Timberlake - Biography and discography, all albums and songs

Justin Randall Timberlake is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor, born on January 31, 1981, in Memphis, Tennessee. He began performing as a child, gained worldwide fame as one of the lead vocalists of *NSYNC, and later built a successful solo career in pop music and R&B. The Recording Academy credits him with ten Grammy Awards, while the Television Academy lists four Emmy Awards.

Timberlake’s solo discography includes Justified, FutureSex/LoveSounds, The 20/20 Experience, The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2, Man of the Woods and Everything I Thought It Was. Among his best-known songs are Cry Me a River, Rock Your Body, SexyBack, My Love, What Goes Around... Comes Around, Suit & Tie, Mirrors, Can't Stop the Feeling!, Say Something and Selfish. His solo sound was shaped in large part by long-running creative partnerships with Timbaland, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo.

Childhood in Tennessee

Justin was born to Lynn Bomar and Charles Randall Timberlake. His parents divorced when he was young. He spent most of his childhood in Shelby Forest, a small community near Memphis and Millington. He grew up in a Baptist environment and sang in the church choir.

Music was part of family life. One of Timberlake’s uncles played in a bluegrass band, while his grandfather introduced him to the songs of Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson and showed him his first guitar chords. Later, artists such as Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and the Eagles became important influences, alongside other representatives of soul, R&B, country and American rock. This blend of Southern musical traditions would repeatedly reappear in his solo work.

Star Search and The Mickey Mouse Club

At around the age of eleven, Timberlake appeared on the television competition Star Search, performing under the name Justin Randall and singing country music. He did not win the show, but the appearance gave him his first experience on national television.

In 1993–1994, he was a cast member of The All-New Mickey Mouse Club. The same cast included future stars Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell and JC Chasez. Timberlake regularly sang, danced and took part in stage numbers, gaining substantial television and performance experience before beginning his recording career.

*NSYNC

After The Mickey Mouse Club ended, Timberlake and JC Chasez became involved in a new vocal group being assembled in Orlando. Together with Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone and Lance Bass, they formed the classic lineup of *NSYNC. In its early years, the group was associated with manager Lou Pearlman and initially developed its career primarily in the European market.

The debut album *NSYNC was released in Europe in 1997, followed by the US edition a year later. Songs such as I Want You Back, Tearin' Up My Heart and God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You turned the group into one of the leading acts of the late-1990s teen-pop wave. Timberlake and JC Chasez handled most of the lead vocals.

No Strings Attached and Celebrity

After a conflict with Lou Pearlman and the group’s previous business structure, *NSYNC gained greater control over its own career. In March 2000, the second album No Strings Attached was released. It sold approximately 2.416 million copies in the United States during its first week, setting an all-time record under the modern sales-tracking system at the time. The record stood for fifteen years until Adele’s 25 surpassed it in 2015.

The biggest hits were Bye Bye Bye and It's Gonna Be Me. The latter became the first and only *NSYNC single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2001, the group released Celebrity. By then, Timberlake had become more active in songwriting and production. Songs connected with his writing contributions included Pop and Gone. The latter differed noticeably from the group’s earlier sound, featuring a more restrained R&B arrangement and Timberlake’s falsetto vocals.

In the spring of 2002, after completing a tour, *NSYNC went on an extended hiatus. No official announcement of a permanent breakup followed. A few months later, Timberlake released his first solo album.

Justified and the Beginning of His Solo Career

Justified was released on November 5, 2002. Timberlake’s main creative partners were The Neptunes — Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo — and Timbaland. The album differed significantly from *NSYNC’s music and was built around contemporary R&B, funk, soul and hip-hop production. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

The first single was Like I Love You featuring Clipse. It was followed by Cry Me a River, created with Timbaland and Scott Storch. The song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the defining recordings of Timberlake’s early solo career.

Rock Your Body, produced by The Neptunes, peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100. Other notable tracks included Señorita and Like I Love You. The vocals and arrangements on Justified reflected the influence of classic soul and funk, as well as Michael Jackson and Prince, but Timberlake’s own style was already beginning to form around the combination of falsetto and contemporary rhythm.

At the 2004 Grammy Awards, he won his first two solo prizes: Best Pop Vocal Album for Justified and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Cry Me a River.

Super Bowl 2004 and Janet Jackson

On February 1, 2004, Timberlake appeared during Janet Jackson’s performance at Super Bowl XXXVIII. At the end of their joint performance of Rock Your Body, he pulled part of her stage costume, briefly exposing Jackson’s breast on live television. The incident, later widely known as the “wardrobe malfunction,” led to proceedings by the US Federal Communications Commission and major changes in the way American television approached live broadcasts.

