From NSYNC to N-dependent: Justin Timberlake's career spans 25-plus years (2024)

Belinda M. PaschalColumbus Dispatch

Justin Timberlake's career has had its rocky moments — the singer was once almost canceled — but for the most part, the trajectory has been upward, and the "Prince of Pop" has persevered.

He has won 10 Grammy Awards, received an Oscar nod and performed at the Super Bowl several times, both as a solo artist and member of pop quintet NSYNC.

Now on "The Forget Tomorrow" world tour, Timberlake will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Nationwide Arena. Ticket prices start at $60 at ticketmaster.com.

This will be at least the 10th visit to Columbus for Timberlake, who first appeared here with NSYNC in August 2001.

Before he became the man who brought "SexyBack" or the boy-band singer with curls like Top Ramen, Timberlake was a Mouseketeer on "The All New Mickey Mouse Club." He appeared on the show with future girlfriend Britney Spears, future bandmate JC Chasez and future touring partner Christina Aguilera.

After "The Mickey Mouse Club" ended in 1994, Timberlake got a call from Chris Kirkpatrick and accepted his offer to join a vocal group while also recommending Chasez. Joey Fatone and Jason Galasso soon were added. Galasso dropped out and was replaced by then-16-year-old Lance Bass and NSYNC's lineup was complete.

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NSYNC N-vades America

Following their overnight success in Europe, NSYNC was signed to RCA Records, releasing their American debut single, "I Want You Back." The track would be included on the album "'NSYNC," which also contained the hit "Tearin' Up My Heart."

NSYNC's bona fide American breakthrough came in January 2000 after a move to Jive Records with the top 5 dance tune "Bye Bye Bye," widely considered NSYNC's signature song.

The album "No Strings Attached" dropped in March of that year and was the best-selling album of 2000. The follow-up single, "It's Gonna Be Me," became the band's first No. 1 in the U.S.

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In July 2001, NSYNC released "Celebrity," which sold more than 1.8 million copies in its first week and spawned three top 20 singles including "Girlfriend." They promoted "Celebrity" with a four-month tour that earned $90 million, followed by a longer tour in 2002.

The group then went on hiatus, which was intended to be temporary, but NSYNC wouldn't perform together again for nearly a dozen years.

Flying solo

Just 21, Timberlake went out on his own. His first solo album, "Justified" debuted at No. 2 in the U.S. in November 2002 and earned top 5 chart entries with "Cry Me A River" and "Rock Your Body."

The following year, he made his first of five well-received appearances as both host and musical guest on "Saturday Night Live." His star would continue to rise, with achievements such as receiving the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Cry Me a River" and Best Pop Vocal Album for "Justified."

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Timberlake paused his music career to focus on acting before returning with his second solo album. "FutureSex/LoveSounds" debuted at No. 1 in September 2006 and its lead single, "SexyBack," climbed to No. 1 in America, where it stayed for seven weeks.

Timberlake would win numerous awards over the next year and a half, including:

  • November 2006: Best Male Artist and Best Pop Artist at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
  • February 2007: Grammys for two songs from "FutureSex": "My Love" (with T.I.) for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and "SexyBack" for Best Dance Recording.
  • February 2008: The Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Grammy for "What Goes Around … Comes Around," also from "FutureSex." Timberlake also got Best Dance Recording for "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows."

Though having resumed his film career in late 2007, Timberlake continued to guest-host, collaborate with other artists and write and produce music. From 2010, his acting work increased.

He announced his return to music in January 2013 with the release of the No. 3 single "Suit & Tie." The next month, the single "Mirrors" hit No. 2.

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Both songs are on Timberlake's third album, "The 20/20 Experience," the best-selling album in the U.S. that year. It was followed by "The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2," which yielded the hits "Take Back the Night" and "Not a Bad Thing."

A few of Timberlake's other musical accomplishments include:

  • January 2014: Winning three of his seven nominations at the Grammys: Best R&B Song, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Music Video
  • October 2015: Becoming the youngest member of the Memphis Music Hall of Fame at 34
  • May 2016: Voicing the character Branch in DreamWorks’ "Trolls" franchise. The soundtrack for the first film included his fifth U.S. No. 1, "Can't Stop the Feeling!," which garnered him an Academy Award nomination.
  • February 2018: "Man of the Woods" marked his fourth consecutive No. 1 album and featured the hits "Filthy" and "Say Something," a collaboration with Chris Stapleton.
  • April 2018: Timberlake reunited with his NSYNC bandmates to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
  • January 2021: The singer performed on the “Celebrating America" special as part of the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
  • September 2023: Timberlake and his NSYNC cohorts teamed up on the song "Better Place" in support of the "Trolls Band Together" soundtrack.
  • January 2024: Timberlake puts out three singles including the hit "Selfish" ahead of his sixth album, "Everything I Thought It Was," released in March.

Scandal plagues JT

On June 18, Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor, New York, for driving while intoxicated. Besides one count of DWI, he was cited for running a stop sign and failure to keep in lane.

Timberlake initially pled not guilty to a revised misdemeanor charge of driving drunk; however, his New York driver's license was suspended for an indeterminate amount of time.

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On Sept. 11, it was revealed that Timberlake would plead guilty to a less serious traffic offense, with the DWI charge being dropped.

Timberlake pled guilty to a noncriminal driving while impaired traffic violation and was sentenced to 25 hours of community service at the nonprofit of his choosing, a $500 fine with a $260 surcharge and was required to make a public safety announcement.

bpaschal@dispatch.com

From NSYNC to N-dependent: Justin Timberlake's career spans 25-plus years (2024)
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