Given the slow but steady decline in album sales over the years, it seemed that *NSYNC‘s first-week album sales record for No Strings Attached might stand for a lifetime. When the boy band‘s second studio album debuted in 2000, it moved 2,416,000 for the week ending March 26 — a total that stood for 15 years.
And then… Adele. The U.K. soul singer’s third album 25 — the follow-up to her blockbuster 21 — is already set up to be one of the biggest albums ever — and it’s not even been out a week.
In slightly more than three days, Adele’s 25 surpassed No Strings Attached by moving 2,433,000 in pure album sales, as confirmed by Nielsen Music earlier today (Nov. 24).
Adele Breaks *NSYNC’s Single Week Sales Record
Adele is presumably happy about the runaway success of her latest, but what does *NSYNC think about the broken record? Billboard reached out to the now scattered members of the boy band for their thoughts. Here’s Joey Fatone’s take on the record he once set.
“Records are always meant to be broken, but with technology and current music business model, I thought this one would be tough to beat,” Fatone tells Billboard. “In all honesty, Adele is the truth — kinda excited a rare talent like hers is in the same breath as our group. I’m a huge fan….I even bought the damn album.”