Justin Timberlake: Biography

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Justin Timberlake.Image via Wikimedia Commons

Who Is Justin Timberlake?

Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. Dubbed the "Prince of Pop", he is known for his showmanship, tenor vocal range, versatility across the entertainment industry, and frequent collaborations with hip-hop producers such as The Neptunes and Timbaland.

As a child, Timberlake appeared on the talent competition show Star Search and was a cast member on Disney Channel's The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1993–1995). He rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of NSYNC, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. As a solo artist, his first two albums, Justified (2002) and FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), achieved worldwide success. The latter became his first to debut atop the US Billboard 200 and produced the US Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around". After a musical hiatus, he released the albums The 20/20 Experience (2013)—the best-selling album of 2013 in the United States—and The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 (2013). His next albums, Man of the Woods (2018) and Everything I Thought It Was (2024), were released to varying critical and commercial success.

As an actor, he starred in the films Shrek the Third (2007), The Love Guru (2008), The Social Network (2010), Bad Teacher (2011), Friends with Benefits (2011), and In Time (2011). In 2016, he starred in the first film of the Trolls franchise and contributed to its soundtrack, which featured the chart-topping single "Can't Stop the Feeling!" and earned him an Academy Award nomination. His other films include Wonder Wheel (2017), Palmer (2021) and Reptile (2023).

Early Life: Where Is Justin Timberlake From?

Timberlake has received numerous accolades, including ten Grammy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, three Brit Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, seven American Music Awards and eleven MTV Video Music Awards (including the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award). He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 2019, Timberlake received the Contemporary Icon Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame and an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as a member of NSYNC. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2007 and 2013. Billboard ranked him among the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century in 2024.

Early life

Justin Randall Timberlake was born on January 31, 1981, in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Janet Lynn (née Bomar) 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".

Justin Timberlake's Career and Major Works

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 in a church choir; 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 1970s, such as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye. He had listening sessions with his father of 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 and financed by boy band manager Lou Pearlman, that eventually became NSYNC.

1995–2002: NSYNC

Justin Timberlake's Personal Life and Relationships

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 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 album, No Strings Attached (2000), 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 singles "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 album, Celebrity (2001), 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 pursuing individual projects, Timberlake partnered with Pharrell Williams of the producing team The Neptunes, and with 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 Jackson 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

Where Is Justin Timberlake Now? Recent Years

In August 2002, Timberlake performed at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, where he premiered his debut solo single, "Like I Love You", which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. His debut solo 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.

Justin Timberlake's Legacy and Impact

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 (Best Pop Vocal Album for Justified and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Cry Me a River"). 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.

2004–2007: Films and FutureSex/LoveSounds

After the Super Bowl incident, Timberlake was "burned out" from his music career, opting out of an NSYNC reunion and elevating his acting career, having starred in a few feature films earlier in his career. The first role he took during this time was as a journalist in Edison Force, filmed in 2004 and released direct-to-video on July 18, 2006. He also appeared in the films Alpha Dog (2006) with Bruce Willis, Black Snake Moan (2006) with Samuel L. Jackson, Richard Kelly's Southland Tales (2006), and voiced Prince Artie Pendragon in the animated film Shrek the Third (2007).

During his hiatus from music, he continued to record with other artists. In 2004, he recorded "Good Foot" with Timbaland for the soundtrack of Shark Tale. After "Where Is the Love?", he again collaborated with the Black Eyed Peas on the 2005 track "My Style" from their album Monkey Business. That year, he collaborated with Charlie Wilson and Black Eyed Peas member Will.i.am on the song "Floatin'" on the former's album Charlie, Last Name Wilson, and collaborated on a track with Brazilian music artist Sérgio Mendes the following year. When recording the 2005 single "Signs" with Snoop Dogg, Timberlake discovered a throat condition. Nodules were subsequently removed from his throat in an operation that took place on May 5, 2005. He was advised not to sing or speak loudly for at least a few months. In 2005, he began his own record company, JayTee Records.

In December 2005, Timberlake began production on his second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, with returning producer Timbaland. Wanting an experimental direction, his goal for the album was "to capture moments' with a vivid, raw, off-the-cuff sound", while managing the recording sessions. At the time, Timberlake developed an interest in a rock direction, drawing inspiration from David Bowie and Prince, and even took influence from trance music into the album. In July 2006, the album's lead single, "SexyBack", was released, and in a few weeks, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for seven consecutive weeks.

Timberlake released his second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, on September 12, 2006. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 684,000 copies its first week. 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. 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. A studio representative described it as being "all about sexiness" and aiming for "an adult feel". "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 its third single, "What Goes Around... Comes Around". The song is reported to have been inspired by the breakup of his childhood friend and business partner, Trace Ayala, with actress Elisha Cuthbert.

Timberlake hosted many music events, including the 2006 European MTV Music Awards and 2007 Kids' Choice Awards. 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 became a viral hit and one...

Justin Timberlake's career continues to be documented by reputable media; the facts above are drawn from Wikipedia's biography and public records.

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