Better Place (NSYNC song)

"Better Place" is a song by American vocal group NSYNC. It was released on September 29, 2023, through RCA as the lead single from the soundtrack of the film Trolls Band Together, in which band member Justin Timberlake voices the character Branch. He produced the song with Shellback and the two wrote it alongside Amy Allen. It serves as NSYNC's first release after a hiatus that lasted over twenty years and follows the release of their fourth studio album, Celebrity (2001).

Release and promotion
Over two weeks before the release of the song, the band members put out a behind-the-scenes video, in which it showed the members recording their parts for the song. A trailer video was also released, which included a pre-save link for the song and confirmed its release date. Rumors of an NSYNC reunion have previously circulated after numerous posters of the film Trolls Band Together were spotted in New York City, which included the first letter of the band's logo and a QR code to the website TakeYouToABetterPlace.com to give a teaser of the song. The band briefly reunited at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, prior to the song's release on September 29, 2023. However, the song and film were reportedly not promoted by the band due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.

Composition and lyrics
"Better Place" is a pop song that is reminiscent of NSYNC's previous music from the late 1990s and early 2000s and is built on a disco pop instrumental as Timberlake, Chasez, Fatone, Kirkpatrick, and Bass sing the chorus: "Just let me take you to a better place / I'm gonna make you kiss the sky tonight / Yeah, if you let me show the way / I'm so excited to see you excited". Timberlake first recorded a demo of the song in early 2023 before deciding to reunite the band and record it together, with the film's plot being considered a "perfect confluence" to carry that narrative.

Commercial performance
"Better Place" debuted and peaked at number twenty-five on the Billboard Hot 100, tying the group's highest debut on the chart with their debut single, "I Want You Back". It became their thirteenth Hot 100 entry, eleventh top 40 appearance, and first since their previous single "Girlfriend" released in 2002.

Critical reception
The single was positively reviewed by Sadie Bell of People, stating it as an "infectious pop banger — calling back the '90s and ‘00s icons' early boy band sound, while giving it a contemporary update with a disco-pop beat. Each member gets their own moment to shine, too, while Timberlake, 42, carries the chorus."

Music video
A lyric video featuring characters from the Trolls Band Together movie was released on YouTube. A fan documentary was then also shared on YouTube highlighting five of the group's biggest fans to star in the music video for "Better Place". It showcased the fans standing in for the band members and becoming *NSYNC as they perform choreography from the movie. The lyric video has received over 10 million views on YouTube as of April 2024.

Credits and personnel

 * NSYNC
 * Justin Timberlake – vocals, songwriting, production, beatboxing
 * Chris Kirkpatrick – vocals
 * JC Chasez – vocals
 * Lance Bass – vocals
 * Joey Fatone – vocals
 * Shellback – production, songwriting, guitar, bass, percussion, keyboards, drum machine, whistling, programming
 * Amy Allen – songwriting
 * Anna Bylund – flute
 * Teresia Alm – oboe
 * Wojtek Goral – baritone saxophone
 * Tomas Jonsson – tenor saxophone
 * Mattias Johansson – trumpet, French horn, violin
 * Helena Stjernstrom – English horn
 * Peter Noos Johansson – trombone
 * Janne Bjerger – fluegelhorn
 * David Bukovinsky – cello
 * David Bergström – violin
 * Hanna Helgegren – violin
 * Erik Arvinder – violin
 * Robert Mollard – tambourine
 * Kasper Komar – tambourine
 * Mattias Bylund – synthesizer, editing, recording
 * Karl Gunér – synthesizer
 * Serban Ghenea – mixing
 * Randy Merrill – mastering
 * Chris Godbey – recording
 * Bryce Bordone – assistant engineering
 * Eric Eylands – assistant engineering