‘It’s gonna be May:’ Meet the woman behind the timely, timeless *NSYNC meme

(NewsNation Now) — Every year as April draws to a close, a familiar face inevitably reemerges on social media to make a simple pronouncement: “IT’S GONNA BE MAY.”

The now-ubiquitous meme was first created by NSYNC fan Kianna Davis for her personal calendar in 2012, but now reemerges organically every year.

“I was still in college, I didn’t think anything of it other than posting a joke for my NSYNC friends,” Davis said. “I never in my life imagined it would become this.”

For the uninitiated, here’s the typical makeup of this meme: an image of boy band sensation NSYNC (usually 2000s-era Justin Timberlake) with “It’s Gonna Be May” in big, bold font.

What makes the meme particularly effective is it evokes the signature line of NSYNC’s 2000 hit “It’s Gonna Be Me,” tapping into its earworm catchiness.

It’s now so popular Davis said most people she’s met have heard of it, even though some of her family members didn’t realize she was the one who made it in the first place.

The band has even embraced it in its own social media posts.

Davis said she made the first version during her junior year of college as part of a calendar full of things meant to brighten her days. Now she’s glad it’s spread to bring joy to countless others.

“It’s nice now to have so many friends all across the world who love NSYNC and now we pretty much have a holiday where we can come together and celebrate the group,” she said.

Davis said while she hasn’t heard from all the members of NSYNC, she was interviewed by Lance Bass on his own podcast and he regularly acknowledges her as the creator of the meme.