Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981), occasionally known by his initials, JT,[1] is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer.[2] Raised in Tennessee, he appeared on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as a child. In the late 1990s, Timberlake rose to prominence as one of the two lead vocalists and youngest member of NSYNC, which eventually became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. Timberlake began to adopt a more mature image as an artist with the release of his debut solo album, the R&B-focused Justified (2002), which yielded the successful singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body", and earned his first two Grammy Awards.
His critically acclaimed second album FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), characterized by its diversity in music genres, debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200 and produced the Hot 100 number-one singles "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". Established as a solo artist worldwide, his first two albums both exceeded sales of 10 million copies, and he continued producing records and collaborating with other artists. From 2008 through 2012, Timberlake focused on his acting career, effectively putting his music career on hiatus. He held starring roles in the films The Social Network, Bad Teacher, Friends with Benefits, and In Time.
Timberlake resumed his music career in 2013 with his third and fourth albums The 20/20 Experience and The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2, exploring neo soul styles, partly inspired by the expansive song structures of 1960s and 1970s rock. The former became the best-selling album of the year in the US with the largest sales week, and spawned the top-three singles "Suit & Tie" and "Mirrors", while the latter produced the top-ten song "Not a Bad Thing". For his live performances, including the eponymous concert tour for the albums, he began performing with his band The Tennessee Kids, composed by instrumentalists and dancers. Timberlake voiced Branch in DreamWorks Animation's Trolls (2016), whose soundtrack includes his fifth Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping single, "Can't Stop the Feeling!". His fifth studio album Man of the Woods (2018) became his fourth number-one album in the US. The album was supported by the two top ten singles, "Filthy" and "Say Something". Man of the Woods concluded 2018 as the sixth best-selling album of the year.[3]
Throughout his solo career, Timberlake has sold over 32 million albums and 56 million singles globally, making him one of the world's best-selling music artists. Often cited as a pop icon, Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including ten Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Brit Awards, and nine Billboard Music Awards. According to Billboard in 2017, he is the best performing male soloist in the history of the Mainstream Top 40. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2007 and 2013. His other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, and the restaurants Destino and Southern Hospitality.
Early life
Justin Randall Timberlake was born on January 31, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee,[4][5] to Lynn (Bomar) Harless and Charles Randall Timberlake, a Baptist church choir director.[6][7][8] Timberlake grew up in Shelby Forest, a small community between Memphis and Millington.[5] He has two half-brothers, Jonathan (born September 12, 1993) and Stephen (born August 14, 1998), from Charles' second marriage to Lisa Perry. His half-sister Laura Katherine died shortly after birth on May 12, 1997, and is mentioned in his acknowledgments in the album NSYNC as "My Angel in Heaven".[9] His family circle includes a number of musicians;[10] his grandfather introduced him to music from country artists like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.[11] Performing as a child, Timberlake sang country and gospel music: at the age of 11, he appeared on the television show Star Search, performing country songs as "Justin Randall".[5] By that time, he began listening to rhythm and blues musicians from the 1960s and 70s, such as Al Green, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, and he had listening sessions with his father of studio albums by the Eagles and Bob Seger.[11]
In 1993 and 1994, he was a cast member in The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, where his castmates included future girlfriend and singer Britney Spears, future tourmate Christina Aguilera, future bandmate JC Chasez, and future movie actors Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell.[12] Timberlake then recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group, organized by boy band manager Lou Pearlman, that eventually became NSYNC.[13]
Career
1995–2002: NSYNC
The boy band NSYNC formed in 1995, and began their career in 1996 in Europe; Timberlake and Chasez served as its two lead singers.[14] In 1998, the group rose to prominence in the United States with the release of their self-titled debut studio album, which sold 11 million copies and included the single "Tearin' Up My Heart". Their second album No Strings Attached (2000) sold 2.4 million copies in the first week,[15] and included a No. 1 single, "It's Gonna Be Me". NSYNC's third album Celebrity (2001) was also financially successful. Upon the completion of the Celebrity Tour, the group went into hiatus in 2002. In its lifetime, NSYNC was internationally famous and performed at the Academy Awards,[16] the Olympics,[17] and the Super Bowl,[18] as well as selling more than 70 million records worldwide, becoming the fifth-best selling boy band in history.[19]
In late 1999, Timberlake appeared in the Disney Channel movie Model Behavior. He played Jason Sharpe, a model who falls in love with a waitress after mistaking her for another model. It was released on March 12, 2000.[20] The rise of his own stardom and the general decline in the popularity of boy bands led to the dissolution of NSYNC. Band member Lance Bass was openly critical of Timberlake's actions in his memoir Out of Sync.[21] By 2002, when the group went on a hiatus and members were following individual projects, he partnered with Pharrell Williams of the producing team The Neptunes–and Timbaland to start working in new music.[22] The idea of going solo was strengthened a year earlier. Timberlake originally wrote the single "Gone" around 2001 for Michael Jackson, but he turned the song down, and was instead recorded by NSYNC. After released, however, Jackson contacted him. Timberlake declared in a later interview that the first time he felt confident to go solo happened after that conversation:[23]
[He] called me on the phone and said that he wanted to cut the record ("Gone"), but he wanted it to be a duet between himself and I. And I said, 'Well ... we've already cut the song as an 'N Sync record. Could we do, like, 'N Sync featuring Michael Jackson', or 'Michael Jackson featuring 'N Sync'? And he was very absolute about the fact that he wanted it to be a duet between himself and I.. [That was] the first time I ever really felt the confidence to do it.
