Lance Bass Says *NSYNC Bandmates Are ‘All Good’ amid Britney Spears Book Revelations: ‘People Will Survive’

The singer tells PEOPLE there are “definitely hopes for something fun in the future” with *NSYNC after their single “Better Place”

Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick and Justin Timberlake in September 2023 at the MTV Video Music Awards. PHOTO: KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY

Lance Bass is speaking out on the strong bond he shares with his *NSYNC bandmates through thick and thin.

The singer, 44, tells PEOPLE that he’s remained close over the years with JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone — and although they talk frequently, reconnecting in the studio to record a new song was special.

“Everybody’s spread all over the place, so it was just nice to be in the studio like old times, all together, being goofy teenagers again, just cracking the stupidest jokes,” he says. “It’s also interesting because conversations are different. We are adults now, and most of us have kids, and we’re married. So talking about kids is a little different from when we were 19.”

Bass, who recently partnered with Boursin Cheese for Maison Boursin’s Connection Collection, and *NSYNC released the song “Better Place” in September for the Trolls Band Together soundtrack, marking the group’s first song together in more than 20 years. They also appeared together that same month at the MTV Video Music Awards to present Taylor Swift with her win for best pop video.

Lance Bass.COURTESY OF MAISON BOURSIN

When pressed on how Timberlake is doing after the release of his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears’ memoir The Woman in Me (in which the singer reveals she became pregnant with Timberlake’s baby and had an abortion, and accused him of cheating on her), Bass simply says that he talks to his group mates “all the time.”

“Yes, we’re all good,” he says. “People will survive.”

The quintet’s long-awaited reunion first gained steam in the spring, which is when Bass says conversations about potentially joining forces once more for the Trolls movie first started.

“It was unexpected to be doing a song this year, [but] it’s been incredible,” he says. “Justin is the executive producer of the soundtrack of the movie, and it just made sense for us to get involved this year because of what the story is about. So he found this amazing song and we immediately fell in love with it.”

Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick onstage at the MTV Video Music Awards in September. 

Though it’s been years since they recorded together (Bass was around 22 at the time, and he’s now married to husband Michael Turchin, and dad to twins Alexander and Violet, 2), the star says getting back into the studio felt “like no day had passed.”

Bass admits that the SAG-AFTRA strike threw a “wrench” in the group’s reunion plans (They’d planned to attend a premiere together, but won’t in support of the strike) — but hints that there may be more to come in the future.

“There’s definitely hopes for something fun in the future, because look, we had too much fun with just doing this one song,” he says. “It can’t stop now!”