The consequences for the two artists were very different: Janet Jackson faced far greater media and professional pressure, while Timberlake’s solo career continued to develop. In February 2021, he issued a public statement in which he specifically apologized to Jackson and acknowledged that he had failed her.

FutureSex/LoveSounds

Timberlake’s second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, was released in September 2006. Most of the material was created with Timbaland and Danja. Rather than repeating the formula of Justified, they developed a more electronic and rhythmically complex sound incorporating funk, dance music and R&B.

The first single, SexyBack, spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Timberlake’s first solo chart-topper. It was followed to the top by My Love featuring T.I. and What Goes Around... Comes Around. FutureSex/LoveSounds therefore produced three US No. 1 hits.

The album also featured LoveStoned/I Think She Knows, Summer Love and Until the End of Time. Some tracks were built from several connected sections, shifting tempo and arrangement and running considerably longer than standard radio singles. Timberlake would later develop this approach even further on The 20/20 Experience.

SexyBack, My Love, What Goes Around... Comes Around and LoveStoned/I Think She Knows earned Timberlake several Grammy Awards, while FutureSex/LoveSounds was nominated for Album of the Year.

Work with Other Artists

During the second half of the 2000s, Timberlake worked extensively outside his own discography. With Timbaland and Nelly Furtado, he recorded Give It to Me, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. With Madonna, he co-wrote and performed 4 Minutes; with T.I., he recorded Dead and Gone; and for Rihanna, he was one of the writers of Rehab.

Saturday Night Live and the Emmys

Alongside his music career, Timberlake became a regular presence on Saturday Night Live, where he proved himself as a comedic performer. One of his best-known sketches, Dick in a Box with Andy Samberg, won an Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.

He later won again for guest acting on SNL and for musical-comedy material. According to the Television Academy, Timberlake has four Emmy Awards from eight nominations.

Film Career and the Long Break Between Albums

After FutureSex/LoveSounds, Timberlake went nearly seven years without releasing another solo studio album and devoted considerably more time to acting. One of his most notable roles was Sean Parker in David Fincher’s The Social Network (2010). Parker was a co-founder of Napster and the first president of Facebook.

In 2011, Timberlake appeared in Bad Teacher, the romantic comedy Friends with Benefits and the science-fiction thriller In Time. His later filmography included Inside Llewyn Davis, Wonder Wheel, Palmer and Reptile.

The 20/20 Experience

In January 2013, Timberlake returned with Suit & Tie featuring Jay-Z. The album The 20/20 Experience followed on March 19 and was again created largely with Timbaland, Jerome “J-Roc” Harmon and James Fauntleroy.

The record was built around long-form compositions with soul and orchestral arrangements, intricate rhythms and extended instrumental passages. The 20/20 Experience debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 968,000 copies sold in its first week and became the best-selling album of 2013 in the United States.

The biggest hits were Suit & Tie and Mirrors. The video for Mirrors won Video of the Year at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.

The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2

On September 30, 2013, the second part of the project, The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2, was released and is considered a separate fourth studio album. It also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Its main tracks included Take Back the Night, TKO, Not a Bad Thing and Drink You Away.

That same year, Timberlake received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards. During his extended performance, the other members of *NSYNC briefly joined him on stage to perform excerpts from Girlfriend and Bye Bye Bye.

Trolls and Can't Stop the Feeling!

In 2016, Timberlake voiced Branch in the animated film Trolls and became one of the key contributors to its music. For the film, he co-wrote Can't Stop the Feeling! with Max Martin and Shellback.

The song debuted directly at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the biggest pop hits of his career. It won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

Timberlake continued voicing Branch in Trolls World Tour and Trolls Band Together. The third film in the franchise later became the catalyst for a full musical reunion of *NSYNC.

Man of the Woods

Timberlake’s fifth solo album, Man of the Woods, was released on February 2, 2018. He again worked with Timbaland and The Neptunes while adding elements of gospel, rock, country and the musical traditions of the American South to his familiar R&B and funk foundation.

The album title was connected to Timberlake’s son Silas: the artist explained that he had learned the meaning of his son’s name as “man of the woods” and used the idea for the project. The main singles included Filthy, Supplies and Say Something featuring Chris Stapleton.

Man of the Woods became Timberlake’s fourth consecutive solo album to top the Billboard 200.

Super Bowl LII

On February 4, 2018, two days after the release of Man of the Woods, Timberlake headlined the Super Bowl LII halftime show in Minneapolis. The set included Filthy, Rock Your Body, Señorita, SexyBack, My Love, Cry Me a River, Suit & Tie, Mirrors and Can't Stop the Feeling!.

During I Would Die 4 U, the show used a video projection of Prince, whose life and career were closely connected to Minneapolis. The television production received four Emmy nominations.