2002–2004: Justified and Super Bowl XXXVIII
In August 2002, Timberlake performed at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, where he premiered his debut solo single "Like I Love You";[24] it peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100[25] and number two on the UK Singles Chart.[26] His debut solo studio album Justified was released in November[27] and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 439,000 copies, fewer than previous 'N Sync releases. It went on to sell over three million copies in the U.S. and more than ten million copies worldwide.[28] Its R&B influence, provided by hip-hop producers The Neptunes and Timbaland,[29] was complimented by music critics. About the musical direction of the record, he commented, "I just want to do R&B. It's what I grew up listening to".[30] The album spawned the top-five singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body".[25] In summer 2003, Timberlake and Christina Aguilera headlined the Justified/Stripped Tour.[31] Later that year he recorded a song "I'm Lovin' It", used by McDonald's as the theme to its "I'm Lovin' It" campaign. The deal with McDonald's earned Timberlake an estimated $6 million. A tour titled Justified and Lovin' It Live was included with the deal, following his initial Justified World Tour.[32] Timberlake was featured on Nelly's song, "Work It", which was remixed and included on Nelly's 2003 remix album
Near the end of 2002, Timberlake was the first celebrity to appear on Punk'd, a "candid camera" type show created by Ashton Kutcher to trick celebrities.[34] Timberlake, who cried during the episode, later admitted to being under the influence of cannabis when he was pranked. Three episodes later, he set up Kelly Osbourne to be "punk'd", thus making him the first celebrity to appear on the show more than once.[35] Timberlake later spoofed Ashton Kutcher and Punk'd in a 2003 episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live.[36] Timberlake co-starred in skit titled The Barry Gibb Talk Show alongside comedian Jimmy Fallon, where the duo portrayed Bee Gees brothers Barry and Robin Gibb. It marked the beginning of a long-running friendship and collaboration with Fallon.[37]
In February 2004, during the halftime show of the Super Bowl XXXVIII broadcast on the CBS television network from Houston, Timberlake performed with Janet Jackson before a television audience of more than 140 million viewers. At the end of the performance, as the song drew to a close, Timberlake tore off a part of Jackson's black leather costume in a "costume reveal" meant to accompany a portion of the song lyrics. Jackson's representative explained Timberlake intended "to pull away the rubber bustier to reveal a red lace bra. The garment collapsed and her breast was accidentally revealed."[38] Part of the costume detached, and Jackson's breast was briefly exposed.[39] Timberlake apologized for the incident, stating he was "sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl..."[40] The phrase "wardrobe malfunction" has since been used by the media to refer to the incident and has entered pop culture.[41] Timberlake and Jackson were threatened with exclusion from the 2004 Grammy Awards unless they agreed to apologize on screen at the event. Timberlake attended and issued a scripted apology when accepting the first of two Grammy Awards he received that night (Best Pop Vocal Album for Justified and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Cry Me a River").[42] He had also been nominated for Album of the Year for Justified, and Record of the Year along with Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Where Is the Love?" with The Black Eyed Peas.[43]
2004–2007: Acting and FutureSex/LoveSounds
After the Super Bowl incident, Timberlake put his recording career on hold to act in several films, having starred in a few feature films earlier in his career.[12] The first role he took during this time was as a journalist in Edison Force, filmed in 2004 and received a direct-to-video release on July 18, 2006.[44] He also appeared in the films Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan, Richard Kelly's Southland Tales, and voiced Prince Artie Pendragon in the animated film Shrek the Third, released on May 18, 2007.[45] He also appeared as a young Elton John, in the video for John's song "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore".[46] Timberlake was considered to play the role of Roger Davis in the film version of the rock musical Rent, but director Chris Columbus had insisted that only the original Broadway members could convey the true meaning of Rent, so the role was reprised by Adam Pascal.[47]
He continued to record with other artists. After "Where Is the Love?", he again collaborated with the Black Eyed Peas on the 2005 track "My Style" from their album Monkey Business.[48] When recording the 2005 single "Signs" with Snoop Dogg, Timberlake discovered a throat condition.[49] Nodules were subsequently removed from his throat in an operation that took place on May 5, 2005.[50] He was advised not to sing or speak loudly for at least a few months.[51] In 2005, he began his own record company, JayTee records
Timberlake released his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, on September 12, 2006. The album, which Timberlake created from 2005 to 2006, debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 684,000 copies its first week.[53] It became the biggest album for pre-orders on iTunes, and beat Coldplay's record for the biggest one-week sales of a digital album.[54] The album was produced by Timbaland and Danja (who produced a bulk of the album), will.i.am, Rick Rubin and Timberlake himself, and features guest vocals by Snoop Dogg, Three 6 Mafia, T.I. and will.i.am.[55] A studio representative described it as being "all about sexiness" and aiming for "an adult feel".[56]
The album's lead single, "SexyBack", was performed by Timberlake at the opening of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards and reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for seven consecutive weeks.[57] "My Love", the album's second single, also produced by Timbaland and featuring rapper T.I., reached number-one on the Hot 100, as did third single "What Goes Around... Comes Around". The song is reported to have been inspired by the break-up of his childhood friend and business partner, Trace Ayala, with actress Elisha Cuthbert.[58] In October 2006, Timberlake said that he would focus on his music career rather than his film roles, specifying that leaving the music industry would be a "dumb thing to do at this point".[57] He was the special guest performer at the 2006 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show where he sang "SexyBack", "My Love" and "LoveStoned".[59]
Timberlake hosted many music events, including the European MTV Music Awards in 2006. On December 16, 2006, Timberlake hosted Saturday Night Live, doing double duty as both host and musical guest for the second time. During this appearance, he and Andy Samberg performed an R&B song for a skit titled "Dick in a Box", which some radio stations aired as an unofficial single from Timberlake. Called "one of the most iconic musical moments in the show's history" by Billboard, it became a viral hit and one of the most viewed videos on YouTube at the time.[60] Rolling Stone listed the skit at number three on their "50 Greatest 'Saturday Night Live' Sketches of All Time".[61] The song earned him an Emmy Award and was later featured on The Lonely Island's debut album Incredibad.
