'N Sync Releases 'Celebrity'

July 24, 2001 -- If the hottest boy band says pop is getting stale, maybe it is.

Members of 'N Sync say it's time to change or die — or become self-parody, tomorrow's Monkeys crooning "Daydream Believer" at carnivals.

With the much anticipated follow-up to No Strings Attached hitting record stores today, 'N Sync is promising that Celebrity will surprise folks expecting to hear reworked renditions of their smash hit "Bye Bye Bye."

"The bubblegum pop that everybody's listening to is dying out and people are gettin' tired of it, because there's only so much of it they can take," says member Chris Kirkpatrick. "But the rock 'n' roll's coming back and y'know, it's important for us to learn about music and not just say, 'well, we're just a pop singing group.'"

The quintet hunkered down for their new recording, writing 10 of the 13 tracks with a greater emphasis on R&B and other music styles.

"Y'know, we're rockers, too," says Kirkpatrick. "We're rappers, we're hip-hop artists. We envelop every kind of music that we hear and take out the best of it and I think that's why people catch on to us."

'There's Really a Lot of Pressure'

The release of Celebrity comes just three years since the heartthrobs' self-titled debut album.

They quickly scored four hits — including "Tearing Up My Heart" — but could never have been prepared for the success they would soon enjoy. Their sophomore effort, No Strings Attached, sold a record-setting 2.4 million copies in its first week and ending up as the best-selling record of 2000.

"There's really a lot of pressure that people put on us but I think it's mostly pressure that everybody's gonna keep on us until we finally, y'know, start on that down-plummet or whatever happens," says Kirkpatrick.

"We're concerned with making quality or learning. You know, if this album sells no records at all, we'll learn from that," he says. "We'll say, 'What do we do wrong? What is this?'"

Stevie Wonder Intimidates the Boys, But Not for Long

Critics may whince at 'N Sync's studio-produced pop, but Stevie Wonder sure doesn't.

The R&B legend contributes harmonica on the track "Something Like You" and proved that even pop heroes can be star struck.

"Justin [Timberlake] said he was really intimidated," says bandmate JC Chasez. "If something was a little bit wrong, he had to say, 'Yeah, Stevie, could you do this just a little bit different?' and then he'd get off the talkback and say, 'I just told Stevie how to do something which I shouldn't' so, it was kinda cool."

Reflecting on all Wonder has achieved, Kirkpatrick is confident 'N Sync will also enjoy a lasting legacy.

"Twenty years down the road, people are gonna be looking back and going, 'Ya'know what? 'N Sync was on top of it,'" says Kirpatrick. "'We labeled them as a bubblegum group but over time, we're seeing that they really knew where music was going and where they were taking their music.'"

ABCNEWS Radio's Andrea Dresdale and ABCNEWS.com's Nancy Chandross contributed to this report.