Recognition as a Songwriter

Timberlake is a writer or co-writer on most of his key solo songs, including Cry Me a River, Rock Your Body, SexyBack, My Love, What Goes Around... Comes Around, Mirrors, Can't Stop the Feeling! and Say Something. He has also written music for other artists.

In 2019, the Songwriters Hall of Fame presented him with the Contemporary Icon Award, a special honor for a singer-songwriter who has achieved significant cultural impact. Timbaland presented the award to Timberlake.

Timberlake had already been inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2015.

Sale of His Songwriting Catalogue

In 2022, Hipgnosis Songs Capital acquired Timberlake’s rights in a catalogue of approximately 200 songs he had written or co-written. The deal covered his songwriting and publishing interests and did not include master recordings owned by record companies. Financial terms were not officially disclosed, although media reports valued the deal at more than $100 million.

The Return of *NSYNC

In 2023, all five members of *NSYNC recorded together again for Better Place from the film Trolls Band Together. It was the group’s first new song in more than twenty years. Better Place later received a Grammy nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media.

Another collaboration followed in 2024: Paradise, recorded for Timberlake’s solo album. On March 13, all five members made a surprise appearance at his concert at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, where they performed Paradise, Girlfriend, Bye Bye Bye and It's Gonna Be Me. It was their first joint live performance in more than a decade.

Everything I Thought It Was

On March 15, 2024, Timberlake released his sixth solo studio album, Everything I Thought It Was, his first full-length project since Man of the Woods. Across 18 tracks, he revisited different sides of his earlier sound: R&B, funk, electronic pop, long-form arrangements and ballads.

The first single was Selfish, which reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was followed by Drown and No Angels. The album also included Sanctified, Technicolor, Flame and Paradise with *NSYNC.

Everything I Thought It Was debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 67,000 equivalent album units. All six of Timberlake’s solo studio albums have therefore reached the Top 5 of the US chart, with four of them reaching No. 1.

The Forget Tomorrow World Tour

On April 29, 2024, The Forget Tomorrow World Tour began in Vancouver — Timberlake’s first major solo tour since the Man of the Woods era. The setlist combined new material with key songs from across his career, including Cry Me a River, Rock Your Body, SexyBack, Mirrors, Can't Stop the Feeling! and others.

The tour lasted more than a year and concluded on July 30, 2025, in Istanbul. During the run, several concerts had to be postponed or cancelled because of health problems. After the tour ended, Timberlake revealed that he had been diagnosed with Lyme disease, which had caused severe fatigue and nerve pain. According to the artist, after receiving the diagnosis he considered ending the tour early but decided to complete the scheduled performances.

The 2024 Driving Case

In June 2024, Timberlake was arrested by police in Sag Harbor, New York, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. In September, he pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of driving while ability impaired. Under the agreement, the original criminal charge was replaced by a non-criminal traffic violation. The court imposed a $500 fine, 25 hours of community service and a 90-day suspension of his driving privileges in New York; Timberlake also made a public statement urging people not to drive after consuming alcohol.

Further Performances

The end of the long tour did not mark Timberlake’s departure from the stage. On January 29, 2026, he made a surprise appearance at Recording Academy Honors in Los Angeles during a tribute to Pharrell Williams, performing material the two had created together over the years. It was his first major public musical performance after the end of the tour and his announcement that he had been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

Film Career

Some of Justin Timberlake’s most notable acting roles include:

• Alpha Dog — 2006
• Black Snake Moan — 2006
• The Social Network — 2010, Sean Parker
• Bad Teacher — 2011
• Friends with Benefits — 2011
• In Time — 2011
• Inside Llewyn Davis — 2013
• Trolls — 2016, voice of Branch
• Wonder Wheel — 2017
• Trolls World Tour — 2020
• Palmer — 2021
• Reptile — 2023
• Trolls Band Together — 2023

Sean Parker in The Social Network remains one of Timberlake’s best-known dramatic roles, while the Trolls franchise became an important link between his film and music careers.

Personal Life

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Timberlake was in a relationship with Britney Spears, whom he had known since their time on The Mickey Mouse Club. Their breakup in 2002 was widely covered by the press and was later repeatedly reassessed in discussions of how the mass media of that period treated Spears.

Timberlake began dating actress Jessica Biel in 2007. They married in Italy in October 2012. The couple have two sons: Silas, born in 2015, and Phineas, born in 2020. The family generally tries to keep the children out of the public eye.

Awards

According to the Recording Academy, Justin Timberlake has 10 Grammy Awards from 40 nominations. His wins span pop, R&B, dance music, collaborations with rap artists and songs written for film.

