Justin Timberlake season is upon us.
During his hometown performance at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis, Tennessee on Jan. 19, the pop star gave fans what they've been waiting for: the debut of his new single “Selfish,” reportedly from his anticipated sixth album, as well as a disco cut from another song from the project.
And shortly after the concert ended, he released a trailer for the album itself titled “Everything I Thought It Was” and featuring commentary from actor Benicio Del Toro.
Just an hour before the doors opened at the Orpheum, Timberlake uploaded a 30-second snippet of “Selfish” to TikTok and Instagram, signaling that the song's release could be imminent. And in the middle of his first-ever local performance, he joined his band Tennessee Kids to debut the full-length song: “When I get jealous, I can't help it / I want every bit of you, I guess I'm selfish.” .” ,” he sings.
Attendees got just a sneak peek at another album track, on which he sings “All I need is my moment” over a disco-inspired instrumental, a notable change in mood from the more laid-back “Selfish.”
What a wild ride it's been for Timberlake supporters lately. After fans speculated in recent weeks that he was preparing for a new era (i.e. deleting Instagram, updating profile pictures), the pop star announced last week that he would be appearing on “One Night Only.” Tickets for the event were difficult to obtain. Timberlake's team reached out to TikTok users who had recently posted that they wanted to attend the performance, while a lottery allowed others to secure some.
And in the run-up to the concert, the rumor mill was in full swing. About a week into 2024, the NFL aired a TV spot that included a snippet of a Timberlake song called “Sanctified,” which some believe was part of the singer's curation deal with ESPN and the NFL. Then, a day before his hometown show, he was announced as a guest on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on January 25th. Cut to the day of the Orpheum performance, and he was revealed as the musical guest on January 25th. 27 episode.
Although Timberlake's sixth album may well be coming soon, he hasn't been completely away from music lately. He reunited with his *NSYNC brothers late last year for the single “Better Place” from the Trolls Band Together soundtrack and rounded out 2023 with a performance at the opening of Fontainebleau Las Vegas in mid-December.
Orpheum attendees were treated to a Timberlake set not entirely unlike the one he had planned for Vegas. The usual inclusions were there – “SexyBack” as opener, “My Love”, “Suit & Tie” on the chorus from his Jay Z duet “Holy Grail” – but he mixed it up a bit with some unexpected cuts. He smuggled “Pusher Love Girl” onto the set and paid homage to his Memphis roots with a cover of Al Green's “Let's Stay Together,” which he last performed live at the 2009 Grammy Awards.
During the performance, he also tipped his hat to his *NSYNC roots and gave a shout out to his colleague Chris Kirkpatrick, who was in attendance with his wife. As Timberlake came down from the stage and weaved through the crowd, the on-site DJ played mashups of songs from the *NSYNC oeuvre, like “Gone” featuring Tyla's “Water” and “Girlfriend” featuring Jay-Z's “I Just Wanna Love.” You.” (Give me 2).” He also worked a cover of Bill Withers' “Lovely Day” into “Can't Stop the Feeling” and, of course, led the crowd in a rendition of “Happy Birthday” for his mother, who was in attendance and his birthday was the next day.
As for the album? Who knows when it will come. But his frequent collaborator Timbaland told Variety last year that the album was finished and had a more upbeat mood than his last album, “Man of the Woods.” “It's fun, Justin – it's like 'FutureSex /LoveSounds' but nothing too heavy, just gives you what you'd expect from us: not overthought, the lyrics aren't as deep, it's head bobbing , danceable music,” he said. “Music is a young sport and you have to make it fun – fun and young. We've both seen a lot of life, but that's why you can't think about it too much, you have to bring out the 13-year-old, the 18-year-old again, you know? If not, you can quickly enter the old fog phase. (Laughter) That’s just the world we live in.”