b. 31 January 1981, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Timberlake rose to fame in the late 90s as a member of hugely popular US vocal group *NSYNC, with whom he enjoyed a string of bestselling singles and albums. Timberlake became the most prominent member of the group owing to his personal relationship with teen pop queen Britney Spears, although by the time he launched his solo career in late 2002 the celebrity couple had endured a very public split.
Timberlake hooked up with prominent urban songwriting and production heavyweights the Neptunes and Timbaland, to work on his debut album, with additional assistance from Brian McKnight and Mario Winans. He co-wrote all of the material on Justified in a marked attempt to distance himself from *NSYNC’s adolescent fanbase and woo a more mature audience. The debut single ‘Like I Love You’ featured verses provided by the Neptunes’ protégés the Clipse, and was eerily reminiscent of Michael Jackson in his mid-80s prime. The album also included collaborations with Janet Jackson and Bubba Sparxxx, and featured the transatlantic hit singles ‘Cry Me A River’, ‘Rock Your Body’, and ‘Señorita’. The huge commercial success of the album was buoyed by Timberlake’s energetic live shows, and by the following year the singer could probably claim to be the most popular solo male performer on the planet. He also made a memorable (and uncredited) guest appearance on the Black Eyed Peas’ smash hit ‘Where Is The Love?’.
In February 2004, Timberlake prompted a fit of moral outrage in America when, live on prime time television, he exposed Janet Jackson’s right breast during a sexually charged duet at the Super Bowl half-time show. This did not stop the singer picking up Grammy awards a week later for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance (‘Cry Me A River’) and Best Pop Vocal Album (Justified).
Timberlake made a number of notable guest appearances over the next two years, including hits by the Black Eyed Peas (‘My Style’), Nelly (‘Work It’) and Snoop Dogg (‘Signs’). He also attempted to launch an acting career, albeit with little success. His long-awaited new album finally arrived in September 2006. The album was premiered by the US chart-topping single ‘SexyBack’, an anodyne track which, despite Timberlake’s best efforts to work up a suitably erotic sweat, fell strangely flat. FutureSex/LoveSounds featured production from Timbaland and guest slots from rappers Three 6 Mafia and T.I. , although Timberlake sounded more at home on poppier concoctions such as ‘My Love’, ‘Damn Girl’ and ‘(Another Song) All Over Again’. The album was another huge commercial success, and spawned further US number 1 singles with ‘My Love’ and ‘What Goes Around... Comes Around’.
