It's a struggle that has played out for bubblegum acts through the decades, dating back to Fabian in the 1950s, David Cassidy in the '70s, Tiffany in the '80s and the Spice Girls in the '90s: The bubble eventually bursts as young stars and their fans grow up and discover a wider range of music. The formula to overcoming that challenge is an elusive mix of talent, artistic growth, good management, family support and luck. "It's the rare case of the act that transitions seamlessly from being a teen pop star into a more sophisticated young adult act.
It's a small list," says Gary Marsh, who oversees some of the newest teen idols as chief of entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide. Although a small fraction of bubblegum stars, including Michael and Janet Jackson, have retained their original fans and brought new listeners onboard, many have ended up trading on nostalgia or leaving show business altogether. Timberlake, 25, who is currently on tour and has a new movie in theaters, shares, with the award-winning actress Beyonce, the top perch on the list of '90s pop idols who have made the right moves to become adult forces in the music industry.
The Memphis-born Timberlake is hands-down the most successful graduate of 'N Sync, which sold more than 30 million albums and filled arenas from 1998 to 2001. A drive to break new musical ground has propelled him. He left his boy-band stage with his 2002 solo debut, "Justified.
" Gone were the doo-wop inspired harmonies, replaced by a creative mix of funk, soul and hip-hop that brought instant credibility in the urban-music community and won him two Grammys. Also gone was girlfriend Spears, whom he had met when both were cast members on Disney's "New Mickey Mouse Club" TV series in the early '90s. Timberlake hooked up with actress Cameron Diaz (they've since called it quits), took to wearing tailored suits and sported a trendy buzz cut.
He continued his evolution with last year's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" CD, peppering the lyrics with profanity and sexual innuendo. Both albums hit No. 1.
"FutureSex" is still on Billboard's top 10. Timberlake took a gritty role in the drug-themed movie "Alpha Dog" (which opened Jan. 12), and he's all over YouTube with the uncensored version of a hilarious-but-raunchy skit performed on "Saturday Night Live" in December.
"I don't want people to forget I'm an entertainer, but I'd like people to realize I'm a musician as well," Timberlake said in launching his second CD last fall. "As far as being an actor, that remains to be seen." In addition to Christina Aguilera, 26, Disney graduate Hilary Duff, 19, is another a younger artist who is successfully negotiating the transition at a well-measured pace.
"Hilary started young when she was (on Disney's "Lizzie McGuire"), but she's grown a little bit at a time, musically speaking," Marsh says. "She started with very pop (style) music. She's started to do a little more sophisticated music.
" Former 'N Syncer Chasez followed Timberlake down the hip-hop route with a solo album, "Schizophrenic," in 2004. But it failed to go gold (500,000), and Chasez says he'll lean more toward his pop roots for his second album. Backstreet's Carter, 26, also stumbled in his bid for a smooth transition.
He released a rock-flavored album, "Now or Never," in 2002, but sales of 500,000 were disappointing. Like Timberlake, Beyonce has kept Destiny's Child fans in the fold as she has released two acclaimed solo albums, won five Grammy Awards for her 2003 debut, "Dangerously in Love," and become a major on-screen presence with "Dreamgirls," which opened in December. Disney's Raven-Symone, 21, whose career was launched on "The Cosby Show" at age 3, has seen success as well.
She stars in TV's "That's So Raven," is a member of the Cheetah Girls pop band and has clothing and cosmetics lines. "She's seen the highs and lows, people who have flamed out and people who have built slow and steady," Marsh says. "With the help of solid management and great parents, she has realized slow and steady wins the race.
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