It's 2025 and Justin Timberlake's reign as the biggest male pop star is long over. His Everything I Thought It Was album released last year flopped, partly overshadowed by rather scathing claims in his exgirlfriend Britney Spears's memoir, as well as his DUI arrest. He hasn't released a successful album in over a decade now, so he's clearly a legacy artist by this point. Still, he had a good run and nobody can deny he ruled the 2000s. But forget about Timberlake. I'd like to talk about his fellow former 'N Sync vocalist JC Chasez and why his solo career flopped. This is an article I've wanted to make for years, and I feel now's an alright occasion (but yeah, the 20th anniversary of Schizophrenic last year would have been better lol).
There were many so-called "boy bands" (or rather, "male vocal groups", as they're more accurately termed) in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but the biggest were the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. While Backstreet Boys sold more records overall, 'N Sync held the record for fastest selling album in a week (since Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991) with the tremendous success of their sophomore album No Strings Attached in 2000. A five-piece group, the lead singers were Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez. Both had already been on the New Mickey Mouse Club, so it's no surprise they were more talented than everybody else in the group. Of course, Timberlake was easily the most popular member of the group, being younger and famously dating pop superstar Britney Spears.
But while Chasez was only the second most popular member of the group, most people agreed he was the best singer; even Timberlake himself admitted Chasez was better. Boasting an impressive four octave vocal range, Chasez could sing a ballad like no other and sang lead vocals all by himself on a few 'N Sync songs ("Sailing" on their 1997/1998 self-titled debut and "Bringin' the Noise" on 2000's No Strings Attached). He was also the only member to feature on Blaque's hit single "Bring It All to Me" in 1999. Despite his talent, Chasez lacked the confidence to go solo, which was further exacerbated by the fact Timberlake beat him to the punch. Benefiting from his recent breakup from Spears, Timberlake's 2002 debut solo album Justified was a success, featuring hit singles produced by the likes of Timbaland and the Neptunes. With Timberlake now a star in his own right, people wondered if Chasez could follow in his footsteps.
It was only after receiving encouragement from producer Dallas Austin that Chasez gained the confidence to embark on a solo career. Austin produced Chasez's debut single "Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love)" for the Drumline soundtrack in December 2002, and while it was only a modest hit, peaking at no.35 on the Hot 100, it convinced Jive that a solo album of his was worth investing in. With his record label's support, Chasez finally began work on his solo album at the start of 2003. Released on February 24, 2004, Chasez's debut solo album Schizophrenic ended up being a total flop, only selling around 120,000 copies and failing to yield any hit singles. Chasez would leave his label and no follow-up album would be released. 'N Sync eventually broke up and Timberlake went on to become more successful on his own while everybody else who was in the group faded away into obscurity.
That raises the question of where it all went wrong for poor ol' Chasez. "Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love)" wasn't a huge hit, but no.35 isn't terrible for a song that was only for a soundtrack; it showed that Chasez had some potential for a solo career. Beyonce's debut single "Work It Out" was for the Austin Powers in Goldmember soundtrack in 2002 and it did far worse, not even cracking the Hot 100. Despite that, Beyonce still became a superstar. Granted, she was the youngest member of her group just like Timberlake was the youngest member of 'N Sync. Her fellow Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland also attempted to go solo, but it didn't pan out despite having a hit debut single like Chasez did ("Stole" off of Rowland's debut solo album performed moderately, peaking at no.27). It's rare for musical groups to produce even one solo star, let alone two; notable outliers like the Beatles, the Jacksons, 'N Sync, Destiny's Child, One Direction, and Fifth Harmony aren't the rule. That's not to say Chasez shouldn't have bothered trying at all, but the odds were always stacked against him.
With such low chances of success, you would think Chasez wouldn't reduce them even further by taking high risks with his music, but he did exactly that. Asking Jive for complete creative control on his album, Chasez was allowed to do whatever he wanted and he opted to go for a highly sexual vibe. There are songs about having sex all day long, having sex in 100 different positions, one night stands, masturbating, and girl-on girl dancing. It's clear that Chasez wanted shock value by making such a drastic departure from the more family friendly music he made with 'N Sync. For a solo artist just starting out, this was obviously the wrong decision right from the start. Total creative control isn't something that should just be handed out; artists should prove themselves by first becoming successful under guidelines.
Chasez hadn't achieved much of any solo success when he was given full creative control on his album; "Blowin' Me Up" was not a significant hit by any means and you would think its unimpressive performance would have convinced Chasez not to go totally sexual on his album, seeing as the song was notably raunchier than anything 'N Sync had ever put out. At least Timberlake was smart enough to wait until his second album to really get his freak on (and even then, he did so more tastefully than Chasez did. There's nothing on FutureSex/LoveSounds that sounds as utterly embarrassing as "ALL DAY LONG I DREAM ABOUT SEX"); Chasez simply couldn't keep it in his pants. Any pop singer is taking a risk when they put out highly sexual songs. When you're coming out of a squeaky-clean boy group that already produced one solo star, erotic songs aren't in your best interest. Sex only sells when it's handled carefully, and when you're already likely to fail as a solo singer, you should play it safer. Some sex songs are fine. "ALL DAY LONG I DREAM ABOUT SEX" and "SOME GIRLS DANCE WITH WOMEN" are not.
