'N Sync's Lucky Charms
"'N Sync's Lucky Charms." BOP. March 1999, pp. 90-92.
And you think they got to be magically delicious on their talent alone? Wait 'til you hear what Justin, Lance, JC, Joey and Chris believe helped put them atop the charts and in your hearts!
When Justin Timberlake was just a little towhead growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, he carried around a lucky rock wherever he went. No matter what happend to him, Justin knew that his lucky rock was right there in his back pocket and would protect him anywhere he went.
Today the blue-eyed pop star, who joins his groupmates on hits like "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You" and "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays," no longer carries his lucky rock around with him (it was lost never to be found again), however, he does have one particular good luck keepsake he wears close to his heart. "I never take my 'N SYNC charm off," Justin, who celebrates b-day No. 18 on January 31, tells BOP while pointing to the chunky, gold necklace hiding under his shirt. (Did you ever notice it before? It's right there with him in all his pictures.)[sic]
While some people may think that relying on an object, such as a necklace charm or even a rabbit's foot, for good luck is nothing more than hocus pocus, these five sound-minded superstars beg to differ. Lance Bass, for one, believes that if it weren't for his lucky gold and diamond ring, 'N SYNC wouldn't have taken off as well in America as they have since the March 1998 release of their self-title debut album. "It's been very good to me," the 19-year-old Laurel, Mississippi-born babe confesses as he twirls the beloved band on his finger. "I got it right when our Disney Channel special came out when there was kind of a begining to the whole America [fame] thing. Right after I got this ring, we blew up. [Our album], it went platinum, double platinum, triple platinum! So I keep it on and I'm never taking it off. It's going to stay on until we start losing it."
One thing that Chris Kirkpatrick doesn't plan on losing any time soon are his bodacious braids. Just as the ring of his harmonious singing partner Lance symbolizes the start of a phenomenal career in the United States, so do Chris' signature locks. "We were doing a video shoot for 'I Want You Back,' the first American video we did," the 27-year-old crooner, whose nickname just happens to be Lucky, starts off. "As the hairdresser was getting ready to do my hair, she says, 'How do you usually have it done?' I showed her our European album [cover[ and I said, "Like this, but maybe you could do one braid or something in it this time.' And she said, 'Well, maybe we could put a lot of braids in there, we could braid the whole thing."
necklaces, rings and braids, oh my!
As you have probably figured out by now, Chris didn't cringe at the suggestion--he loved the braids and has worn them ever since! And once the video started becoming more and more popular, Chris realized the potential power his newfound braids really had.
Perhaps the most in touch with his lucky charm is 22-year-old former Mickey Mouse Club member JC Chasez (don't forget, Justin is the other former Mouseketeer). "I haven't taken this off in three years," JC says, showing us his ceramic lion's head pendant (which is the symbol of his astrological sign, Leo) hanging on the leather cord around his neck. "It carries my star on the back, and the only time I ever took it off was for the first 'I Want You Back' video. Even then, I didn't take it off for the whole video 'cause I couldn't."
What's so special about JC's lion, you ask? "I bought it on some little corner down here [in Orlando, Florida] right when the group got together," the blue-eyed stunner reveals, "and ever since I've had it on it's brought me good luck. I've had it for three solid years and nothing but good things have come."
Let's recap here: In 1996, JC and the guys signed a recording contract. In 1997, the boys wowed European audiences and wont the International Newcomer Award at the German Comet Awards. And in 1998, they burst onto the American music scene with a debut album and their new Home For Christmas CD, taking over the radio waves and all your hearts. Yeah, sounds like there really is something to that lion's head.
Considering that most of the guys consider a piece of jewelry to be their lucky charm, you probably think Brooklyn-born Joey Fatone's is the gold Superman-inspired "J" he's always wearing on stage in all of his photos. Well, you're wrong! "It's actually a little four-leaf clover guy," the cutie who turns 22 on January 28, gushes. "My [high school] friend Eric originally had it, and we used to sing in choir together. It was funny because every time we'd do a performance, he would put the little guy on the piano and leave it there--so as to not hit a wrong chord, of course. The teacher would even let him. Then [right before I went over to Europe to tour with the group], he gave it to me. He said, 'Here, I'm giving this to you as a good luck charm.' So I hung onto it and I still have it. I carry it with me."
With success like theirs, it's easy to understand why 'N SYNCsters Justin, Lance, Chris, JC [sic]and Joey modestly assume that their good luck charms had something to do with their stardom. But we all know the real truth--it's because of their gobs and gobs of talent!
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