
'NSync member JC Chasez is set to embark in April on his second U.S. solo tour, an outing that's so far confirmed to touch down in 11 cities.
Chasez is backing his first solo album, "Schizophrenic," which hit stores last month. The set debuted at No. 17 on The Billboard 200, but it tumbled down to No. 82 in its second week.
The album's cover--which shows Chasez in a straitjacket--drew the ire of Bill MacPhee, the publisher of Schizophrenia Digest magazine. MacPhee claimed in the magazine that the title and cover image ignore "the U.S. Surgeon General's call on the entertainment industry to help eliminate stigma to address the public health crisis that exists."
Though Jive Records doesn't plan to change the album's title or cover, Chasez has issued a statement apologizing to those who might be offended. He claimed that the Merriam-Webster definition of schizophrenic--"contradictory or antagonistic qualities or attitudes"--was the basis for the title.
In a press release issued before the album was released, Chasez said: "The title comes from the different styles and attitudes that are on this album. It's gritty, it's noisy, and it is definitely not like anything I've done before."
The set includes the single "Some Girls (Dance with Women)," which features a guest appearance by rapper Dirt McGirt (a.k.a. Ol' Dirty Bastard).