After making his dreams of dancing and singing come true at the age of 7, Justin Randall Timberlake was accepted into Disney’s The All-New Mickey Mouse Club in the late 1980s. Here, he would rise to early fame with kins like Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, his future boy bandmate JC Chasez and, believe it or not, Ryan Gosling.
Mickey Mouse Club was just a small step into what was in store for the born-talent Justin Timberlake. He would form one of the world’s most successful boy bands to this date, the gel-drenched blondes of N’Sync.
Timberlake’s career post-N’Sync has been quite ambivalent; spending time at Saturday Night Live collaborating with Andy Samberg where ”Dick in a Box” was born, continuing into a moderately successful acting career – his minor role of Myspace founder Sean Parker in Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher’s The Social Network being the most memorable performance – and a solo career in music. And the three albums Timberlake has made with monster producer Timbaland are the most impressive pieces of music in the r’n’b genre in a long time.
First, there was 2006’ FutureSex/LoveSounds, with jaw-dropping singles like What Goes Around…/…Comes Around, My Love and of course SexyBack. Songs that all still, eight years later, are super fresh and creative in a way that the duo themselves almost can’t compete with, until 2013. After taking a hiatus from the spotlight to spend some time with his beau and new wife, Jessica Biel, and work on his creative ideas, JT returned back with his album and the release of the two-part LP The 20/20 Experience. Here, to an entire world’s absolute joy, the Timberlake/Timbaland co-op was made into reality once again, and the result blew everyone away.
Described as being an explosion of creativity, Timberlake and Timbaland laid down enough tracks to release two albums. Probably just as much an attempt to squeeze as much royalties’ out of their momentum as possible, alas two fantastic albums. The first one, which is the stronger one of the two, features a collaboration with hip-hop and rap legend Jay-Z. Part 2 of The 20/20 Experience evokes the sensation of an album consisting entirely of B-side songs, yet still an impressive project where their unique sound was managed and modernized.
Even though the best tickets might already be sold out, everyone who’s ever danced to a Timberlake tune should make it to Tele2 Arena this Saturday.
Justin Timberlake is at Tele2 Arena on May 10.
