Joey Fatone opened up about *NSYNC and Justin Timberlake and how he felt blindsided after their record label's big move.
*NSYNC finally dropped its first song in 22 years, titled "Better Place," which they specially made for the animated film, "Trolls Band Together." After the new project's release, Fatone opened up about the group's status and the hiatus amid Timberlake's solo career.
Joey Fatone "Blindsided" Because of Record Label's Choice
Speaking up in a new interview with Yahoo! Entertainment published on Tuesday, October 3, Fatone looked back at the time Timberlake went solo and their group's eventual split.
"I was not blindsided by the breakup; I was more blindsided as far as him coming out with music and not knowing that he was going to go and do an actual album/tour thing," he said. "It was more of, 'Hey, I'm going to do some music, and then we'll get back together.' That's what that was."
*NSYNC members reportedly thought Timberlake would return to the group after wrapping up his Justified World Tour, which began in May 2003 and ended in June 2004.
The 46-year-old musician clarified that Timberlake was not the one to be blamed for what happened. Instead, things happened because of their record company.
Although things ended between the bandmates, Fatone said it happened to be positive as it led him to establish different careers on Broadway and TV.
READ ALSO: *NSYNC Not Rich Despite Popularity Before Split, Lance Bass Reveals Why
Is New *NSYNC Album Coming Soon?
Elsewhere in the interview, Fatone hinted at *NSYNC's new album, which sparked a buzz.
"You never know. I can actually say, 'You know what? That's a possibility - 2025, that's a possibility,'" he said.
Fatone explained that it always takes time to do a whole album that has more than ten songs as a musician or the band needs to create around 30 or 40 tracks and then pick the best out of those songs.
Meanwhile, *NSYNC's future in touring remains a big question, as well, because they will need massive efforts to make it work. He shared a similar statement to The U.S. Sun, saying they got ushered out of doing the Super Bowl with Usher, but the news eventually became a rumor.
Fatone and his bandmates - Timberlake, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez - reunited for the first time in two decades at MTV's Video Music Awards on September 12.
READ MORE: *NSYNC Sparks Reunion Buzz: Members Working on New Music For This Movie?