In January 2007, Timberlake embarked on the FutureSex/LoveShow tour. Following singles off the album, "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows (Interlude)" and "Until the end of Time", peaked within the top 20 on the Hot 100, while the sixth single "Summer Love" reached the top 10. The song "Give It to Me", a Timbaland single on which Timberlake guests with Nelly Furtado, reached the Hot 100 number-one spot.[62] Eventually, FutureSex/LoveSounds was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's musical library and archive.[63]
2008–2012: Musical hiatus and focus on acting
The song "4 Minutes", was first played by Timbaland at Philadelphia's Jingle Ball on December 17, 2007.[64] When released on March 17, 2008, "4 Minutes" was revealed to be a duet between Timberlake and Madonna, with backing vocals by Timbaland. It was lead single from Madonna's eleventh studio album Hard Candy, which featured four other song-writing collaborations with Timberlake, being also one of the executive producers.[65] The single was an international hit, topping the charts in over 21 countries worldwide.[66] Timberlake also appears in the music video, which was directed by Jonas & François. On March 30, 2008, Timberlake performed the song at Madonna's Hard Candy Promo Show at Roseland Ballroom in New York City.[67] On November 6, 2008, Timberlake performed the song with Madonna on the Los Angeles stop of her Sticky & Sweet Tour.[68]
In June 2007, Timberlake co-wrote, produced and provided vocals for the songs "Nite Runner" and "Falling Down" for Duran Duran's album Red Carpet Massacre, released on November 13, 2007. "Falling Down" had been released as a single in the UK on the previous day.[69] Also in 2007, Timberlake made an appearance on 50 Cent's third album, Curtis. Timberlake, along with Timbaland, is featured on a track called "Ayo Technology", which was the album's fourth single. Also, another possible collaboration was to occur with Lil Wayne for his album Tha Carter III with Nelly Furtado and Timbaland.[70] With the wrapping up of the FutureSex/LoveSounds tour of Australasia and the Middle East in November 2007, Timberlake resumed his film career. Projects underway early in 2008 were starring roles in Mike Myers' comedy The Love Guru (released June 20, 2008) and Mike Meredith's drama The Open Road (released August 28, 2009). In March 2008 it was announced that he was to be an executive producer in an American adaptation of the hit Peruvian comedy My Problem with Women for NBC.[71] On November 20, 2008, TV Guide reported that Timberlake's next single, "Follow My Lead", which also featured vocals by Timberlake's protégée, former YouTube star Esmée Denters, would be available for exclusive download through Myspace. All proceeds would go to Shriners Hospitals for Children, a charity dedicated to improving pediatric care for sick children.[72] In February 2008, Timberlake was awarded two Grammy Awards. At the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony, he won the Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "What Goes Around...Comes Around", and the Award for Best Dance Recording for "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows"
In 2008, a collaboration between Timberlake and T.I., "Dead and Gone" featured on T.I.'s sixth studio album, Paper Trail, and was released as its fourth single late in 2009. In November 2008, it was confirmed that Timberlake would make a guest appearance and produce some tracks on R&B/pop singer Ciara's upcoming album Fantasy Ride due out May 5, 2009. Timberlake featured on Ciara's second single "Love Sex Magic", the video being shot on February 20, 2009.[74] The single became a worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in numerous countries and peaking at number-one in several countries including Taiwan, India, and Turkey. The song was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 52nd Grammy Awards. Timberlake hosted the 16th ESPY Awards, which musical number "I Love Sports" was later nominated for an Emmy award.[75] Timberlake and his production team The Y's, along with Mike Elizondo, produced and co-wrote the song "Don't Let Me Down" for Leona Lewis's second studio album, Echo, released on November 17, 2009. Timberlake also co-wrote and performed on "Carry Out", the third single from Timbaland's album Shock Value II, released on December 1, 2009.[76] Timberlake appeared on Jimmy Fallon's debut as host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on March 2, 2009.[77] Timberlake was the executive producer on the MTV reality series The Phone, which premiered on April 21, 2009. In late 2009, Barbadian singer Rihanna released the album Rated R, with Timberlake being one of the writers and producers.[78] They both worked together previously for her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad.[79]
From 2010, Timberlake increased his acting work. He played Sean Parker, the founder of Napster, in the acclaimed film The Social Network (2010). He also appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010.[80] In 2011, he starred alongside Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher and then alongside Mila Kunis in Friends with Benefits, and played Will Salas, the protagonist of In Time, a science fiction film by Andrew Niccol.[81] He provided a feature and appeared in the music video for the song Motherlover from The Lonely Island's second album Turtleneck & Chain,[82] and directed and made a cameo in the FreeSol music video "Hoodies On, Hats Low" which was released in August 2011.[83] The Late Night with Jimmy Fallon sketch "History of Rap" was performed for the first time by both Fallon and Timberlake in 2010.[84] In July 2011 United States Marine Kelsey De Santis uploaded a YouTube video asking Timberlake to be her date to the United States Marine Corps birthday ball; they attended the event on November 13, 2011 in Richmond, Virginia.[85] His fifth Saturday Night Live episode, as host and musical guest, was the most-watched episode since January 7, 2012, with Charles Barkley as host and Kelly Clarkson as musical guest.[86]
2013–2017: The 20/20 Experience, 2 of 2, and Trolls
Timberlake began work on his third studio album The 20/20 Experience in June 2012, with "no rules and/or end goal in mind".[87] He publicly announced his return to the music industry in January 2013,[88] releasing the album's lead single "Suit & Tie" featuring Jay-Z later that month, which would eventually peak at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. After four years not performing in concert, Timberlake appeared the night before the 2013 Super Bowl and performed during the "DirecTV Super Saturday Night", on February 2, 2013 in New Orleans.[89] On February 10, 2013, he performed "Suit & Tie" with sepia-toned lighting at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, with Jay-Z joining him from the audience. On February 11, 2013, "Mirrors" was released as the second single from The 20/20 Experience.[90] The song would eventually peak at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one on the UK Singles Chart. The 20/20 Experience was released on March 19, 2013[91] through RCA Records due to the disbandment of Jive Records.[92][93] The album set a digital sales record for being the fastest-selling album on the iTunes Store[94] and debuted at number-one on the charts by moving just over 968,000 copies in the U.S., the biggest sales week of 2013.[95] It eventually became the best-selling album of the year in the country
Timberlake performed at the "In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul" concert, held in the East Room of the White House and hosted by President Barack Obama, celebrating Memphis soul music from the 1960s.[97] Afterward, Timberlake officially announced The 20/20 Experience World Tour, following his and Jay-Z's co-headlining concert tour Legends of the Summer Stadium Tour.[98] Timberlake also appeared on Jay-Z's twelfth studio album Magna Carta... Holy Grail on three songs: "Holy Grail", "BBC" (along with Nas, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, Niigo & Beyoncé) and "Heaven".[99] On August 25, 2013, Timberlake received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. He also took home three competitive awards, including Video of the Year for "Mirrors".[100]
Timberlake's fourth studio album The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 was released on September 30, 2013[101] and debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200.[102] Its lead single "Take Back the Night" was released on July 12, 2013,[103] following by the second single "TKO".[104] Timberlake was given a production and writing credit on track six on Beyoncé's self-titled fifth studio album, which was released in December 2013.[105] At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, Timberlake was nominated for seven awards, eventually winning three: Best R&B Song for "Pusher Love Girl", Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Holy Grail", and Best Music Video for "Suit & Tie", which was directed by The Social Network director David Fincher.[106] On February 25, 2014, "Not a Bad Thing" was released as the third single from The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2.[107] The song reached the top 10 on the Hot 100 and topped the Mainstream Top 40 chart.[108] In 2014, Timberlake appeared on Michael Jackson's second posthumous record Xscape on the song "Love Never Felt So Good", which was produced by Timbaland, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon and Timberlake.[109] On May 14, 2014, a music video was also released featuring clips of Jackson, with Timberlake accompanied by a number of Jackson's fans performing some of Jackson's signature moves. The video was directed by Timberlake and Rich Lee.[110] During 2015, Timberlake performed along with Jimmy Fallon the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary's cold open,[111] returned to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as a guest to perform a sixth edition of the sketch "History of Rap",[112] and performed along with Chris Stapleton at the Country Music Association Awards
