*N sync on the Internet

Ever wonder what popular music groups do with the tons of fan e-mail they recieve each day? If you think they just delete it, the sweethearts from N'SYNC give you a reason to think again. It's true these "I Want You Back" crooners have little time to kick back and relax at home in Florida, let alone sort through all the mail via the Internet they recieve around the globe. But if there's one thing that keeps their heads on straight, it's knowing that without all their fans, they wouldn't be the singing successes they are today, as they tear up the chart with "Tearin' Up My Heart." "It is pretty flattering, actually, when people say, 'Oh, you're that person in N'SYNC. I know who you are, "' gushes Joey. That said, it's no wonder the 21-year-old spends as much time corresponding with his fans over the Internet as he can. During one visit on the World Wide Web, Joey stumbled upon a huge fan base in Texas, and at the time, they had never even preformed there! As fun as reading his e-mail can be for Joey, he can't help but get frustrated with how long it takes him to type just about anything. "I'm a horrible typist. I'm just like, plink, plink," he reveals, making a hunt-and-peck gesture, "and before I know it, four hours are gone already." Considering how much fun all the guys have spending time on the Internet, it's well worth the hassle of hunting and pecking, especially for Lance, who says, "I absolutely love talking to everybody. If I go on-line, like six hours pass, but you don't even know how long you've been on it." Not only has Lance been known to respond to his e-mail quite frequently, he's also been known to show up incognito at the group's very own chat room, located via http://www.nsync.com . "Chat rooms are so cool," the 19-year-old adds. "Especially if you go into your own chat room and all the people are talking about you and you pretend you're somebody else." How's that for a surprise? You, too, could have spoken to Lance and not have even known it! Just to give you an idea of how powerful the Internet really is, JC explains that when he answers even one letter, the result spreads like wildfire. "When I write back, all of a sudden I'll get like a billion hits the next day because I actually replied," the birthday who's celebrating year 22 on August 8 says. "I think it's brilliant...it's the bomb." Such is the case with Chris, who takes his laptop computer with him on the road. "Since I gave my e-mail address to fans, I get at least a hundred pieces a day," the oldest member of the group at 26 says. So does Chris ever regret giving out his address whenever he logs on only to find all that mail to respond to? "No, because I've got a lot of good compliments and it's much easier for me to get in touch with them this way," he continues. "When we are busy, we can't sit down and talk with them. But when I have time, I can write a sentence or two, but it's personal. I don't sit there and cpy it off and send it back to all the people. I read all the e-mail and I try to write back to as many as possible." Another incentive for the diligent e-mailer Chris to write his fans back comes from reflecting on his younger years when an itty-bitty response from a celebrity whom he looked up to meant everything and more to him. "I've got the weirdest things in the world, like little autographs on a napkin that I framed...because it was such a big deal to me," he says. Perhaps it's Justin who sums it up the best as to why he and the rest of the guys from N'SYNC are so adamant about keeping the lines of communication open with their fans. "To know you've touched them enough that they listen to your songs so often that they know them by heart," the 17-year-old says, "that's special." Although Justin does not own a computer of his own yet, he is counting down the days before he is able to write to his fans any time he wants. "As soon as I get my laptop, then I'm going to be on it all the time," he promises. "I'm going to be paying mad money." It may be mad, but according to Justin, it'll be money well spent.

Taken from the October 1998 issue of BOP