Meanwhile, the title No Strings Attached was announced in September 1999, during when the legal battle was still ongoing. The titling of the album is similar to the Backstreet Boys' who also had legal wrangling with Pearlman which concluded to a settlement in October 1998 that was not disclosed the Backstreet Boys "took a shot" at Pearlman by titling their 2000 studio album, Black & Blue. The album's title was thought of by member Chris Kirkpatrick during a car ride in London after settlement, where they were inspired by the song " I've Got No Strings" from the 1940 film, Pinocchio. Conway rejected Pearlman and BMG's injunction, stating that "the defendants have raised serious questions about Mr. NSYNC filed a countersuit in response, with member JC Chasez calling Pearlman "an unscrupulous, greedy and sophisticated businessman who posed as an unselfish, loving father figure and took advantage of our trust". Jive immediately requested that the album was to be sold to retailers in March, which caused Pearlman and BMG to file a $150 million breach-of-contract suit and an injunction to stop them. With an undisclosed settlement in 2000, NSYNC severed their contract with Trans Continental and immediately switched labels from RCA Records to Jive Records, which included artists such as the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. On October 12, 1999, Trans Continental, along with RCA's parent, BMG Entertainment, filed a $195 million suit in a federal court to bar NSYNC's transference to Jive and from performing or recording under their current name, as well as forcing them to return masters recorded in 1999 in preparation of their second album. The band, whose self-titled debut album and its quick follow up had commercial success, insisted "they have not seen enough of the profits" that they had generated by selling eight million albums in the United States alone. They cited Pearlman's defrauding the group, which, according to MTV, was more than fifty percent of their earnings, rather than his promise of only receiving one-sixth of the profits. Pearlman, due to illicit corporate practices. In 1999, NSYNC sued Trans Continental and financier, Louis J. NSYNC was signed by Trans Continental Management to Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) in Germany, due to a pre-existing deal, and its distribution rights in the United States were automatically bought by RCA. The title of the album alludes to puppets and the idea of independence NSYNC earned following a legal battle between its then-management. The album was inspired by the song " I've Got No Strings" from Pinocchio, following the lawsuit between Lou Pearlman and BMG
NSYNC were considered to be influential in crossing over music genres, which helped distinguish themselves from the Backstreet Boys, and inspire other boy bands such as BTS to experiment with different genres of music while expressing their originality. It was considered to be the peak of the teen pop genre, as CDs were beginning to be phased out in favor of peer-to-peer file sharing sites such as Napster and LimeWire, as well as trends shifting away from the genre, beginning with the Backstreet Boys' Black & Blue (2000). NSYNC promoted the album through the No Strings Attached Tour in 2000, which was the second highest-grossing tour in North America of that year. No Strings Attached was the best selling album of 2000. Its lead single " Bye Bye Bye" is credited with creating the hype for the album's eventual landmark success. Four singles were released from the album. The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 2.4 million copies, setting the record for one-week sales in the country a record that remained for 15 years until Adele surpassed the first-week sales record with her third studio album 25 (2015). 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.Īfter several delays due to legal battles, No Strings Attached was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom praised the production.
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.
Looking to distinguish their music from that of their labelmates, NSYNC chose to incorporate pop and R&B styles. It was released by Jive Records on March 21, 2000. No Strings Attached is the third studio album by American boy band NSYNC.