Showcasing the final date of The 20/20 Experience World Tour at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena, the space-age themed concert film titled Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids and directed by Jonathan Demme premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on September 13.[114][115] Timberlake dedicated the film to Prince for influencing his music.[116] Ahead of its debut at the film festival, the streaming service Netflix released it on October 12.[117] Timberlake composed the soundtrack and served as music supervisor for the 2017 film The Book of Love which his wife Jessica Biel produced and starred in.[118][119]
Timberlake voiced the lead character in DreamWorks Animation's musical comedy Trolls opposite Anna Kendrick. The film was released in November 2016,[120] and will return for its sequel Trolls 2 in 2020.[121] He also served as the executive music producer, performing original music for the film,[122] The lead single, "Can't Stop the Feeling!", was released on May 6, 2016.[123] Timberlake was invited by Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT), to perform "Can't Stop the Feeling" live during the interval act at the grand finale of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 on May 14, 2016.[124] The single debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100,[125] and reached the top spot in other 16 countries. It became his eighth U.S. Mainstream Top 40 number-one song, at the moment being the most among male artists.[126] It became the best-selling song of the year in the U.S. with 2.4 million copies sold.[127] On February 26, 2017, Timberlake opened the 89th Academy Awards with a performance of "Can't Stop the Feeling!", since the song earned him a nomination.[128] Also that year, Timberlake starred with Kate Winslet and Juno Temple in Woody Allen's drama film Wonder Wheel,[129] and headlined several festivals and live sets, including Rock in Rio,[130] the United States Grand Prix,[131] and the Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival, which he co-produced.[132]
2018–present: Man of the Woods and Super Bowl LII halftime show
Speaking of his fifth studio album in 2016, Timberlake stated, "I think where I grew up in America has a lot of influence. Growing up in Tennessee—very central of the country—Memphis is known as the birthplace of rock & roll, but also the home of the blues, but Nashville's right down the street so there's a lot of country music."[134] In following interviews, Timberlake confirmed working with producers Timbaland and Pharrell Williams,[135] while stating, "It sounds more like where I've come from than any other music I've ever made... It's Southern American music. But I want to make it sound modern – at least that's the idea right now."[136]
His fifth studio album Man of the Woods was released on February 2, 2018,[137] two days before he headlined the Super Bowl LII halftime show in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 4, where Timberlake performed a medley of his songs featuring both the Tennessee Kids and the Minnesota Marching Band alongside him, as well as a duet of "I Would Die 4 U" with a video projection of late singer Prince on screen.[138] The show contained multiple selections from Man of the Woods, which is named after his son Silas, whose name means "from the forest."[139] The album's first single, "Filthy", was released on January 5, along with its accompanying video directed by Mark Romanek.[140] The electro-funk song[141] has reached number nine in the US[142] and number 5 in Canada.[143] The songs "Supplies", "Say Something" featuring Chris Stapleton and "Man of the Woods" were also released along with music videos ahead of the album.[144] His collaboration with Stapleton also reached the top 10 in the US and Canada.[143][145]
Man of the Woods topped the Billboard 200 with the biggest first week sales of the year at the time, selling 293,000 total units.[146] Man of the Woods also marks Timberlake's fourth consecutive No. 1 album and has since been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[147] Man of the Woods concluded 2018 as the sixth best-selling album of the year.[3] An accompanying tour of the same name began on March 13, 2018 in Toronto, Canada and concluded on April 13, 2019 in Uncasville.[148] The Man of the Woods Tour was the sixth-highest-grossing tour of 2018.[149]
Timberlake is the executive producer of a game show called Spin the Wheel on Fox. Dax Shepard is the host.[150]
Following the announcement of Trolls World Tour, Timberlake teased potential collaborations with a number of artists, through a series of Instagram posts, which included frequent collaborators Pharrell Williams, Nathaniel Hills and Rob Knox, as well as new collaborators such as Anderson Paak, Brandy Norwood, Lizzo, and Meek Mill.[151][152][153][154] Singer SZA has also confirmed that she had been in the studio with Timberlak
Personal life
In early 1999, Timberlake began dating fellow former The All-New Mickey Mouse Club cast member and singer Britney Spears. Their relationship ended abruptly in March 2002.[156] Both Spears and Timberlake graduated high school via distance learning from the University of Nebraska High School; Timberlake received his diploma onstage during a concert in Memphis in 2000.[157][158] In 2003, he was briefly linked to British singer Emma Bunton.[159][160][161] In April 2003, he began dating actress Cameron Diaz soon after they met at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. After much speculation of breakups throughout their relationship,[162] the couple split in December 2006 shortly after she introduced him as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live.[163]
In January 2007, Timberlake began dating actress Jessica Biel.[164] They became engaged in December 2011 and married on October 19, 2012, at the Borgo Egnazia resort in Fasano, Italy.[165] Timberlake and Biel have one son born in April 2015.[166]
Forbes magazine began reporting on Timberlake's earnings in 2008, calculating that he earned $44 million between June 2007 and June 2008 for his music, tour, commercials, and hospitality, making him the world's 4th best-paid music personality at the time, above Madonna and Celine Dion.[167] They placed him twelfth on the Celebrity 100 list[168] and second on the "Best-Paid Celebrities Under 30" list.[169] According to Billboard, Timberlake was the third highest-paid musician of 2013, with earnings of $31 million.[170] He was ranked 26th with earnings of $57 million on the Celebrity 100 list for 2014,[171] and 19th on the 2015 list with $63 million.[172] Timberlake was listed at number three on Billboard Money-Makers List of 2014.[173]
Timberlake suffers from obsessive–compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[174]
Artistry
Timberlake has a lyric tenor vocal range.[175] Primarily an R&B album, his debut Justified also contains influences of dance-pop, funk and soul music.[176] During the production of FutureSex/LoveSounds, Timberlake was interested in rock music.[177] This inspiration was used in his approach in recording the songs, rather than in composing them. Timberlake reveals, "I wanted to sing the song like a rock and roll singer, not an R&B singer."[178] On the influences he drew from, he said that if Justified was "characterized" by Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, FutureSex/LoveSounds is more like David Bowie and Prince.[179] Other influences include late INXS-frontman Michael Hutchence,[180] Arcade Fire, David Byrne, The Killers, The Strokes, and Radiohead.[177] He began including beatboxing in his records near the end of his boyband era and into his emergence as a solo act,[181] this includes songs from Justified[182] and FutureSex/LoveSounds.[183]
Unlike his previous record primarily focused on R&B and pop genres,[184] FutureSex/LoveSounds is less concentrated on one particular sound, thus representing a wider range. Timberlake explains, "It's more broad as far as the styles I wanted to mix in to my own type of thing."[185] A musically "complex" album, FutureSex/LoveSounds is a fusion of rap, rock, funk, soul, gospel, new wave, opera, and world music,[179] characterized by preludes and interludes interspersed on the album's tracks.[186] Entertainment Weekly noted that the album's sound is a "sonic departure" from both NSYNC and Justified.[187] Although "What Goes Around" sounds similar to Justified, Timberlake admitted that it is the only song in the new album to have such similarity.[184] The 20/20 Experience is a neo soul album partly inspired by the expansive song structures of 1960s and 1970s rock.[188] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times found its elaborate structures ambitious in the vein of Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Michael Jackson.[189] Since his marriage, he incorporated themes of romance in his songwriting, as Complex noted, showing that he "writes his tracks on his emotions, leaving him with a career of personal albums."[190] Moments of emotional pain after betrayal influenced the songwriting of some previous records
His critically acclaimed second album FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), characterized by its diversity in music genres, debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200 and produced the Hot 100 number-one singles "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". Established as a solo artist worldwide, his first two albums both exceeded sales of 10 million copies, and he continued producing records and collaborating with other artists. From 2008 through 2012, Timberlake focused on his acting career, effectively putting his music career on hiatus. He held starring roles in the films The Social Network, Bad Teacher, Friends with Benefits, and In Time.
