Jason Galasso Was the Original Fifth Member of *NSYNC

Prior to Lance Bass joining *NSYNC, Jason Galasso was initially considered the group’s fifth member. Galasso, who had known Joey Fatone from their high school choir, received a surprise call from Fatone inviting him to join the burgeoning boy band. Furthermore, Galasso had connections with Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, having interacted with them through their involvement in The Mickey Mouse Club, as he detailed on The Digital Get Down podcast in 2019.

During his audition for the group, which included a performance of Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road,” Galasso noted the young age of Justin Timberlake but was quickly impressed by his vocal talent, stating, “Oh, it doesn’t matter how old he is, he can sing his butt off.”

At the time, Galasso was also weighing options with a three-man band called Unreal, describing his background as rooted in R&B and hip-hop. When Lou Pearlman proposed an electronic dance music style for *NSYNC, he was uncertain but traveled to Atlanta with Unreal to record a demo, which he felt turned out well.

As *NSYNC began to establish its identity, they discussed a showcase performance at Disney’s Pleasure Island. Soon after, Galasso found himself in a dilemma as both *NSYNC and Unreal sought to sign him. He consulted a lawyer regarding the competing contracts; while the agreement with Unreal was standard, Pearlman’s contract for *NSYNC included a clause that named Pearlman as a sixth member, and the contract itself was extensive, described by Galasso as “thick as a phone book.” Ultimately, Galasso chose to align with the group that wasn’t *NSYNC, leaving the boy band in its formative stages without him.

Special Credits: Image Courtesy of Eonline