Lance Bass’ Mom Turned Down First Offer for Him to Join *NSYNC

When *NSYNC came calling, Lance Bass wanted to take the offer — no strings attached — but his mom had other ideas.

The singer tells the story in the new Joey Fatone-produced documentary “Boy Band Confidential” … explaining he got a call out of the blue to audition for the group when he was 16 and living in small-town Mississippi.

While clearly the opportunity of a lifetime, Bass says his mom seemed skeptical … and told manager Lou Pearlman, Justin Timberlake, and Justin’s mom Lynn, they may need a new band member — but it wasn’t gonna be her son.

That could’ve been the end of the story … but, thankfully, his mom got another call — and she agreed to take Lance to Orlando, Florida to audition.

Bass says he felt like a fraud during the audition … the imposter syndrome hit hard while singing and dancing with the other ultra-talented dudes — plus, he wasn’t out of the closet yet, and that compounded the feelings.

Obviously, the audition worked out … the band landed 9 Grammy nods and has sold more than 70 million records worldwide.

“Boy Band Confidential” is full of interviews like this … with stars like Nick Lachey, Jeff Timmons, and Joey Fatone himself telling their stories … and diving into the dark side of the boy band craze of the 1990s and early 2000s.