Timberlake resumed his music career in 2013 with his third and fourth albums The 20/20 Experience and The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2, exploring neo soul styles, partly inspired by the expansive song structures of 1960s and 1970s rock. The former became the best-selling album of the year in the US with the largest sales week, and spawned the top-three singles "Suit & Tie" and "Mirrors", while the latter produced the top-ten song "Not a Bad Thing". For his live performances, including the eponymous concert tour for the albums, he began performing with his band The Tennessee Kids, composed by instrumentalists and dancers. Timberlake voiced Branch in DreamWorks Animation's Trolls (2016), whose soundtrack includes his fifth Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping single, "Can't Stop the Feeling!". His fifth studio album Man of the Woods (2018) became his fourth number-one album in the US. The album was supported by the two top ten singles, "Filthy" and "Say Something". Man of the Woods concluded 2018 as the sixth best-selling album of the year.[3]
Throughout his solo career, Timberlake has sold over 32 million albums and 56 million singles globally, making him one of the world's best-selling music artists. Often cited as a pop icon, Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including ten Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Brit Awards, and nine Billboard Music Awards. According to Billboard in 2017, he is the best performing male soloist in the history of the Mainstream Top 40. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2007 and 2013. His other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, and the restaurants Destino and Southern Hospitality.
Early life
Justin Randall Timberlake was born on January 31, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee,[4][5] to Lynn (Bomar) Harless and Charles Randall Timberlake, a Baptist church choir director.[6][7][8] Timberlake grew up in Shelby Forest, a small community between Memphis and Millington.[5] He has two half-brothers, Jonathan (born September 12, 1993) and Stephen (born August 14, 1998), from Charles' second marriage to Lisa Perry. His half-sister Laura Katherine died shortly after birth on May 12, 1997, and is mentioned in his acknowledgments in the album NSYNC as "My Angel in Heaven".[9] His family circle includes a number of musicians;[10] his grandfather introduced him to music from country artists like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.[11] Performing as a child, Timberlake sang country and gospel music: at the age of 11, he appeared on the television show Star Search, performing country songs as "Justin Randall".[5] By that time, he began listening to rhythm and blues musicians from the 1960s and 70s, such as Al Green, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, and he had listening sessions with his father of studio albums by the Eagles and Bob Seger.[11]
In 1993 and 1994, he was a cast member in The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, where his castmates included future girlfriend and singer Britney Spears, future tourmate Christina Aguilera, future bandmate JC Chasez, and future movie actors Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell.[12] Timberlake then recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group, organized by boy band manager Lou Pearlman, that eventually became NSYNC.[13]
Career
1995–2002: NSYNC
The boy band NSYNC formed in 1995, and began their career in 1996 in Europe; Timberlake and Chasez served as its two lead singers.[14] In 1998, the group rose to prominence in the United States with the release of their self-titled debut studio album, which sold 11 million copies and included the single "Tearin' Up My Heart". Their second album No Strings Attached (2000) sold 2.4 million copies in the first week,[15] and included a No. 1 single, "It's Gonna Be Me". NSYNC's third album Celebrity (2001) was also financially successful. Upon the completion of the Celebrity Tour, the group went into hiatus in 2002. In its lifetime, NSYNC was internationally famous and performed at the Academy Awards,[16] the Olympics,[17] and the Super Bowl,[18] as well as selling more than 70 million records worldwide, becoming the fifth-best selling boy band in history.[19]
In late 1999, Timberlake appeared in the Disney Channel movie Model Behavior. He played Jason Sharpe, a model who falls in love with a waitress after mistaking her for another model. It was released on March 12, 2000.[20] The rise of his own stardom and the general decline in the popularity of boy bands led to the dissolution of NSYNC. Band member Lance Bass was openly critical of Timberlake's actions in his memoir Out of Sync.[21] By 2002, when the group went on a hiatus and members were following individual projects, he partnered with Pharrell Williams of the producing team The Neptunes–and Timbaland to start working in new music.[22] The idea of going solo was strengthened a year earlier. Timberlake originally wrote the single "Gone" around 2001 for Michael Jackson, but he turned the song down, and was instead recorded by NSYNC. After released, however, Jackson contacted him. Timberlake declared in a later interview that the first time he felt confident to go solo happened after that conversation:[23]
[He] called me on the phone and said that he wanted to cut the record ("Gone"), but he wanted it to be a duet between himself and I. And I said, 'Well ... we've already cut the song as an 'N Sync record. Could we do, like, 'N Sync featuring Michael Jackson', or 'Michael Jackson featuring 'N Sync'? And he was very absolute about the fact that he wanted it to be a duet between himself and I.. [That was] the first time I ever really felt the confidence to do it.