Titling his album "Schizophrenic" and making the cover art him in a straitjacket didn't help matters, either; it should have been blatantly obvious that he was gonna offend mental health groups by doing so. You don't name your album after a mental disorder accompanied by a photograph of yourself in a straitjacket, as if you're making light of said disorder. Chasez said it was to reflect the album's musical variety ... but couldn't he have just named it "Chameleon" or some other crap like that? It could have also been named after the song "Everything You Want" or "100 Ways" if the intent was to reflect the album's eclecticism. Compare Justified's cover art to Schizophrenic's, and it's obvious which album flopped. On top of making himself look like a degenerate pervert, he made himself look like an ass. How could he lack such self-awareness? You'd think someone in his camp or Jive would've told him, "Hey, man, you gotta think of another name and use a different cover, because this is just asking for trouble". Clearly, Chasez was surrounded by yes-men.
But indeed, true to its name, Schizophrenic features songs of many different styles as it's basically one big tribute to all the music Chasez listened to throughout his life up to that point, from the 1970s all the way to the early 2000s. There's George Michael-type pop rock on "Something Special", Prince-type funk rock on "100 Ways", Led Zeppelin and Lenny Kravitz-type funk rock on "If You Were My Girl", Police and Sting-type reggae rock on "Everything You Want", Bee Gees-type R&B on "Build My World", Michael Jackson and Jamiroquai-type disco on "She Got Me", Seal-type soul on "Lose Myself", Giorgio Moroder-type synth-pop on "One Night Stand", Corey Hart-type new wave on "Come to Me", and Gary Numan and Cars-type new wave on "All Day Long I Dream About Sex". There are also homages to more recent music, like the 'N Sync-type teenybopper pop tribute "Right Here (By Your Side)". "Mercy" is also very 'N Sync-influenced with its grimy electro-pop soundscape. Basement Jaxx contributed the electronic "Shake It" and it's very much in their own style. Oh, and there's whatever the hell "Some Girls (Dance With Women)" is supposed to be. The only song that seems entirely like Chasez's own unique style is probably the adult contemporary ballad "Dear Goodbye", and it's certainly one of the album's best cuts.
Obviously, Chasez intended for the album to be all over the place; the title alone makes this blatantly obvious. One could say that having all these influences was versatility, but one could also say that he was indecisive and simply didn't know what he wanted to do with his album. Timberlake knew what he wanted Justified to be; he wanted to make an R&B album. Chasez, on the other hand, wanted his album to be, well, everything, which might have made it harder to market. But even with a lack of musical direction, an overabundance of sexual content, an awful title, and an awful cover art, I don't think Schizophrenic was doomed. Nor do I think Chasez dropping out of the 2004 Pro Bowl's halftime show had anything to do with the album flopping (the album's fate was sealed long before the Pro Bowl). The main reason the album failed lies in the singles. Released in November 2003, "Some Girls (Dance with Women)" was chosen to be the lead single and it utterly flopped, peaking at no.88 on the Hot 100.
It's no surprise that it did. For one, it's produced by Riprock 'n Alex G. They produced a few tracks on 'N Sync's No Strings Attached and Celebrity albums, but none of the singles. That's not to say Chasez needed household names to produce singles for him, but a team with only a few filler 'N Sync tracks on their resume obviously wasn't going to make hits for him. Making matters worse, the subject matter of the song is stupid. There's nothing wrong with girl-on-girl dancing, but this song fetishizes it from a horny male's perspective. Doesn't help that it isn't the least bit catchy, not even with a verse from Ol' Dirty Bastard aka Dirt McGirt. The song was awful, as was the second single "All Day Long I Dream About Sex". Releasing yet another single produced by Riprock 'n Alex G after the first one flopped was beyond stupid, and when it's literally called "All Day Long I Dream About Sex"? Jesus Christ. Frankly, this article is a little redundant; if anybody wants to know why JC Chasez's solo career flopped, then just watch the music video. A total embarrassment.
Following Schizophrenic's failure, Chasez began work on his next album by the end of 2004. Titled The Story of Kate, Chasez intended to tone down the sexual content and zero in on a single, specific musical style for himself. In 2006, Chasez enlisted the help of Timberlake to produce a few songs for the album, including the planned lead single "Until Yesterday". At the time, Timberlake was preparing to release his sophomore album FutureSex/LoveSounds, so the fact he took time off of his own schedule to help an old friend out was quite cool of him. However, by then, it was simply too late. Jive refused to release Chasez's second album and it ended up being shelved. Frustrated, Chasez left Jive in 2007 and that effectively marked the end of his solo career. It's no surprise that Jive wouldn't release his next album; they already gave him a chance on his first one and he blew it. Not to mention, Chasez was 31 by this point. The ship for solo stardom had obviously sailed for him, so it was time to let him go.
