JC Chasez
JC Chasez | |
|---|---|
 Chasez at Bryant Park in September 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joshua Scott Chasez (adopted name) |
| Born | August 8, 1976 Washington, D.C. |
| Genres | Pop, dance-pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, actor |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Jive/Zomba (1999–2007) |
Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez (born August 8, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, entertainer, record producer, and occasional actor. He started out his career as a cast member on the The Mickey Mouse Club. Then he rose to superstardom as one of the two lead vocalists of the boy band 'N Sync. After the band's split-up, Chasez released his solo album, Schizophrenic, and has gone on to write and produce for music acts such as Girls Aloud, Basement Jaxx, David Archuleta, Matthew Morrison, and the Backstreet Boys. He also served as a judge for America's Best Dance Crew.
Early life and education
Chasez was born in Washington, DC, on August 8, 1976. His biological mother entrusted his care to her former foster parents, Roy and Karen Chasez, hoping that they would be able to provide him with an education and a stable family life.[1] At age five, he was adopted by Roy and Karen.[2] Chasez has said that he does not know who his biological father is, and has no plans to search for him.[1]
After being adopted, Chasez grew up in Bowie, Maryland,[citation needed] raised as a Mennonite.[3] He has a younger brother, Tyler, and a younger sister, Heather.[1] Chasez attended the former Robert Goddard Middle School and then Bowie High School.[citation needed] He always danced when he was a child.[2]
Career
Early career
As a child, Chasez was extremely shy, but when a friend bet him $20 to enter a talent show, he won the contest and soon realized he had a knack for performing and that he really enjoyed singing. In 1989, his mother Karen Chasez noticed a small ad in the Washington Post announcing auditions for Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club, and encouraged Chasez to try out. He chose to audition, selecting the song "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx. Chasez was soon cast as a performer in the fourth season and stayed until the show's cancellation in 1995. Since there was another Mouseketeer named Joshua, Chasez went by his first and last initials, "JC", to avoid confusion. It was during his time as a Mouseketeer that Chasez befriended future bandmate Justin Timberlake, along with other future entertainers including Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Tony Lucca, Keri Russell, and Christina Aguilera.
He wrote the song "Give In To Me" (a.k.a. "Give Me The Love I Need") when he was 18 in 1994 and he sings the lead on it on Euge Groove's debut CD.
'N Sync
JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake were the two lead singers of what would become the popular boy band 'N Sync. The group officially formed in 1995, and became popular in Europe in 1996. In 1998, the band released its debut album *NSYNC which sold 11 million copies, and became very popular in the United States. After the band had its series of legal struggles with manager Lou Pearlman, they signed with Jive Records. They released their second studio album No Strings Attached in 2000, which became the fastest selling album of all time selling 2.4 million copies in the first week alone, making it the most albums sold in one week, and had the #1 hit single "It's Gonna Be Me". Other singles from the No Strings Attached Album included Bye Bye Bye, This I Promise You, and It Makes Me Ill. The band went on to produce their third studio album, Celebrity in 2001, which sold 1.8 million copies in the first week.
After the group's Celebrity Tour in 2002, the band decided to take a hiatus. During this time, Chasez produced his own album, Schizophrenic. They never officially disbanded, but since 2004, they have never reunited for any musical purposes, and there have been mixed reactions as far as whether the reunion would happen. In August 2013, JC rejoined with Justin and the rest of 'N Sync for a one time performance at the MTV Awards.
Solo career
During 'Nsync's scheduled hiatus, Chasez pursued work as a songwriter and producer. His first solo single, "Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love)", co-produced by Dallas Austin, was released on the 2002 Drumline soundtrack.
In 2004, Chasez's debut album Schizophrenic was released on Jive Records. The album was produced by Chasez, Dallas Austin, and contributing artists Basement Jaxx, BT and rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard, under the pseudonym Dirt McGirt.
Promotion for the album was affected by former band mate Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, after which Chasez was unceremoniously dropped from his halftime-show performance at the 2004 Pro Bowl. The NFL feared lyrics of the album's first single, "Some Girls Dance with Women", expressed too much sexuality.[4]
In 2007, Chasez parted ways with Jive Records,[5] indefinitely stalling the release of his second album, The Story of Kate. Two singles from the album, "Until Yesterday" and "You Ruined Me" have been released online. Chasez continues to work as a song-writer and producer, with songs written for David Archuleta[6] and Backstreet Boys. Chasez was a judge on Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew on MTV. He stayed on the panel for all seven seasons from 2008 to 2012, until its cancellation.
In November 2010, the song "If U C Kate" written by Dallas Austin, Taio Cruz, Alan Nglish, and Chasez was featured on the British band McFly's album, Above the Noise.
Longtime friend and co-worker, Justin Timberlake helped produce a few songs on Chasez's album, said "In my opinion, he had the best voice out of all of us ... Out of all the boy bands, call 'em what you will, he was the one that could out-sing all of us. And I've known him since I was 10, so it was fun to sit behind the board and push him."[7]
In February 2012, Chasez announced via his website[8] that he is holding auditions, together with the producer and songwriter Jimmy Harry, to form an all-girl group with ages between 18 and 24. Most of the band members have been selected as of November 2012, and the group has been dubbed Girl Radical.[9]
In 2014 Chasez was selected to join the North American tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar as Pontius Pilate. Other cast members included Superstar winner Ben Forster and other well known artists, including Incubus' Brandon Boyd, Destiny's Child Michelle Williams, and Public Image Ltd's John Lydon.[10] However, on May 30, 2014 the entire North American tour was abruptly canceled, with poor projected ticket sales cited as the reason.[11]
Discography
Albums
| JC Chasez discography | |
|---|---|
| Singles | "Blowin' Me Up", "Some Girls", "All Day Long I Dream About Sex" |
Singles
All regularly released singles and their chart peak position in U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (US 100), U.S. Top 40 Mainstream (US Main), UK Singles Chart (UK), Canadian Singles Chart (CAN), Australian Singles Chart (AUS), New Zealand Top 40 (NZ), Irish Top 50 (IRE) and in the Belgian UltraTop 50 (BEL).
