC’s album as the main reason for delays. My research hasn’t revealed any similar coverage explicitly linking Justified to the group’s shifting timeline, despite subtle indications that Justin’s schedule was just as influential.
Backtracking to August 2003, Chris’ interview with Kid Kraddick is one of the few instances where someone directly acknowledged Justin’s solo project affecting *NSYNC’s timeline—even if he did so playfully. His joking tone—”It’s just Justin! It’s all his fault!”—may have been lighthearted, but it subtly reflected something that nobody else called out: the group’s progress seemed to hinge on whenever Justin was ready.
Media Speculation vs. Band Statements – Official interviews painted an optimistic picture, reaffirming that *NSYNC was still together, while secondhand sources and anonymous reports introduced doubt, some even suggesting that the group might not reunite at all.
Loyalty vs. Logistics – By late 2003, *NSYNC’s future hinged on timing, priorities, and logistics rather than a firm commitment. While members continuously reassured fans that their bond remained intact, solo careers and external pressures made regrouping uncertain. Chris Kirkpatrick’s August joke about a pact “signed in blood” highlighted their loyalty—but also underscored the reality that no formal agreement existed. Ultimately, their reunion seemed *conditional*—everyone said they wanted it, but only if their individual pursuits and schedules aligned.
A noticeable pattern throughout 2003 sources was the repeated insistence from the group that they were still friends, and would stay friends. Who were they trying to convince? Was this purely a PR strategy? Or were they subtly reassuring themselves amid growing uncertainty? The messaging felt deliberate, and I’m not sure why they kept emphasizing it.
*NSYNC kept telling fans a reunion was happening, but their timeline kept slipping—mostly because of solo projects, shifting priorities, and logistical hurdles. The media pushed the idea that JC’s solo album was the main reason for delays, while Justin’s career choices played a role too but weren’t framed the same way. Instead of direct announcements, updates about Justin’s solo plans often came through vague comments from people other than him. Meanwhile, people close to the group, like Chris’ mom, offered a glimpse at what was happening behind the scenes, acknowledging that priorities were shifting.
At the end of the day, this year wasn’t just about delays—it was about change. The guys were all chasing their own ambitions, even as they publicly said *NSYNC was still a priority. But as solo projects took off and schedules got messy, it became harder to ignore that the group’s future wasn’t as simple as just wanting to get back together. Their reunion felt less like a set plan and more like a big “maybe”—one that depended on everything falling into place just right.
I think looking back at this year and putting everything together has really clarified a lot for me. By the time 2003 wrapped up, the idea of *NSYNC’s next album wasn’t just about timing—it was about whether the pieces would ever fully come together. And with each delay, the answer felt less certain.
Riddle On Her Mind 
2 thoughts on “2003 Reflections”