Listening to the songs that were planned for The Story of Kate, it's clear Chasez wanted to adopt a more contemporary pop rock sound for himself, but the results were very generic. As unfocused as Schizophrenic was, at least it was the music Chasez genuinely wanted to make. While the album was obviously derivative of older music, it was unlike any other pop album at the time. The planned songs for The Story of Kate may have been more radio-friendly, but they could have been given to any pop singer. The fact Timberlake helped on some of them was essentially Chasez admitting defeat, too. It should have never even come to that point. Schizophrenic could have done at least moderately well if it had different singles. Firstly, none of the songs produced by Riprock 'n Alex G should have been picked. The best tracks on Schizophrenic were the ones produced by Robb Boldt. He was a little known producer (who unfortunately went on to rape a woman years later. True story, his Discogs photo is his mugshot and his crime was raping an intoxicated woman. His full name is Robert Karl Boldt), but I believe he had the potential to become as big as Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, the Neptunes, etc. If only Chasez had more faith in Boldt's cuts on Schizophrenic, because the album could have been a breakthrough for both of them (Chasez and Boldt later worked on music for Paris Hilton's debut album in 2004, but it ended up getting delayed to 2006 and none of their songs were released on it).
All of the songs produced by Boldt on Schizophrenic—"100 Ways", "Build My World", "Come to Me", "Dear Goodbye", "Lose Myself", "She Got Me", and "Something Special"—have a raw, organic vibe to them. With the exception of "Come to Me", they seem to have all been made with bands and not beat machines. "Dear Goodbye" is a standout and damn near the best track on the album as I said before, but it wasn't really single material. I believe the George Michael-inspired "Something Special" should have been the lead single; the song was very upbeat and radio-friendly, plus the harmonies remind one of 'N Sync. There was a big audience for that type of pop rock back in 2003-2004. And then, the second single should have been "Build My World". Obviously inspired by the Bee Gees tribute 'N Sync did at the 2003 Grammy Awards (but far from a shameless ripoff), "Build My World" is arguably Chasez's greatest song and I believe it would have been his definitive single; it's the exact type of ballad that would have been a smash on the radio. Finally, the third and final single should have been "She Got Me". It wouldn't have been as big as "Something Special" or "Build My World", but it'd have been a fine song to end the album's promotion with.
When you look at the other producers on Schizophrenic (Riprock 'n Alex G and Basement Jaxx), releasing Boldt's cuts as singles should have been a no-brainer; he may have been a nobody, but when the alternatives are Basement Jaxx (niche electronic group) and Riprock 'n Alex G ('N Sync's B-team with no hits under their belt), you may as well give him a shot. For crying out loud, why have him produce nearly half of your album if you weren't gonna release any of his songs as singles? Sure, Riprock 'n Alex G produced the same number of songs on the album ("All Day Long", "Everything You Want", "If You Were My Girl", "Mercy", "One Night Stand", "Right Here", and "Some Girls"), but none of their songs with 'N Sync were popular or even singles for that matter. "Space Cowboy"? "Digital Get Down"? "No Strings Attached" (the song, not the album)? "Bringin' da Noise"? "The Game Is Over"? "The Two of Us"? "Up Against the Wall"? Nobody knows those songs but 'N Sync nerds. It's better to release songs produced by a nobody you've never worked with before (Robb Boldt) than nobodies you've already worked with (Riprock 'n Alex G). Especially when the former has never even been on a major album before (so they come across like newcomers) and anybody with a working set of ears can tell their songs are far superior to the latter's. Boldt's productions were quality. Riprock 'n Alex G's productions were not.
With "Something Special", "Build My World", and "She Got Me" as the singles, plus a different title and cover art (this photograph would have made a perfect cover. As for the title, I would have just called it "JC Chasez"), I believe Chasez's debut solo album would have done alright (and make sure to excise "Some Girls" and "All Day Long" because fuck those songs). At least well enough to ensure Chasez would have been able to release another album with Jive. Chasez was never going to be as big as Timberlake, but I think he could have been like an alternative to John Mayer or Adam Levine. Sadly, Chasez sabotaged his own career with laughably stupid decisions and he'd never release another album again. He went on to be a judge for America's Best Dance Crew on MTV for a few years before the show was axed in 2012. Then, he tried mentoring a 12-piece (smh) girl vocal group called "Girl Radical" in 2013. Despite Chasez's hopes that the group would blow up, it went absolutely nowhere. It really looked like he was having a life crisis during that period. Nowadays, you only hear about Chasez whenever 'N Sync gets back together for one-off appearances. They released their "comeback" single "Better Place" for the Trolls Band Together soundtrack in 2023. In 2024, they released "Paradise" on Timberlake's last album, although it wasn't a single (should've been, though). Maybe Timberlake will get back together with his old crew long-term, but nobody really cares anymore.
(P.S.: It actually turns out that JC released another album at the end of 2024. I think it was supposed to be about Frankenstein for some reason. A fitting analogy for his dead career, I guess)
Chip Skylark, Not Justin, Sean Parker, Sephiroth, and Cousin Angelo.
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