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. 100 |
U.S. Pop |
UK[12] | CAN | AUS | NZ | IRE | BEL | GER | SWI | ||||||||||
| 2000 | "Bring It All to Me (Remix)" (Blaque featuring JC Chasez) | 4 | 15 | — | 9 | — | 16 | — | — | 67 | 53 | Blaque | |||||||
| 2003 | "Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love)" 1 | 35 | 14 | 13 | 24 | — | — | 20 | — | — | — | Schizophrenic | |||||||
| 2004 | "Some Girls (Dance with Women)" 1 | 88 | 30 | 13 | — | — | — | 20 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "All Day Long I Dream About Sex" | — | — | 59 | — | 25 | 32 | — | 44 | — | — | |||||||||
| 2006 | "Until Yesterday" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Story of Kate | |||||||
| 2007 | "You Ruined Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
Notes:
| |||||||||||||||||||
Guest appearances
| Year | Artist | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Blaque | "Bring It All to Me" | Blaque |
| 2000 | Euge Groove | "Give in to Me" | Euge Groove |
| 2002 | Various artists | "Blowin' Me Up (with Her Love)" | Drumline Soundtrack |
| 2003 | Basement Jaxx | "Plug it In" | Kish Kash |
| BT | "Force of Gravity" | Emotional Technology | |
| "Somnambulist" | |||
| 2005 | The Stone Movement | "Slow Songs" | Unreleased |
| 2006 | Carlos Santana | "If I Don't" | Unreleased |
| Girls Aloud | "Watch Me Go" | Chemistry | |
| 2007 | Backstreet Boys | "Treat Me Right" | Unbreakable |
| Jonatha Brooke | "Careful What You Wish For" | Careful What You Wish For | |
| "Beautiful Girl" | |||
| 2008 | David Archuleta | "Don't Let Go" | David Archuleta |
| 2010 | A.J. McLean | "Teenage Wildlife" | Have It All |
| "Love Crazy" | |||
| McFly | "iF U C Kate" | Above the Noise | |
| 2011 | Matthew Morrison | "Hey" | Matthew Morrison |
| "Don't Stop Dancing" | |||
| 2012 | Richard Marx | "This I Promise You" | A Night Out With Friends |
| Cady Groves | "Ugly" | This Little Girl | |
| Kristina Maria | "FML X2" | Tell The World | |
| "Animal" | |||
| Various Artists | Various | Rock of Ages Soundtrack | |
| 2014 | Various Artists | "My Girl" | Smokey & Friends |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Red Sky | Alex Cruz | |
| 2009 | 21 and a Wake-Up | Dr. Tom Drury | |
| 2008 | Killer Movie | Ted Buckley |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–1996 | The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (TANMMC) | Himself | Seasons 4-7 |
| 2000 | Saturday Night Live | Himself/Musical Guest | (along with N Sync) |
| 2008–2012 | America's Best Dance Crew | Himself | Judge |
| 2008 | Las Vegas | William | "I Could Eat a Horse" (Season 5, episode 12) |
| 2008 | Girlicious | Himself | "Confidence" (episode 2) |
| 2006 | Ghost Whisperer | Samson | "The Curse of the Ninth" (Season 2, episode 9) |
| 2005 | What's New, Scooby-Doo? | Himself | A Scooby-Doo Valentine |
| 2003 | Greetings from Tucson | Jay Dugray | "Home Sweet Home" (Season 1, episode 18) |
| 2002 | What I Like About You | Himself | "Spa Day" (Season 1, episode 2) |
| 2001 | The Simpsons | Himself | Episode: "New Kids on the Blecch" |
References
- ^ a b c "MP3 of Chasez Interview on 104.7 KISS FM". 2008-01-24.
- ^ a b "Who Does JC Chasez Think He Is?". Blender Magazine. Retrieved April 14, 2003.
- ^ "The Religion of JC Chasez, singer with 'N Sync". Adherents.com. January 9, 2001. Retrieved 2007-09-11.
- ^ "Chasez Out of Pro Bowl, Rips NFL". E! Online. 2004-02-05. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ Vozick, Simon (2007-09-10). "Chasez Says 'Bye Bye Bye' to Jive". EW.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "N Sync | Chasez Helps Idol Archuleta". Contactmusic. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ Moss, Corey (2006-08-17). "Justin Opens Up About Britney, Lance, JC And The Media - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
- ^ "Singers/Dancers Wanted". Jc Chasez. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Girl Radical". Girl Radical. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
- ^ http://www.eonline.com/news/528699/jc-chasez-michelle-williams-and-more-team-up-for-jesus-christ-superstar-north-american-tour
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/arts/music/anger-for-jesus-christ-superstar-cast-and-a-black-eye-for-its-promoter.html
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). Brazil: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 101. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links
- 1976 births
- American adoptees
- American child singers
- American dance musicians
- American house musicians
- American male singers
- American Mennonites
- American pop singers
- American tenors
- Singers with a four-octave vocal range
- American record producers
- American singer-songwriters
- Living people
- Jive Records artists
- Mouseketeers
- Musicians from Maryland
- Musicians from Washington, D.C.
- NSYNC members
- People from Bowie, Maryland
- Reality television judges
- Sony BMG artists