Zayn Malik is the JC Chasez of 1D

My tenor kings are both the strongest members of their respective boy bands, dammit!

Feb 25, 2021

Somewhere between New Year’s Eve and the week of Framing Britney Spears, I gave up every other genre and exclusively listened to Y2K pop. Seeking comfort from the 24-hour news cycle and that damn “pandemic wall,” I became consumed with those loud, crunchy synths and sweet Swedish melodies (thanks to my King, Max Martin.) For weeks, I only listened to Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC. My little drives in Connecticut were limitless, and as I danced in my seat to those perfectly layered harmonies and ear-worm melodies, I was both in awe and comforted. The serotonin drips were constant, and one thing that was always abundantly clear to me solidified in my *NSYNC revisit: JC Chasez, tenor king, was the lead vocalist of *NSYNC.

Joshua Scott “JC” Chasez was and is, for lack of a better phrase, everything to me? Listening to *NSYNC now and dissecting the tracks is to realize each song is a constant tug of war between JC and Justin Timberlake. Vocally, they both get the same amount of shine on the first two albums. Celebrity, their final album, is where Timberlake starts to get more airtime, but even then, JC still has his moments (see his silky smooth runs on the second verse of Girlfriend.)

This sudden obsession with “the boy band of it all” isn’t new to me, and instantly reminded me of another time I found myself helplessly at the mercy of these perfectly crafted “groups.” My first Thanksgiving break from college, my friend Brenna introduced me to some One Direction deep cuts, which was during their Midnight Memories-era. A faux-classic rock and (you guessed it) Y2K-infused sound literally made me fall in love with those boys. My house in college even had a Midnight Memories poster (which was giving 15 % joke, 85 % full-stan energy.) When listening to 1D extensively, I began to notice the same pattern I’ve always gathered from *NSYNC. Harry Styles, who is no doubt incredibly talented, pretty much sang every hook. But rounding out each song with, yes, a buttery smooth tenor voice with unparalleled control, was the “Bradford bad boy” himself, Zayn Malik.

We know the story, about a decade after *NSYNC’s final album, a little boy band came in third place in the popular televised singing competition, X Factor. With their first lead single, One Direction crossed over in what felt like two seconds, and I, a junior in high school, while dabbling in some 1D songs, was more focused on “elevated” music (all I listened to was Channel Orange that year.) And still, years later, they won me over.

Zayn’s voice soared above the rest on almost every track. Effortlessly cool and soft, Malik’s efforts were almost always a highlight. Take “Best Song Ever”, for example, which has one of the best final choruses of a any pop song in recent memory. The song essentially becomes a Zayn song, with him riffing and gliding over the bridge and hook, until ultimately you forget about the four other boys in the group at all (yes, even Harry.)

What JC had above every other boy in *NSYNC (and maybe every Backstreet Boy as well) was the vocals, okay? I’ve spent far too much time imagining a Dreamgirls-esque conversation where JC turns to their creator Lou Pearlman and exclaims, “Justin’s beautiful and he’s always been beautiful...but I’ve got the voice, Lou, I’ve got the voice!” A truly buttery smooth timbre with incredible control, every strong riff or run on the third chorus of an *NSYNC song you love to sing along with, is nine times out of ten, JC. Timberlake’s falsetto, while signature to *NSYNC’s sound and beyond, has nothing on my savior JC.

JC’s vocal sorcery comes to a peak in “This I Promise You”, their final single from No Strings Attached. Noticeably not produced by King (Max Martin, stay with me), “This I Promise You” is a soaring ballad where the boys each promise to love forever, a searing declaration of love, if you will. The song tastes like chocolate covered strawberries and sounds like a stroll at sunset in Barcelona (that guitar is putting in WORK!) What makes the song though, is that it’s a true JC Chasez showcase. It’s one of the biggest times he gets to shine, and from the second verse on, Mr. Chasez takes it home, ladies.

The same can be said of One Direction’s “Night Changes” (the last single to feature Zayn as a member of the group). Featuring a swoon-worthy music video and gorgeous melody, “Night Changes” finds the 1D boys at their deepest, dreaming and examining how fast life is moving around them, and if their love will remain. Zayn opens the song, serenading his lover, and, you guessed it, takes it home with the bridge, nailing a stirring key change. When Zayn infamously left One Direction, my friend Kendrick and I were heartbroken. What did it mean? Is Zayn okay? But Harry was supposed to leave first?! All I remember saying over and over was, “this is like if JC left *NSYNC before Justin!” And when Pillowtalk, Zayn’s first solo single, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, I couldn’t help but wonder (lol) if there was an alternate universe where JC dipped from *NSYNC right after No Strings Attached, completely throwing Timberlake’s momentum and set himself up for a kick-ass solo career.

Listen, I’m not here to argue that JC and Zayn had the most star-power in their respective groups. There’s a reason why both Timberlake and Styles were always positioned to be the break-out stars, and I truly believe they are both talented (and no, I’m not diving into the Janet/Britney of it all but I’m sure you can gather exactly how I feel about THAT). But from a vocal standpoint, JC and Zayn are spiritual brothers, rounding out these groups with flawless vocal execution and giving us the lasting performances that instantly come to mind when we think of these songs. Now, let's get a JC Chasez / Zayn Duets album produced by King (Max. Martin. Guys.) ASAP!

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