Justin timberlake

Who Is Justin Timberlake?

Justin Timberlake began his career on The New Mickey Mouse Club, starring alongside Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. In 1995, he became a teen heartthrob with the pop group *NSYNC. After the pop group’s immensely successful run in the 1990s, Timberlake went solo in 2002, releasing his own album, Justified. He proved he could stand alone with the Grammy-winning album, and continued his success as a solo artist with FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), the two-part The 20/20 Experience (2013) and Man of the Woods (2018). Aside from a prominent singing career, Timberlake also proved himself a talented actor, starring in Alpha Dog (2006), The Social Network (2010) and In Time (2011).

Early Life

Justin Randall Timberlake was born on January 31, 1981, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Janet Lynn (Bomar) Harless and Charles Randall Timberlake, a Baptist church choir director. Timberlake grew up in Shelby Forest, a small community between Memphis and Millington. 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». His family circle includes a number of musicians; his grandfather introduced him to music from country 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.

In 1993 and 1994, he was a Mouseketeer on , 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. Timberlake then recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group, organized by boy band manager Lou Pearlman, that eventually became NSYNC.

‘The 20/20 Experience’

In January 2013, Timberlake returned to the music scene with the hit single «Suit & Tie.» The song appeared on his album The 20/20 Experience, released that March, and reached the top of the album charts in its first week. Before the long-awaited album was released, Timberlake performed «Pusher Love Girl» and «Suit & Tie» alongside Jay-Z at the 2013 Grammy Awards ceremony. Timberlake continued to enjoy this wave of success in August when he picked up the VMA Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards. At the ceremony, he gave an impressive performance, which also featured a reunion with his *NSYNC bandmates.

Filmography

Movies

TV

‘FutureSex/LoveSounds’

The following year, he released his second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. The album’s lead single, «SexyBack,» spent several consecutive weeks at No. 1. Some of the album’s other hit tracks include «My Love,» «What Goes Around Comes Around» and «LoveStoned/I Think She Knows,» with the last two songs garnering Grammys.

In 2008, Timberlake helped make Madonna’s single «4 Minutes» a Top 10 hit. Not only did he provide complementary vocals, but he was also a co-writer of the song. Timberlake also contributed to several other tracks on Madonna’s Hard Candy album.

‘Justified’ and Controversial Super Bowl Performance

In 2002, Timberlake decided to pursue a solo career, debuting with the hit song «Like I Love You.» Later that year, he released his first solo album, Justified, which also featured the hits «Cry Me a River» and «Rock Your Body» and sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. He received two Grammy Awards in 2004 for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The wins came on the heels of a controversial Super Bowl performance with Janet Jackson in which Timberlake accidentally tore off a portion of Jackson’s costume, revealing her bare breast.

As a solo artist, Timberlake has often collaborated with the Black Eyed Peas, receiving a Grammy nomination with the band for «Where Is The Love?» He has also worked with Nelly, Snoop Dogg and Nelly Furtado and started his own record company, JayTee Records, in 2005.

Personal Life

In early 1999, Timberlake began dating fellow former The New Mickey Mouse Club cast member and recording artist Britney Spears. Their relationship ended abruptly in March 2002. The breakup influenced the lyrics and theme of «Cry Me a River». 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, the couple split in December 2004 shortly after she introduced him as musical guest on Saturday Night Live. In January 2005, they denied allegations of an alleged affair between Timberlake and Scarlett Johansson, with whom he had shot the music video for his song «What Goes Around… Comes Around». In January 2005, Timberlake began dating actress Jessica Biel, with whom he had been photographed on multiple occasions. They became engaged in the mountains of Montana in December 2011. The couple married on October 19, 2012 at the Borgo Egnazia resort in Fasano, Italy. Their son, Silas Randall Timberlake, was born in April 2015. In September 2020, ex-NSYNC member Lance Bass said that Timberlake and Biel had another child in July 2020, a son named Phineas. He has said he has obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) mixed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Personal Life

Timberlake once dated fellow pop singer Britney Spears and actress Cameron Diaz. In 2007, he began dating actress Jessica Biel. After an on-and-off relationship that lasted several years, the couple got married in October 2012, in Puglia, Italy. They later issued the following statement to People magazine: «It’s great to be married, the ceremony was beautiful and it was so special to be surrounded by our family and friends.» The couple welcomed a son, Silas Randall Timberlake, in April 2015. The pair welcomed their second child, son Phineas, in summer 2020.

In addition to his music and acting careers, Timberlake has also opened several restaurants, started a clothing line and participated in humanitarian efforts in his native Tennessee.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Justin
• Birth Year: 1981
• Birth date: January 31, 1981
• Birth State: Tennessee
• Birth City: Memphis
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Singer Justin Timberlake got his start on ‘The New Mickey Mouse Club’ and made it big with boy band *NSYNC, before becoming a solo singer and actor.
• Industries
  • Drama
  • Comedy
  • Pop
• Astrological Sign: Aquarius
• Interesting Facts
  • During a 2011 interview, it was revealed that Justin Timberlake was inspired to write the Grammy Award-winning song ‘Cry Me a River’ after getting into an argument with ex-girlfriend Britney Spears.
  • Justin Timberlake started out in the Mickey Mouse club as a child alongside other celebrities, such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Ryan Gosling.

Filmography

Films

Television

‘Man of the Woods’ and Super Bowl Return

In January 2018, Timberlake dropped the first single from his upcoming studio album, a slow bedroom number titled «Filthy.» He followed later in the month with the Top 10 hit «Say Something,» featuring Chris Stapleton. The album, Man of the Woods, which also includes collaborations with Timbaland and Pharrell Williams, was released shortly before the singer’s performance at the Super Bowl LII halftime show in early February.

The Super Bowl gig generated controversy well before Timberlake took the stage, with the hashtag #JusticeForJanet circulating on social media among Jackson fans who felt she took the brunt of the fallout from the 2004 Super Bowl show. Furthermore, the rumor that Timberlake planned to perform with a hologram of Prince incited additional backlash, as fans cited an interview in which the deceased music great specifically stated his opposition to that sort of special effect.

On July 3, Timberlake released a new track, «SoulMate.» To some critics, the samba-like, beach-ready jam marked a welcome return to his roots, following the unevenness of Man of the Woods.