2002–2004: Justified and Super Bowl XXXVIII
In August 2002, Timberlake performed at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, where he premiered his debut solo single "Like I Love You";[24] it peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100[25] and number two on the UK Singles Chart.[26] His debut solo studio album Justified was released in November[27] and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 439,000 copies, fewer than previous 'N Sync releases. It went on to sell over three million copies in the U.S. and more than ten million copies worldwide.[28] Its R&B influence, provided by hip-hop producers The Neptunes and Timbaland,[29] was complimented by music critics. About the musical direction of the record, he commented, "I just want to do R&B. It's what I grew up listening to".[30] The album spawned the top-five singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body".[25] In summer 2003, Timberlake and Christina Aguilera headlined the Justified/Stripped Tour.[31] Later that year he recorded a song "I'm Lovin' It", used by McDonald's as the theme to its "I'm Lovin' It" campaign. The deal with McDonald's earned Timberlake an estimated $6 million. A tour titled Justified and Lovin' It Live was included with the deal, following his initial Justified World Tour.[32] Timberlake was featured on Nelly's song, "Work It", which was remixed and included on Nelly's 2003 remix album
Near the end of 2002, Timberlake was the first celebrity to appear on Punk'd, a "candid camera" type show created by Ashton Kutcher to trick celebrities.[34] Timberlake, who cried during the episode, later admitted to being under the influence of cannabis when he was pranked. Three episodes later, he set up Kelly Osbourne to be "punk'd", thus making him the first celebrity to appear on the show more than once.[35] Timberlake later spoofed Ashton Kutcher and Punk'd in a 2003 episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live.[36] Timberlake co-starred in skit titled The Barry Gibb Talk Show alongside comedian Jimmy Fallon, where the duo portrayed Bee Gees brothers Barry and Robin Gibb. It marked the beginning of a long-running friendship and collaboration with Fallon.[37]
In February 2004, during the halftime show of the Super Bowl XXXVIII broadcast on the CBS television network from Houston, Timberlake performed with Janet Jackson before a television audience of more than 140 million viewers. At the end of the performance, as the song drew to a close, Timberlake tore off a part of Jackson's black leather costume in a "costume reveal" meant to accompany a portion of the song lyrics. Jackson's representative explained Timberlake intended "to pull away the rubber bustier to reveal a red lace bra. The garment collapsed and her breast was accidentally revealed."[38] Part of the costume detached, and Jackson's breast was briefly exposed.[39] Timberlake apologized for the incident, stating he was "sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl..."[40] The phrase "wardrobe malfunction" has since been used by the media to refer to the incident and has entered pop culture.[41] Timberlake and Jackson were threatened with exclusion from the 2004 Grammy Awards unless they agreed to apologize on screen at the event. Timberlake attended and issued a scripted apology when accepting the first of two Grammy Awards he received that night (Best Pop Vocal Album for Justified and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Cry Me a River").[42] He had also been nominated for Album of the Year for Justified, and Record of the Year along with Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Where Is the Love?" with The Black Eyed Peas.[43]
2004–2007: Acting and FutureSex/LoveSounds
After the Super Bowl incident, Timberlake put his recording career on hold to act in several films, having starred in a few feature films earlier in his career.[12] The first role he took during this time was as a journalist in Edison Force, filmed in 2004 and received a direct-to-video release on July 18, 2006.[44] He also appeared in the films Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan, Richard Kelly's Southland Tales, and voiced Prince Artie Pendragon in the animated film Shrek the Third, released on May 18, 2007.[45] He also appeared as a young Elton John, in the video for John's song "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore".[46] Timberlake was considered to play the role of Roger Davis in the film version of the rock musical Rent, but director Chris Columbus had insisted that only the original Broadway members could convey the true meaning of Rent, so the role was reprised by Adam Pascal.[47]
He continued to record with other artists. After "Where Is the Love?", he again collaborated with the Black Eyed Peas on the 2005 track "My Style" from their album Monkey Business.[48] When recording the 2005 single "Signs" with Snoop Dogg, Timberlake discovered a throat condition.[49] Nodules were subsequently removed from his throat in an operation that took place on May 5, 2005.[50] He was advised not to sing or speak loudly for at least a few months.[51] In 2005, he began his own record company, JayTee records
Timberlake released his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, on September 12, 2006. The album, which Timberlake created from 2005 to 2006, debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 684,000 copies its first week.[53] It became the biggest album for pre-orders on iTunes, and beat Coldplay's record for the biggest one-week sales of a digital album.[54] The album was produced by Timbaland and Danja (who produced a bulk of the album), will.i.am, Rick Rubin and Timberlake himself, and features guest vocals by Snoop Dogg, Three 6 Mafia, T.I. and will.i.am.[55] A studio representative described it as being "all about sexiness" and aiming for "an adult feel".[56]
The album's lead single, "SexyBack", was performed by Timberlake at the opening of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards and reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for seven consecutive weeks.[57] "My Love", the album's second single, also produced by Timbaland and featuring rapper T.I., reached number-one on the Hot 100, as did third single "What Goes Around... Comes Around". The song is reported to have been inspired by the break-up of his childhood friend and business partner, Trace Ayala, with actress Elisha Cuthbert.[58] In October 2006, Timberlake said that he would focus on his music career rather than his film roles, specifying that leaving the music industry would be a "dumb thing to do at this point".[57] He was the special guest performer at the 2006 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show where he sang "SexyBack", "My Love" and "LoveStoned".[59]
Timberlake hosted many music events, including the European MTV Music Awards in 2006. On December 16, 2006, Timberlake hosted Saturday Night Live, doing double duty as both host and musical guest for the second time. During this appearance, he and Andy Samberg performed an R&B song for a skit titled "Dick in a Box", which some radio stations aired as an unofficial single from Timberlake. Called "one of the most iconic musical moments in the show's history" by Billboard, it became a viral hit and one of the most viewed videos on YouTube at the time.[60] Rolling Stone listed the skit at number three on their "50 Greatest 'Saturday Night Live' Sketches of All Time".[61] The song earned him an Emmy Award and was later featured on The Lonely Island's debut album Incredibad.
In January 2007, Timberlake embarked on the FutureSex/LoveShow tour. Following singles off the album, "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows (Interlude)" and "Until the end of Time", peaked within the top 20 on the Hot 100, while the sixth single "Summer Love" reached the top 10. The song "Give It to Me", a Timbaland single on which Timberlake guests with Nelly Furtado, reached the Hot 100 number-one spot.[62] Eventually, FutureSex/LoveSounds was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's musical library and archive.[63]
2008–2012: Musical hiatus and focus on acting
The song "4 Minutes", was first played by Timbaland at Philadelphia's Jingle Ball on December 17, 2007.[64] When released on March 17, 2008, "4 Minutes" was revealed to be a duet between Timberlake and Madonna, with backing vocals by Timbaland. It was lead single from Madonna's eleventh studio album Hard Candy, which featured four other song-writing collaborations with Timberlake, being also one of the executive producers.[65] The single was an international hit, topping the charts in over 21 countries worldwide.[66] Timberlake also appears in the music video, which was directed by Jonas & François. On March 30, 2008, Timberlake performed the song at Madonna's Hard Candy Promo Show at Roseland Ballroom in New York City.[67] On November 6, 2008, Timberlake performed the song with Madonna on the Los Angeles stop of her Sticky & Sweet Tour.[68]
