The late ’90s and early 2000s were all about pop music and boy-bands. Every other week, it seemed, a new group of boys had come together to sing and dance, and make all the girls swoon. There was an influx of acts and they all seemed to grow out of Lou Pearlman’s pockets.
Pearlman was the mastermind behind chart-topping and scream-inducing groups such as The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and O-Town. Two of his boy-bands dominated the charts, and it seemed Pearlman’s success would never end, despite the rumored rivalry going on between *NSYNC and The Backstreet Boys.
Amidst the rumored divide among the groups, in 2008 Pearlman’s success came to a screaming halt. The boy band mogul was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for a $300 million Ponzi scheme, stealing money from over 1,700 unsuspecting victims, including members of both The Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC.
His fall from grace has become the subject of a new YouTube Red ordered documentary called, The Lou Pearlman Project . According to Rolling Stone , *NSYNC members Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, and Lance Bass, and Backstreet Boy AJ McLean will participate in the documentary with voiceovers.
The site states that Bass will also participate as one of the documentary’s executive producers.
“I’ve always wanted to tell the story of the rise and fall of Lou Pearlman; I thought I knew most of the story since I had a front-row seat. I was fascinated to learn so much more through the eyes of other artists that were also subjected to Pearlman and his nefarious operation.”
Many experts in the world of entertainment will also lend their opinions and thoughts on the rise and fall of Pearlman. Along with Lance Bass, the YouTube Red documentary is being executive produced by Pilgrim Media Group, Craig Philigan, Nicholas Caprio, and Sam Korkis.
Fans of pop music and those who liked every genre heard about Pearlman’s scheme. It has become a part of pop music history, and this documentary will shed new light and information on what really went on behind the scenes.
In 2016, while serving his prison sentence, Lou Pearlman died at the age of 62.