The “It’s Gonna Be May” meme may be another year older, but it’s more relevant than ever.
According to the database KnowYourMeme, the viral trend originated in 2012 and continues to make the rounds every April 30 in the form of photos, videos and animated GIFs. The meme stems from a line sung by Justin Timberlake in the 2000 *NSYNC hit “It’s Gonna Be Me,” where his pronunciation famously sounds like “May.”
Each year, fans get more creative with their tributes, pairing the lyric with playful or nostalgic images of Timberlake. For former *NSYNC members Lance Bass and Joey Fatone, seeing the meme resurface annually is both surreal and entertaining.
Mark Ashman
*NSYNC’s Joey Fatone and Lance Bass at the Great Wolf Lodge
Related: Guess What? It’s Gonna Be May: Everything to Know About the Annual Justin Timberlake Meme
“I mean, it is crazy. If you want to stay relevant, become a meme for the young kids out there,” Bass, 45, tells PEOPLE exclusively over the phone. “It’s something that fans get to have fun with every single year. It keeps the song kind of in people’s minds, which is nice. It keeps us alive every year. It’s the most searched *NSYNC thing ever on that day just because of this stupid little meme, which I’m sure Justin loved. But yeah, it’s a gift that keeps on giving.”
“There are so many different ones out there,” Fatone, 48, adds. “And I think, again, like Lance was saying, people just get creative. The more the years go on, the more variations you see — including old-school stuff they’re digging up — and then they put the words under the meme. It’s hilarious. I think it’s great. Again, why not? Why not run with it? It’s fun.”
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Mark Ashman
*NSYNC’s Joey Fatone and Lance Bass at the Great Wolf Lodge
Last year, to celebrate May Day, Fatone, 48, teamed up with Great Wolf Lodge for the brand’s annual Summer Camp-In celebration inspired by the “It’s Gonna Be May” meme. This year, he’s back at it—this time with Bass joining in on the fun.
Available for one day only, on May 1, families can save up to 51% on stays at Great Wolf Lodge resorts nationwide throughout the summer by visiting greatwolf.com and using the promo code BEMAY to book. (Discounts vary by date; some restrictions apply.)
“It’s so much fun doing this with Great Wolf Lodge and having these creative ideas for ‘It’s Gonna Be May’ and kind of reinventing things,” Fatone says. “As you know, we don’t take ourselves too seriously and this is a fun, family-friendly place, which obviously we all have kids. I got older kids, but it’s still a great place for all ages, which is awesome.”
Mark Ashman
*NSYNC’s Joey Fatone and Lance Bass at the Great Wolf Lodge
Related: Where Are the Members of *NSYNC Now? All About Their Lives 25 Years After No Strings Attached
Along with the enduring popularity of the meme, both Fatone and Bass note how exciting it’s been to see *NSYNC’s music experience a resurgence on TikTok. When the musicians learned that the “Bye Bye Bye” dance was one of the platform’s top trends last year, they were stunned.
“I was on TikTok just scrolling, and every few videos it was ‘Bye Bye Bye,’ ” Fatone recalls. “All these different people dancing to it — it was wild. It’s hard to explain, but it kind of felt like … I don’t want to say we died and came back, but in a way, it was like a resurrection. A resurgence, really. Like our music suddenly had this whole new buzz around it. It’s such a strange feeling.”
“We’ve done those songs, especially ‘Bye Bye Bye,’ thousands of times over the years. And now, all of a sudden, it’s coming back around,” he adds. “People are like, ‘Do the song again!’ and I’m like, ‘All right, here we go … “Bye Bye Bye” for the 8,000th time.’ But hey — it’s still a banger.”
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