In June 2007, Timberlake co-wrote, produced and provided vocals for the songs "Nite Runner" and "Falling Down" for Duran Duran's album Red Carpet Massacre, released on November 13, 2007. "Falling Down" had been released as a single in the UK on the previous day.[69] Also in 2007, Timberlake made an appearance on 50 Cent's third album, Curtis. Timberlake, along with Timbaland, is featured on a track called "Ayo Technology", which was the album's fourth single. Also, another possible collaboration was to occur with Lil Wayne for his album Tha Carter III with Nelly Furtado and Timbaland.[70] With the wrapping up of the FutureSex/LoveSounds tour of Australasia and the Middle East in November 2007, Timberlake resumed his film career. Projects underway early in 2008 were starring roles in Mike Myers' comedy The Love Guru (released June 20, 2008) and Mike Meredith's drama The Open Road (released August 28, 2009). In March 2008 it was announced that he was to be an executive producer in an American adaptation of the hit Peruvian comedy My Problem with Women for NBC.[71] On November 20, 2008, TV Guide reported that Timberlake's next single, "Follow My Lead", which also featured vocals by Timberlake's protégée, former YouTube star Esmée Denters, would be available for exclusive download through Myspace. All proceeds would go to Shriners Hospitals for Children, a charity dedicated to improving pediatric care for sick children.[72] In February 2008, Timberlake was awarded two Grammy Awards. At the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony, he won the Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "What Goes Around...Comes Around", and the Award for Best Dance Recording for "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows"
In 2008, a collaboration between Timberlake and T.I., "Dead and Gone" featured on T.I.'s sixth studio album, Paper Trail, and was released as its fourth single late in 2009. In November 2008, it was confirmed that Timberlake would make a guest appearance and produce some tracks on R&B/pop singer Ciara's upcoming album Fantasy Ride due out May 5, 2009. Timberlake featured on Ciara's second single "Love Sex Magic", the video being shot on February 20, 2009.[74] The single became a worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in numerous countries and peaking at number-one in several countries including Taiwan, India, and Turkey. The song was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 52nd Grammy Awards. Timberlake hosted the 16th ESPY Awards, which musical number "I Love Sports" was later nominated for an Emmy award.[75] Timberlake and his production team The Y's, along with Mike Elizondo, produced and co-wrote the song "Don't Let Me Down" for Leona Lewis's second studio album, Echo, released on November 17, 2009. Timberlake also co-wrote and performed on "Carry Out", the third single from Timbaland's album Shock Value II, released on December 1, 2009.[76] Timberlake appeared on Jimmy Fallon's debut as host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on March 2, 2009.[77] Timberlake was the executive producer on the MTV reality series The Phone, which premiered on April 21, 2009. In late 2009, Barbadian singer Rihanna released the album Rated R, with Timberlake being one of the writers and producers.[78] They both worked together previously for her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad.[79]
From 2010, Timberlake increased his acting work. He played Sean Parker, the founder of Napster, in the acclaimed film The Social Network (2010). He also appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010.[80] In 2011, he starred alongside Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher and then alongside Mila Kunis in Friends with Benefits, and played Will Salas, the protagonist of In Time, a science fiction film by Andrew Niccol.[81] He provided a feature and appeared in the music video for the song Motherlover from The Lonely Island's second album Turtleneck & Chain,[82] and directed and made a cameo in the FreeSol music video "Hoodies On, Hats Low" which was released in August 2011.[83] The Late Night with Jimmy Fallon sketch "History of Rap" was performed for the first time by both Fallon and Timberlake in 2010.[84] In July 2011 United States Marine Kelsey De Santis uploaded a YouTube video asking Timberlake to be her date to the United States Marine Corps birthday ball; they attended the event on November 13, 2011 in Richmond, Virginia.[85] His fifth Saturday Night Live episode, as host and musical guest, was the most-watched episode since January 7, 2012, with Charles Barkley as host and Kelly Clarkson as musical guest.[86]
2013–2017: The 20/20 Experience, 2 of 2, and Trolls
Timberlake began work on his third studio album The 20/20 Experience in June 2012, with "no rules and/or end goal in mind".[87] He publicly announced his return to the music industry in January 2013,[88] releasing the album's lead single "Suit & Tie" featuring Jay-Z later that month, which would eventually peak at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. After four years not performing in concert, Timberlake appeared the night before the 2013 Super Bowl and performed during the "DirecTV Super Saturday Night", on February 2, 2013 in New Orleans.[89] On February 10, 2013, he performed "Suit & Tie" with sepia-toned lighting at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, with Jay-Z joining him from the audience. On February 11, 2013, "Mirrors" was released as the second single from The 20/20 Experience.[90] The song would eventually peak at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one on the UK Singles Chart. The 20/20 Experience was released on March 19, 2013[91] through RCA Records due to the disbandment of Jive Records.[92][93] The album set a digital sales record for being the fastest-selling album on the iTunes Store[94] and debuted at number-one on the charts by moving just over 968,000 copies in the U.S., the biggest sales week of 2013.[95] It eventually became the best-selling album of the year in the country
Timberlake performed at the "In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul" concert, held in the East Room of the White House and hosted by President Barack Obama, celebrating Memphis soul music from the 1960s.[97] Afterward, Timberlake officially announced The 20/20 Experience World Tour, following his and Jay-Z's co-headlining concert tour Legends of the Summer Stadium Tour.[98] Timberlake also appeared on Jay-Z's twelfth studio album Magna Carta... Holy Grail on three songs: "Holy Grail", "BBC" (along with Nas, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, Niigo & Beyoncé) and "Heaven".[99] On August 25, 2013, Timberlake received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. He also took home three competitive awards, including Video of the Year for "Mirrors".[100]
Timberlake's fourth studio album The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 was released on September 30, 2013[101] and debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200.[102] Its lead single "Take Back the Night" was released on July 12, 2013,[103] following by the second single "TKO".[104] Timberlake was given a production and writing credit on track six on Beyoncé's self-titled fifth studio album, which was released in December 2013.[105] At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, Timberlake was nominated for seven awards, eventually winning three: Best R&B Song for "Pusher Love Girl", Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Holy Grail", and Best Music Video for "Suit & Tie", which was directed by The Social Network director David Fincher.[106] On February 25, 2014, "Not a Bad Thing" was released as the third single from The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2.[107] The song reached the top 10 on the Hot 100 and topped the Mainstream Top 40 chart.[108] In 2014, Timberlake appeared on Michael Jackson's second posthumous record Xscape on the song "Love Never Felt So Good", which was produced by Timbaland, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon and Timberlake.[109] On May 14, 2014, a music video was also released featuring clips of Jackson, with Timberlake accompanied by a number of Jackson's fans performing some of Jackson's signature moves. The video was directed by Timberlake and Rich Lee.[110] During 2015, Timberlake performed along with Jimmy Fallon the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary's cold open,[111] returned to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as a guest to perform a sixth edition of the sketch "History of Rap",[112] and performed along with Chris Stapleton at the Country Music Association Awards
