Did He Really Bring Sexy Back?
The boy band renaissance began in the 90s, with the Backstreet Boys sweeping into the music scene, baring abs and sending females roughly between the ages of 11 and 42 into a hormonal mess. The success of the Backstreet Boys asking females to quit playing games with their hearts paved the way for another wave of would-be-(moderately-if-not) successful pretty-boy bands such as Westlife, Hanson, Dream Street, LFO, and arguably the most talked-about boy band of the millennia, *NSYNC.
It was 1996 when *NSYNC –– consisting of Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick –– released their first-ever single, “I Want You Back.” Unfortunately, the US music scene was still hung up on alternative and/or metallic rock, leaving the fledgling group turning to the UK for some love. While they were building up their fan base abroad, record industries in the United States started to have a change of heart where bubblegum pop was concerned. Suddenly, groups such as the Backstreet Boys and Hanson had massive appeal, especially to the younger demographics. By 1998, *NSYNC had finally wowed the ladies of their native US with their All-American good looks, in-sync vocals (no pun intended), and killer dance moves.
As the group progressed, it became clear that the true star of the band was the young Justin Timberlake. Timberlake’s first claim to fame came in the form of The All New Mickey Mouse Club, where he was casted alongside future celebrities such as fellow *NSYNC member J.C. Chasez, future girlfriend Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Felicity star Keri Russell, and The Notebook star Ryan Gosling, among others. His talent evidently came through at a young age, because, by the time he was 10 years old, he’d already won the Preteen Mr. American Pageant and had sung on Star Search. Timberlake proved to be a vital part of *NSYNC, wherein he –– along with Chasez –– co-wrote several tracks on their sophomore album, No Strings Attached (2000). Justin was just as, if not more, involved in their third album Celebrity, which features six songs written by him, including the smash hit “Pop.”
Maybe it was his natural charm, or maybe it was his much-publicized relationship with Britney Spears (who, incidentally, was his childhood sweetheart, circa The All New Mickey Mouse Club). But it was evident that Justin Timberlake’s popularity was growing by the second. By 2002, he broke out of the boy band and released his solo album, Justified. Most of his songs, especially “Cry Me a River,” was said to be inspired by his 2001 break-up with Britney Spears.
While his previous work from *NSYNC was pretty good, I enjoyed his solo music much more. Timberlake successfully shed away the teeny-bopper mainstream sound and produced songs that were part soul, part R&B, and part hip-hop. His song autobiographical song “Cry Me a River” was the first of many Timberlake-Timbaland collaborations. His debut solo album was well-received by critics and had even garnered him Grammies for Best Pop Vocal Album for Justified and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Cry Me a River.”
One of the reasons why his music appeals to me could be attributed to the fact that he’s more about the quality than the quantity. After his 2003 “Justified and Stripped” tour with Christina Aguilera, JT took a break from the music industry.
“I was really burned-out on the music. After that album, I just didn’t have any creative juice left. It was my first solo record, and it was kind of like every idea I had about myself since I was a little boy.” –– Justin Timberlake to W’s Robert Haskell
He released his second album in 2006. FutureSex/LoveSounds, which was released on September of 2006, proved to be just as good as his first album. The first single from the album, “SexyBack,” became a smash hit. It’s one of my favorites –– a danceable song that really does make you want to just abandon all inhibitions and start dancing like the night’s never going to end. Once again, Justin Timberlake established himself as an extremely talented singer, producer, and overall entertainer.
Since then, he sang a duet with Madonna, titled “4 Minutes,” for her Hard Candy album. Justin Timberlake has also been dabbling in a career in the movie industry, starring in numerous film projects such as Alpha Dog and, most recently, The Social Network, a story based on the founding of popular social networking site Facebook.
As of 2011, Justin Timberlake has yet to release another single. But one thing’s for sure: he isn’t going to disappoint. And as far as I’m concerned, JT did bring sexy back.
Reference:
· Answers.com. 2011. Justin Timberlake: Biography from Answers.com. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.answers.com/topic/justin-timberlake. [Accessed 29 May 11]
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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