FOR decades, boy bands from The Beatles to BTS have captured the hearts of millions of fans worldwide.
Lou Pearlman was known for the creation of many beloved musical acts including New Kids on The Block, The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Aaron Carter, and O-Town – and a new Netflix series has exposed Pearlman’s illegal activities.
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The upcoming documentary, out July 24, will discuss the rise and fall of Pearlman – who orchestrated one of the biggest Ponzi schemes to date.
Pearlman claimed to be in charge of many “businesses” that reportedly existed, but only on paper, where he lured investors to invest in his company Trans Continental International Inc. with the help of his boy bands.
He reportedly falsified federal records and financial statements to gain investors’ trust.
While *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys were selling millions of records worldwide, members weren’t making tons of money, while Pearlman was racking in millions.
Throughout their success, it was reported that the Backstreet Boys never earned more than $300,000.
When *NSYNC received their first paycheck after selling 10 million records, they allegedly received barely four figures.
In 2007, his “companies” were exposed and found to be fraud.
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The music businessman was sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiracy, money laundering, and false bankruptcy proceedings.
He laundered more than $1 billion, which landed him in prison after accruing more than $300 million in debt.
Pearlman died in federal custody in 2016.
Despite the huge scheme, Pearlman’s music acts dominated the charts and are still loved by many.
Take a look back at where your favorite boy bands – including the Backstreet Boys and O-Town are now.
*NSYNC
NSYNC was formed by member Chris Kirkpatrick, 52, in Orlando, Florida, in 1995.
The other members include Justin Timberlake, 43, Lance Bass, 45, JC Chasez, 47, and Joey Fatone, 47.
Lou Pearlman’s bands he’s created
Lou Pearlman was known for the upbringing of many bands in the 1990s.
Here are some bands that Lou Pearlman managed
- The Backstreet Boys
- *NSYNC
- O-Town
- LFO
- US5
- Aaron Carter
- C-Note
- Innosense
From 1997 to 2001, the band released three albums and one Christmas album: ‘N Sync (1997), Home For Christmas (1998), No Strings Attached (2000), and Celebrity (2001).
In 2002, the band went on a hiatus.
As the years went by, each group member went on to do their own things in the industry including solo albums and acting.
Since their hiatus, the group did come together for special appearances including their surprise 2013 MTV Video Music Awards performance and when they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018.
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In 2023, they revealed they were releasing a song for the film Trolls Band Together called Better Place.
In March, *NSYNC performed together for the first time in 10 years at Justin’s One Night Only performance in Los Angeles, California.
THE BACKSTREET BOYS
The Backstreet Boys were formed in Orlando in 1993 with members AJ McLean, 46, Howie Dorough, 50, Nick Carter, 44, Kevin Richardson, 52, and Brian Littrell, 49.
The group rose to fame with their self-titled debut album in 1996 that featured hit songs like Quit Playing Games (with My Heart) and We’ve Got It Goin’ On.
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Their fame only grew with the releases of their second and third albums, Backstreet’s Back (1997) and Millennium (1999).
Millennium got help from pop music mega-producer Max Martin who helped write one of their biggest hits, I Want It That Way.
A year later in 2000, they released Black and Blue, their final album until after their hiatus in 2004.
They released Never Gone in 2005 with the lead single Incomplete.
In 2006, Richardson announced that he was leaving the group to pursue other career opportunities and the rest of the band continued as a quartet.
In 2012, Richardson returned and the boys are still together.
O-TOWN
O-Town was founded in 2000 in Orlando after being assembled on the first season of the ABC series Making The Band.
Their name was inspired by the city of Orlando.
Its original band members included Erik-Michael Estrada, Jacob Underwood, Trevor Penick, Ashley Parker Angel, and Ikakia Kahoano.
Not so long after winning the competition, Kahoano left for personal reasons and was replaced by Dan Miller.
In 2001, the band released their first self-titled album with the single Liquid Dreams peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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That same year, they released their hit All or Nothing and toured with Britney Spears on her Dream Within A Dream Tour.
In 2002, the group called it quits after their label dropped their contract due to low sales.
In 2003, Angel was signed to Universal’s Blackground Records.
Three years later in 2006, released his solo album Soundtrack to Your Life
In 2007, he played Link in Hairspray on Broadway.
Penick went solo and used the stage name Tre Scott.
Estrada stayed in the music business but as a songwriter.
Underwood started a country band called Jacob’s Loc.
In 2013, many members came back for a reunion, but Angel decided not to return.
Miller, Estrada, Underwood, and Pennick continued without him.
In 2014, they released their comeback album Lines & Circles and in 2017, they joined Ryan Cabrera on some tour dates of the I Love the ’90s tour.
In 2019, they released their most recent album, The O.T.W.N. Album.
Angel’s recent TV appearance was on The Masked Singer in 2023.
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