• Justified — Best Pop Vocal Album
• Cry Me a River — Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
• SexyBack — Best Dance Recording
• My Love — Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
• What Goes Around... Comes Around — Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
• LoveStoned/I Think She Knows — Best Dance Recording
• Suit & Tie — Best Music Video
• Pusher Love Girl — Best R&B Song
• Holy Grail — Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
• Can't Stop the Feeling! — Best Song Written for Visual Media

In addition, Timberlake has four Emmy Awards, the Contemporary Icon Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and induction into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.

Justin Timberlake Studio Albums

• Justified — 2002
• FutureSex/LoveSounds — 2006
• The 20/20 Experience — 2013
• The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 — 2013
• Man of the Woods — 2018
• Everything I Thought It Was — 2024

All six of Timberlake’s solo studio albums reached the Top 5 of the Billboard 200; FutureSex/LoveSounds, both parts of The 20/20 Experience and Man of the Woods reached No. 1.

Main *NSYNC Albums

• *NSYNC — 1997; US release — 1998
• Home for Christmas — 1998
• No Strings Attached — 2000
• Celebrity — 2001

Key Justin Timberlake Songs

• Like I Love You — 2002, with Clipse
• Cry Me a River — 2002
• Rock Your Body — 2003
• Señorita — 2003
• SexyBack — 2006
• My Love — 2006, with T.I.
• What Goes Around... Comes Around — 2006
• LoveStoned/I Think She Knows — 2007
• Until the End of Time — 2007
• Suit & Tie — 2013, with Jay-Z
• Mirrors — 2013
• TKO — 2013
• Not a Bad Thing — 2014
• Can't Stop the Feeling! — 2016
• Filthy — 2018
• Say Something — 2018, with Chris Stapleton
• Selfish — 2024
• Drown — 2024
• No Angels — 2024
• Paradise — 2024, with *NSYNC

Musical Style

The foundation of Timberlake’s solo work is R&B, pop, soul and funk. Justified was rooted primarily in contemporary R&B and early-2000s neo-soul; FutureSex/LoveSounds greatly expanded the electronic and dance-oriented side of his music; The 20/20 Experience turned toward orchestral soul and long-form compositions, while Man of the Woods placed greater emphasis on the musical traditions of the American South.

One of the most recognizable features of his voice remains his falsetto. In his work with Timbaland, the voice often becomes part of the rhythm itself: layered vocals, short phrases, processed harmonies and shifting patterns are used alongside drums and synthesizers as structural elements.

The live-performance side is equally important. Timberlake developed within a tradition of artists for whom singing and choreography function as a single stage performance. His style shows the influence of Michael Jackson, Prince, classic soul and R&B, but during his solo career he developed a more restrained and rhythmically precise approach of his own.

The Creative Partnership with Timbaland

Timberlake’s collaboration with Timbaland became the longest-running production partnership of his solo career. It began with Cry Me a River on Justified, formed the foundation of FutureSex/LoveSounds and continued through both parts of The 20/20 Experience, Man of the Woods and Everything I Thought It Was.

The Neptunes, led by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, played an equally important role in the early development of Timberlake as a solo artist. It was the combination of these two production schools — The Neptunes’ minimalist funk and Timbaland’s rhythmic experimentation — that allowed him to move quickly away from the sound of *NSYNC and create an independent musical identity.

Influence and Place in Pop Music

One of Timberlake’s greatest achievements was his successful transition from a member of an enormously popular teen group to an independent adult artist. Justified already moved him beyond the image of a former *NSYNC member, while FutureSex/LoveSounds established his own musical language and demonstrated how naturally R&B, funk, electronic music and hip-hop production could coexist within mainstream pop.

His strongest albums were built around more than individual hits. FutureSex/LoveSounds used transitions between songs and structures unusual for radio, The 20/20 Experience allowed seven- and eight-minute compositions to exist within a commercially successful pop album, while Can't Stop the Feeling! demonstrated Timberlake’s ability to create a direct mass-market hit almost fifteen years after the beginning of his solo career.

At the same time, his career has never followed a single path. Music has alternated with film, television, *NSYNC reunions and long touring cycles. Several decades after Star Search, Timberlake remains an artist whose professional biography connects the teen-pop culture of the 1990s, the R&B and electronic music of the 2000s, the large-scale pop albums of the following decade and his later return to his own catalogue.

From a child singing country on Star Search to a member of *NSYNC, the artist behind Cry Me a River, SexyBack and Mirrors, an actor in The Social Network and a performer on major world tours, Justin Timberlake has passed through several distinctly different phases. The thread connecting them remains his interest in rhythm, soul and funk, his collaborations with strong producers and his ability to combine vocals, dance and studio craft within a single pop career.