Recommendations of the Editorial team
‘NSYNC’s Joey Fatone offers a candid look at the harsh realities of life as a young artist at the height of the ’90s boy band boom in a new documentary: “Boy Band Confidential.”
“Being in a boy band was one of the greatest experiences of my life – but it also brought challenges that we didn’t always understand at the time,” Fatone said in a press release announcing the special on Tuesday. “This project gave us all the opportunity to look back, be honest and tell what really happened behind the spotlight.”
The four-part production, for which Fatone serves as executive producer, premieres over two nights on ID on April 13 and 14. In addition to his ‘NSYNC colleague Lance Bass, Backstreet Boys star AJ McLean, Nick Lachey from 98 Degrees as well as Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men will have their say – plus other singers, managers and industry insiders.
Dark truths come to light
“I was sitting on the balcony of my 38th floor New York apartment and thought about jumping down,” says O-Town’s Ashley Parker Angel in the documentary series’ first trailer.
The series aims to lift the curtain on the dark side of the music business of that era, delving into the systematic exploitation of young singers – and “previously untold stories of abuse, addiction and financial manipulation,” as the press release states.
The project goes far beyond mere nostalgia and takes “an honest, unfiltered look at a cultural phenomenon that shaped an entire generation,” said ID President Jason Sarlanis. “We illuminate the pressures, vulnerabilities and surprising realities of life at the height of pop fame – with an approach rarely achieved in music documentaries.”