Showcasing the final date of The 20/20 Experience World Tour at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena, the space-age themed concert film titled Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids and directed by Jonathan Demme premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on September 13.[114][115] Timberlake dedicated the film to Prince for influencing his music.[116] Ahead of its debut at the film festival, the streaming service Netflix released it on October 12.[117] Timberlake composed the soundtrack and served as music supervisor for the 2017 film The Book of Love which his wife Jessica Biel produced and starred in.[118][119]
Timberlake voiced the lead character in DreamWorks Animation's musical comedy Trolls opposite Anna Kendrick. The film was released in November 2016,[120] and will return for its sequel Trolls 2 in 2020.[121] He also served as the executive music producer, performing original music for the film,[122] The lead single, "Can't Stop the Feeling!", was released on May 6, 2016.[123] Timberlake was invited by Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT), to perform "Can't Stop the Feeling" live during the interval act at the grand finale of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 on May 14, 2016.[124] The single debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100,[125] and reached the top spot in other 16 countries. It became his eighth U.S. Mainstream Top 40 number-one song, at the moment being the most among male artists.[126] It became the best-selling song of the year in the U.S. with 2.4 million copies sold.[127] On February 26, 2017, Timberlake opened the 89th Academy Awards with a performance of "Can't Stop the Feeling!", since the song earned him a nomination.[128] Also that year, Timberlake starred with Kate Winslet and Juno Temple in Woody Allen's drama film Wonder Wheel,[129] and headlined several festivals and live sets, including Rock in Rio,[130] the United States Grand Prix,[131] and the Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival, which he co-produced.[132]
2018–present: Man of the Woods and Super Bowl LII halftime show
Speaking of his fifth studio album in 2016, Timberlake stated, "I think where I grew up in America has a lot of influence. Growing up in Tennessee—very central of the country—Memphis is known as the birthplace of rock & roll, but also the home of the blues, but Nashville's right down the street so there's a lot of country music."[134] In following interviews, Timberlake confirmed working with producers Timbaland and Pharrell Williams,[135] while stating, "It sounds more like where I've come from than any other music I've ever made... It's Southern American music. But I want to make it sound modern – at least that's the idea right now."[136]
His fifth studio album Man of the Woods was released on February 2, 2018,[137] two days before he headlined the Super Bowl LII halftime show in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 4, where Timberlake performed a medley of his songs featuring both the Tennessee Kids and the Minnesota Marching Band alongside him, as well as a duet of "I Would Die 4 U" with a video projection of late singer Prince on screen.[138] The show contained multiple selections from Man of the Woods, which is named after his son Silas, whose name means "from the forest."[139] The album's first single, "Filthy", was released on January 5, along with its accompanying video directed by Mark Romanek.[140] The electro-funk song[141] has reached number nine in the US[142] and number 5 in Canada.[143] The songs "Supplies", "Say Something" featuring Chris Stapleton and "Man of the Woods" were also released along with music videos ahead of the album.[144] His collaboration with Stapleton also reached the top 10 in the US and Canada.[143][145]
Man of the Woods topped the Billboard 200 with the biggest first week sales of the year at the time, selling 293,000 total units.[146] Man of the Woods also marks Timberlake's fourth consecutive No. 1 album and has since been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[147] Man of the Woods concluded 2018 as the sixth best-selling album of the year.[3] An accompanying tour of the same name began on March 13, 2018 in Toronto, Canada and concluded on April 13, 2019 in Uncasville.[148] The Man of the Woods Tour was the sixth-highest-grossing tour of 2018.[149]
Timberlake is the executive producer of a game show called Spin the Wheel on Fox. Dax Shepard is the host.[150]
Following the announcement of Trolls World Tour, Timberlake teased potential collaborations with a number of artists, through a series of Instagram posts, which included frequent collaborators Pharrell Williams, Nathaniel Hills and Rob Knox, as well as new collaborators such as Anderson Paak, Brandy Norwood, Lizzo, and Meek Mill.[151][152][153][154] Singer SZA has also confirmed that she had been in the studio with Timberlak
Personal life
In early 1999, Timberlake began dating fellow former The All-New Mickey Mouse Club cast member and singer Britney Spears. Their relationship ended abruptly in March 2002.[156] Both Spears and Timberlake graduated high school via distance learning from the University of Nebraska High School; Timberlake received his diploma onstage during a concert in Memphis in 2000.[157][158] In 2003, he was briefly linked to British singer Emma Bunton.[159][160][161] In April 2003, he began dating actress Cameron Diaz soon after they met at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. After much speculation of breakups throughout their relationship,[162] the couple split in December 2006 shortly after she introduced him as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live.[163]
In January 2007, Timberlake began dating actress Jessica Biel.[164] They became engaged in December 2011 and married on October 19, 2012, at the Borgo Egnazia resort in Fasano, Italy.[165] Timberlake and Biel have one son born in April 2015.[166]
Forbes magazine began reporting on Timberlake's earnings in 2008, calculating that he earned $44 million between June 2007 and June 2008 for his music, tour, commercials, and hospitality, making him the world's 4th best-paid music personality at the time, above Madonna and Celine Dion.[167] They placed him twelfth on the Celebrity 100 list[168] and second on the "Best-Paid Celebrities Under 30" list.[169] According to Billboard, Timberlake was the third highest-paid musician of 2013, with earnings of $31 million.[170] He was ranked 26th with earnings of $57 million on the Celebrity 100 list for 2014,[171] and 19th on the 2015 list with $63 million.[172] Timberlake was listed at number three on Billboard Money-Makers List of 2014.[173]
Timberlake suffers from obsessive–compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[174]
Artistry
Timberlake has a lyric tenor vocal range.[175] Primarily an R&B album, his debut Justified also contains influences of dance-pop, funk and soul music.[176] During the production of FutureSex/LoveSounds, Timberlake was interested in rock music.[177] This inspiration was used in his approach in recording the songs, rather than in composing them. Timberlake reveals, "I wanted to sing the song like a rock and roll singer, not an R&B singer."[178] On the influences he drew from, he said that if Justified was "characterized" by Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, FutureSex/LoveSounds is more like David Bowie and Prince.[179] Other influences include late INXS-frontman Michael Hutchence,[180] Arcade Fire, David Byrne, The Killers, The Strokes, and Radiohead.[177] He began including beatboxing in his records near the end of his boyband era and into his emergence as a solo act,[181] this includes songs from Justified[182] and FutureSex/LoveSounds.[183]
Unlike his previous record primarily focused on R&B and pop genres,[184] FutureSex/LoveSounds is less concentrated on one particular sound, thus representing a wider range. Timberlake explains, "It's more broad as far as the styles I wanted to mix in to my own type of thing."[185] A musically "complex" album, FutureSex/LoveSounds is a fusion of rap, rock, funk, soul, gospel, new wave, opera, and world music,[179] characterized by preludes and interludes interspersed on the album's tracks.[186] Entertainment Weekly noted that the album's sound is a "sonic departure" from both NSYNC and Justified.[187] Although "What Goes Around" sounds similar to Justified, Timberlake admitted that it is the only song in the new album to have such similarity.[184] The 20/20 Experience is a neo soul album partly inspired by the expansive song structures of 1960s and 1970s rock.[188] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times found its elaborate structures ambitious in the vein of Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Michael Jackson.[189] Since his marriage, he incorporated themes of romance in his songwriting, as Complex noted, showing that he "writes his tracks on his emotions, leaving him with a career of personal albums."[190] Moments of emotional pain after betrayal influenced the songwriting of some previous records
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