BOYZ N GIRLZ UNITED

In the midst of the late-1990s teen-pop explosion, the Orlando-based quartet Boyz N Girlz United was assembled by the same team responsible for shaping the careers of the Backstreet Boys, 'NSync, and Britney Spears. The multicultural foursome inked a deal with Johnny Wright's W.I.R.E. Records in 1999 and subsequently collaborated with J.C. Chasez of the Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum-selling group 'NSync. Chasez wrote multiple songs for the group's debut album, among them the minor hit "Messed Around." Blending club and dance textures with classic pop rhythms, BNG spent the opening months of 2000 on the road alongside LFO and Britney Spears. Their self-titled debut arrived that summer, yet it struggled to register amid a market dominated by 'NSync's No Strings Attached, the Backstreet Boys's Black & Blue, and Spears' Oops!...I Did It Again. Boyz N Girlz United dissolved shortly afterward, though member Robbie Carrico later appeared as a contestant on season 7 of American Idol.