Jason Galasso, an original member of the boy band NSYNC, is breaking his silence on leaving the group just before they exploded in popularity.
In the new docuseries Boy Band Confidential, Galasso said he does think about what would have happened if he had stuck it out with the group, who went on to become one of the best-selling bands of the late ‘90s and early aughts.
“There’s always going to be those ‘what if’ moments, it’s just human nature,” he said, adding “I don’t know.”
Galasso was one of the original five members of the band, alongside his high school pal Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, and JC Chasez.
Galasso said the rest of the group was not happy when he said bye-bye-bye to the band.
“JC was pissed, calling me like, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing?’ And I don’t blame them,” Galasso said. “I kind of left them high and dry. So I get it. I’d be pissed at me, too.”
After Galasso left the group, Lance Bass took his place and in 1995 NSYNC signed with Lou Pearlman, the music manager behind the Backstreet Boys who would eventually be convicted of running one of the largest Ponzi schemes in U.S. history.
Pearlman was also the subject of many public allegations regarding sexual misconduct and predatory behavior, though he was never charged with such crimes.
Ultimately, however, it was Pearlman’s deal that proved foundational in propelling the band to international stardom.
Galasso pivoted hard after leaving the band, abandoning his dreams of pop music fame to complete his college degree.
“Then a buddy of mine I went to school with, he was in the mortgage business, and I’ve been doing that ever since,” he explained.
Nowadays, Galasso’s Instagram account says he is a mortgage loan originator in Florida.
NSYNC rose to become one of the most popular boy bands in history, selling more than 70 million records.
Their most popular songs include Bye Bye Bye, Tearin’ Up My Heart, and I Want You Back.
The group disbanded in 2002, reuniting briefly in 2023 to collaborate on the song Better Place.
Though Galasso was not part of that success, he does at least maintain a claim to part of the group’s name. According to The Independent, the band name was created using the last letter of each member’s name. One ‘N’ is for Jason.
