How NSYNC's JC Chasez Wound Up In A Meow Mix Commercial
Starring in a commercial for cat food might lead some to believe former *NSYNC member JC Chasez has fallen on hard times, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Plenty of former stars turn to becoming brand ambassadors or agreeing to advertising spots when their claim to fame gig fizzles out, but Chasez explains to Billboard, "I was made to host The Tabby Five," the name of his feline quintet.
In the commercial, released in the summer of 2023, Chasez provides vocals as five faux cats (decked out in denim) give their best boy band rendition of the vintage Meow Mix jingle. The "Bye Bye Bye" singer confessed that his passion for the project was twofold, "I grew up with cats — and dogs to be fair. I'm an animal lover in general. So, I loved the Meow Mix idea. Of course, there's a lot of '90s Nostalgia going on right now, so putting a '90s spin on the longtime jingle was so fun."
Commenters loved the mash-up and the catchy jingle, as did Chasez, "It's so good. It's the sound, right? You automatically go back to that era. They nailed the sound of the era," he exclaimed. "[Whoever] made these commercials deserves an Emmy," wrote one fan. Indeed, the marketing strategy was spot on, "When we were tasked with launching the wet-food range, there was only one genre that could really bring it to life — the rain-soaked boy bands of the '90s," admitted group creative director Peter Defries.
He lent his voice to another animated role
The fall of 2023 brought the long-awaited reunion of *NSYNC, although not for a tour or live concert. Instead, JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick all got together for the "Trolls Band Together" movie. The millennial-favorite band released the song "Better Place," *NSYNC's first in over two decades. Chasez made a cameo, too, although he might be a little hard to recognize. At the movie's end, the band Kismet appears, complete with Chasez as Hype, a glittering aqua troll complete with a denim vest.
Ryan Seacrest got the scoop from Chasez on what it was like to be back with the boys during his "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" podcast. "[We] actually get to enjoy the moment together," Chasez said of getting to attend the premiere with his fellow band members. "It's a really fun thing," he gushed of the film's boy band-rich soundtrack before admitting that when they were all back in the studio, *NSYNC had a great time reminiscing — although, some members recalled the times a bit more fondly than others, much like in the movie.
That said, Chasez couldn't confirm they would all stick together for a future tour, concert, or residency. "That seems to be the question," he admitted. Continuing, "We didn't even know if there was going to be real interest in us doing this [movie cameo] in the first place." But reviews of "Trolls Band Together" proved that millennial parents were all about their childhood faves reuniting.
Chasez has a different goal in mind
Another reason why JC Chasez might not be too eager to join an *NSYNC reunion tour is because his musical focus looks a bit different from his boy band days. The songwriter and producer recently crafted two plays, and explained to Billboard about working in theater, "It's kind of like the last thing that I haven't really dabbled in. I started in television, then I moved into music, and I made a couple of films. Now it feels like this is the last untapped thing."
In an interview with People, the "I Want You Back" singer admitted the plays were musicals that could become concept albums. "In order to hear everything, I demoed everything," he admitted. By the end, Chasez realized he had almost made something he could release, "We were like, 'I mean, this is kind of a record, so should we?' Originally it was for shopping purposes, but now we might actually let more people hear."
Nevertheless, the "Trolls" star isn't eager to produce another *NSYNC or solo album, revealing, "My favorite thing is to create. I could care less about hearing myself." The closest we might come to seeing the boy band reunited in person is the glimpse we got at the September 2023 Video Music Awards.