Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the
Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Timberlake appeared on musical television shows as a child, competing on Star Search; in the early to mid-1990s, he was a cast member on the Disney Channel's The All New Mickey Mouse Club, where he performed cover songs, skits, and choreography. On the show, Timberlake met and worked with future bandmate JC Chasez, and the two later rose to prominence as the lead vocalists of the pop boy band NSYNC. The group released four commercially successful studio albums, becoming one of the best-selling boy bands of all time with sales of over 70 million units worldwide.
Timberlake established himself as a solo artist with his first two albums, Justified and FutureSex/LoveSounds, both of which sold over 10 million copies and received triple platinum certifications by the RIAA, with the latter became his first to debut atop the US Billboard 200. His next three albums also peaked the chart as well: The 20/20 Experience, The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 and Man of the Woods ; the former became the best-selling album of the year. Throughout his career, Timberlake scored numerous high-charting US Billboard Hot 100 singles, including "Cry Me a River", "Rock Your Body", "SexyBack", "My Love", "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows", "What Goes Around... Comes Around", "Give It to Me", "4 Minutes", "Pusher Love Girl", "Suit & Tie", "Mirrors" and "Can't Stop the Feeling!", which earned him an Academy Award nomination.
Timberlake enhanced his popularity with an acting career. He landed starring roles in the films The Love Guru, The Social Network, Bad Teacher, Friends with Benefits, In Time, Wonder Wheel and Palmer. He also voiced Artie in Shrek the Third, Boo-Boo Bear in Yogi Bear and Branch in the Trolls franchise since 2016. Billboard named him one of the greatest pop stars of the 21st century. His awards include ten Grammy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, three Brit Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, the Contemporary Icon Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and MTV's Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. He has frequently collaborated with producers such as The Neptunes and Timbaland, who are best known for boosting Timberlake's solo career.
Early life
Justin Randall Timberlake was born on January 31, 1981, in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Janet Lynn Harless and Charles Randall Timberlake, a Baptist church choir director. Timberlake has two half-brothers, Jonathan and Stephen, from Charles' second marriage to Lisa Perry. His half-sister Laura Katherine died shortly after birth in 1997, and is mentioned in his acknowledgments in the album NSYNC as "My Angel in Heaven".His family circle includes several musicians; his grandfather introduced him to music from country music artists like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. 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". 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.
From 1993 to 1995, he was a Mouseketeer on 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 actors Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell. In 1995, Timberlake recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group, put together by Chris Kirkpatrick and financed by boy band manager Lou Pearlman, that eventually became NSYNC.
Career
1995–2002: NSYNC
The boy band NSYNC formed in 1995, and they began recording and performing in 1996 in Europe; Timberlake and Chasez served as its two lead singers. 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 includes the single "Tearin' Up My Heart". The group had a series of legal battles with former manager Lou Pearlman, and they subsequently signed with Jive Records. They released their third studio album No Strings Attached, which sold 2.4 million copies in the first week, becoming the fastest-selling album of all time. They held this record until 2015 when Adele surpassed the record with her third album 25. No Strings Attached also includes the number one single "It's Gonna Be Me", "Bye Bye Bye", and "This I Promise You". The same year, Timberlake made his film debut in The Wonderful World of Disney film Model Behavior. He played Jason Sharpe, a model who falls in love with a waitress after mistaking her for another model. He also appeared as a young Elton John, in the video for John's song "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore", the following year. NSYNC's fourth studio album Celebrity was also financially successful, selling 1.8 million copies in the first week and spawning the top-five single "Girlfriend". Upon the completion of the Celebrity Tour, the group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2002. NSYNC performed at the Academy Awards in 2000, the 2002 Winter Olympics, and the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show. The band sold more than 70 million records worldwide, becoming the fifth-best selling boy band in history.The rise of Timberlake's 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. By 2002, when the group went on an indefinite hiatus and members were doing individual projects, he partnered with Pharrell Williams of the producing team The Neptunes–and Timbaland to start working on new music. 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 it was instead recorded by NSYNC. Before its release, however, Jackson contacted him. Timberlake declared in a later interview that the first time he felt confident to go solo happened after that conversation. In a retrospective article in 2020, Billboard considered Celebrity "the group's swan song, setting the stage for Timberlake's equally massive solo career".
2002–2004: ''Justified'' and Super Bowl XXXVIII controversy
In August 2002, Timberlake performed at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, where he premiered his debut solo single "Like I Love You"; it peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. His debut solo studio album Justified was released in November and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 439,000 copies, fewer than previous 'N Sync releases. It sold over three million copies in the U.S. and more than ten million copies worldwide. Its R&B influence, provided by hip-hop producers The Neptunes and Timbaland, 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". The album spawned the top-five singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body".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. 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. Timberlake later spoofed Ashton Kutcher and Punk'd in a 2003 episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live. Timberlake co-starred in a 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.
In summer 2003, Timberlake and Christina Aguilera co-headlined The Justified & Stripped Tour. Later that year, he released the single "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. Timberlake was featured on Nelly's song, "Work It", which was remixed and included on Nelly's 2003 remix album. In October 2003, Timberlake made his first sole appearance on Saturday Night Live both as host and music guest, pairing with comedian Jimmy Fallon on the later-recurring skit The Barry Gibb Talk Show.
In February 2004, during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, 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. Part of the costume detached, and Jackson's breast was briefly exposed. 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..." The phrase "wardrobe malfunction" has since been used by the media to refer to the incident and has entered pop culture. 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. 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.