NSYNC is meeting up with TLC's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in the studio this week to cook up one of the musical surprises the boy band plans to deliver with its upcoming "No Strings Attached."
"We're going to record with Left Eye tomorrow, actually, to put the finishing touches on the album," 'NSYNC's J.C. Chasez told MTV News on Wednesday. "It'll be the last thing we'll do for the album, pretty much."
The boys will team with Left Eye for the track "Space Cowboy," and were inspired to record with her at least in part by their recent collaboration with Gloria Estefan on the hit single "Music Of My Heart."
"When we did the song, we actually just put a dance break in it, and she's been doing all kinds of collaborations, and she comes across really cool," Chasez said of teaming with Left Eye. "We thought it would be really cool, because we did the duet with Gloria Estefan, but this is a fast song. It's something totally different."
"I think it would be cool to have a female's perspective on a male album," J.C. continued. "You got five guys on one record, and then just to throw a female perspective in there for a second to see what they're thinking about -- it's cool. So we definitely decided she was the go-to. As far as female rappers, for her she was the go-to right away."
Left Eye is just one fresh twist that the group hopes to offer fans when "No Strings Attached" arrives on March 21. The boys are also promising to sprinkle some unconventional beats and sounds into the mix.
"It's another step above the first one." 'NSYNC's Joey Fatone said of the album. "We experienced a lot of things over the year and a half, two years since the since the first album came out. Basically we've grown up a little bit more, so it's taking it to the next level, and hopefully, probably the next album as well."
"We're gonna evolve with our fans and evolve with the music," Fatone continued, "because we love all different types of music. And, we're adding little different beats here and there, little different sounds, just to make it a little more edgier. But it's still gonna have 'NSYNC harmonies and sound."
The first hints of this experimental (at least by 'NSYNC standards) sound came in the form of "Bye, Bye, Bye," the album's first single. The track hit radio earlier this month, and a Wayne Isham-directed video for the clip debuted on MTV this week.
The group is also currently mapping out a world tour that is tentatively set to launch in May.
-- Robert Mancini
