Celebrity (album)
Encyclopedia
Celebrity is the third and final studio album by the pop
boy band 'N Sync
. It was released on July 24, 2001, by Jive Records
. The label was heavily criticized for releasing singles that involved Justin Timberlake on lead vocals, and none which involved JC Chasez performing or co-writing. In his autobiography Out of Sync
, Lance Bass
believes that this decision ultimately caused Justin Timberlake to pursue a solo career, eventually breaking up the band. The album achieved five times platinum status in the United States and became the group's third album to sell over 10 million copies worldwide.
revealed that the group planned to collaborate with producers Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs and Richard Marx
, both contributed to No Strings Attached. Upon the album's release, Allmusic senior editor, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, writing that Celebrity is 'N Sync's "most varied album yet, but the emergence of Timberlake and Chasez as credible soulful singers and, yes, songwriters makes it their best album yet, and one of the best of the teen pop boom of 1999-2001". In the United States, Celebrity debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
. The album sold 1,879,955 copies in its first week, making it the second best in SoundScan
history, only behind 'N Sync's previous album, No Strings Attached. Although it was outnumbered by its predecessor, Celebrity still managed to gain the second-best debut-week sales since SoundScan began monitoring record retailers in 1991. On August 22, 2001, the album was certified five-time Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA), denoting five million shipments. The album also debuted at number one in Canada by selling 71,245 copies.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
boy band 'N Sync
'N Sync
N Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
. It was released on July 24, 2001, by Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
. The label was heavily criticized for releasing singles that involved Justin Timberlake on lead vocals, and none which involved JC Chasez performing or co-writing. In his autobiography Out of Sync
Out of Sync
Out of Sync: A Memoir is the autobiography of American pop singer Lance Bass, published October 23, 2007. It features an introduction by Marc Eliot, a New York Times best-selling biographer, and was published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment, a division of Simon & Schuster. The book debuted on The...
, Lance Bass
Lance Bass
James Lance Bass , best known as Lance Bass, is an American pop singer, dancer, actor, film and television producer, and author. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band 'N Sync. 'N Sync's success led Bass to work in film and television...
believes that this decision ultimately caused Justin Timberlake to pursue a solo career, eventually breaking up the band. The album achieved five times platinum status in the United States and became the group's third album to sell over 10 million copies worldwide.
Background
In December 2000, it was announced that 'N Sync would be returning to a studio in Florida in preparation for the follow up to their landmark second album, No Strings Attached. At the Billboard Music Awards, member Justin TimberlakeJustin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
revealed that the group planned to collaborate with producers Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs and Richard Marx
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
, both contributed to No Strings Attached. Upon the album's release, Allmusic senior editor, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, writing that Celebrity is 'N Sync's "most varied album yet, but the emergence of Timberlake and Chasez as credible soulful singers and, yes, songwriters makes it their best album yet, and one of the best of the teen pop boom of 1999-2001". In the United States, Celebrity debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The album sold 1,879,955 copies in its first week, making it the second best in SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
history, only behind 'N Sync's previous album, No Strings Attached. Although it was outnumbered by its predecessor, Celebrity still managed to gain the second-best debut-week sales since SoundScan began monitoring record retailers in 1991. On August 22, 2001, the album was certified five-time Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA), denoting five million shipments. The album also debuted at number one in Canada by selling 71,245 copies.
Track listings
Personnel
- Alan Armitage - engineer
- Brady Barnett - digital editing
- Kenny Blank - guitar
- Bryan Popin - piano, cello, strings, writer ("Falling")
- Stuart Brawley - engineer, mixing
- BT - Arranger, programming, producer, engineer, mixing
- Christopher Carroll - mixing
- JC Chasez - producer
- J. Valentine - background vocals, writer, producer
- Bradley Daymond - mixing
- Todd Fairall - engineer
- Tony Flores - mixing
- Michael Forbes - engineer
- Richard Fortus - bass guitar, guitar (electric)
- Brian Garten - engineer
- Steven Gerstein - stylist
- Alexander Greggs - mixing
- Paul Gregory - engineer
- Kevin Guarnieri - engineer, digital editing, assistant engineer
- Chris Haggerty - digital editing
- Hampton String Quartet - strings
- Chaz Harper - mastering
- Jean-Marie Horvat - mixing
- Bill Importico - engineer
- Rodney JerkinsRodney JerkinsRodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
- multi instruments, producer - Joel Kazmi - engineer, assistant vocal engineer
- Scott Kieklak - mixing
- Michael Landau - guitar (electric)
- Michael Lang - piano
- Kristian Lundin - producer, engineer, mixing
- Brian McKnightBrian McKnightBrian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....
- keyboards, producer - Peter Mokran - mixing
- J. Moss - producer, engineer, rap, mixing
- Dylan Koski-Budabin - engineer
- Pablo Munguia - engineer, assistant engineer
- Jackie Murphy - art direction, design
- Anthony Nance - drum programming
- Esbjörn Öhrwall - guitar
- Paulino Oliveira - assistant engineer
- John O'Mahoney - mixing
- Frankie Payne - hair stylist
- Charles Pollard - programming, engineer, string arrangements
- Rami - producer, engineer, mixing
- Wade RobsonWade RobsonWade Jeremy William Robson is an Australian dance prodigy, director, producer, songwriter, and award-winning choreographer. He began performing as a dancer at the age of five. He has directed music videos and world tours for numerous music artists such as 'N Sync and Britney Spears...
- arranger, multi instruments, producer - Jacob Schulze - producer, engineer, mixing
- Mark Seliger - photography
- Talley Sherwood - engineer
- Mary Ann Souza - assistant engineer
- Rich Tapper - assistant engineer, mixing
- Michael Hart Thompson - guitar (acoustic)
- Justin TimberlakeJustin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
- arranger, multi instruments, producer, beatbox - Michael Tucker - engineer, assistant engineer, mixing, vocal recording
- Carlos Vazquez - beat programming
- WaWa - chant
- Robin Wiley - producer, digital editing, string arrangements
- Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
- harmonica - Chris Wood - engineer
- Yasu - string engineer
Chart positions and certifications
| Chart (2001) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
10 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 24 |
| Belgian Flemish Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
31 |
| Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
47 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
1 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 7 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
42 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
5 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
10 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
16 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
27 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 14 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
12 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| Country | Certification | Sales or Shipments |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Gold | 35,000 |
| Brazil | Gold | 100,000 |
| Canada | 2x Platinum | 200,000 |
| United Kingdom | Gold | 100,000 |
| United States | 5x Platinum | 5,000,000 |