Chris Kirkpatrick

Christopher Alan Kirkpatrick (born October 17, 1971) is an American singer, dancer and actor, who is known for his work as a founding member of the pop group NSYNC, in which he sang countertenor. He has provided voices for numerous kids shows, including the voice of Chip Skylark on The Fairly OddParents. He also guest starred on The Simpsons as himself, along with his fellow NSYNC bandmates, in the episode "New Kids on the Blecch".

Chris Kirkpatrick
Kirkpatrick at a screening of Gone Country 2 in August 2008
Background information
Birth nameChristopher Alan Kirkpatrick
BornOctober 17, 1971 (1971-10-17) (age 49)
Clarion, Pennsylvania
OriginClarion, Pennsylvania, U.S.
GenresPop
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • dancer
  • actor
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active1995–present
LabelsRCA, Jive
Associated actsNSYNC, Nigels 11, Sureshot

Early life and education

Kirkpatrick was born in Clarion, Pennsylvania on October 17, 1971, of Irish, Scottish, Spanish, and Native American ancestry.[1] He attended and graduated from Dalton High School in Dalton, Ohio. He then moved to Orlando, Florida, and attended Rollins College, while he performed at Universal Studios as a member of a Doo Wop group, The Hollywood Hi-Tones, and bussed at a local Outback Steakhouse.[2]

Career

In the early 1990s, while working at Universal Studios and singing in The Hollywood Hi-Tones troupe, a throwback doo-wop group of aspiring singers and actors. In the spring of 1995, through a mutual friend (Charlie Edwards) of late-boyband svengali Lou Pearlman, the two met and he was interested in Kirkpatrick's idea to start another group (of which he already had in The Backstreet Boys), and thus formed the nucleus for NSYNC, collectively coming together in September 1995.

With the group, he sold over 50 million records worldwide during their height of success in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with their sophomore album, No Strings Attached, selling 2.4 million in its first week alone (the record only broken 15 years later by Adele's 25). In the group he sang soprano/countertenor and lead on songs such as "Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)" and "I Thought She Knew".[3]

Mission Man Band

In 2007, having been out the spotlight for five years with NSYNC, he starred in the reality show Mission Man Band which was about former boyband members of the 1990s, striving for another shot at success. Alongside Kirkpatrick, the show starred Bryan Abrams of Color Me Badd, Jeff Timmons of 98° and the late Rich Cronin of LFO. The show debuted on August 7, 2007, showcasing the guys forming the supergroup "man band" called Sureshot in which they recorded an original song and performed at local sporting events, charities and fairs. The show's last episode aired on January 1, 2008.[4][5][6]

Gone Country 2

In April 2008, it was announced Kirkpatrick would be a part of the second season of CMT's show Gone Country.

Kirkpatrick participated in Gone Country 2 with other cast members: Sebastian Bach, Irene Cara (one episode), Mikalah Gordon, Jermaine Jackson, Lorenzo Lamas and Sean Young. The show was hosted by John Rich of the country duo Big & Rich.

During the show, for which each contestant had to prepare and perform an original song, Kirkpatrick had one of the strongest songs of the competition with "That'll Get Ya By". He dedicated his performance to his mother, who he said "held the family together". Kirkpatrick surprised many country fans when he stepped on stage and proved he had the writing skills and voice to be a successful country artist.

The prize of having a record produced by John Rich and the promise of play from Kix Brooks on his radio show went to Sebastian Bach. However, John Rich congratulated Kirkpatrick on his past success and his future successes by telling him he had one of the best songs and he could see it going number one as a country hit. The season two last show episode aired on September 26, 2008.[7][8]

Personal life

During his tenure with NSYNC, he had a short-lived clothing line named, Fu-Man Skeeto, which he founded in 1998. The clothing brand was urban, skater fashion and popular of the trends of the time. He subsequently ceased of the line by early 2001.

After NSYNC, he went on to do minor acting roles and predominately voice-over work for cartoons and video games, most notably as the character Chip Skylark in The Fairly OddParents.

On November 2, 2013, Kirkpatrick married his long-time girlfriend, Karly Skladany, at the Loews resort hotel in Orlando, Florida.[9] In March 2017, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child.[10] His wife gave birth to a son, Nash, seven months later on October 10.[11]

Music videos

Kirkpatrick has appeared in the music videos for "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" by Good Charlotte, "2nd Sucks" by A Day to Remember, "Irresistible" by Fall Out Boy featuring Demi Lovato and "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" (2019 Version) by David Archuleta (along with Lance Bass).

Discography

NSYNC

Filmography
Films
Year Title Role Notes
2001 On the Line Angelo the hairstylist (uncredited)
2015 Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! Pool Lifeguard Supporting role
2016 Dead 7 Mayor Shelby

References
  1. "Chris Kirkpatrick".
  2. "'NSync - TMS Journal 13/14".
  3. Bass, Lance (2007). Out of Sync. New York, Los Angeles: Simon Spotlight Entertainment. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-4169-4788-2.
  4. "'Mission: Man Band' thoughts". The Baltimore Sun.
  5. "Man band-ers try to play on". Orlando Sentinel.
  6. "Oh boy! It's a Battle of the Man Bands!". Boston Herald.
  7. "CMT's 'Gone Country 2' Reveals Cast". Billboard.
  8. "*NSYNC'S CHRIS KIRKPATRICK HAS 'GONE COUNTRY'". Ok!.
  9. "Chris Kirkpatrick Karly Skladany". People.
  10. Juneau, Jen (March 31, 2017). "Baby on the Way for Chris Kirkpatrick". People. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  11. Juneau, Jen; Leon, Anya (October 10, 2017). "Chris Kirkpatrick Welcomes Son Nash Dylan". People.com. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
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