Rewind to 2002 and Justin Timberlake was the hottest solo star on the planet. Fresh from his success as part of NSYNC, the singer could do no wrong and a string of hits followed the release of his debut album ‘Justified’.
Fast-forward to 2024 and it seems Timberlake can’t do anything right. Six years on from his critical and commercial flop ‘Man of the Woods’, the star has found himself embroiled in a number of unsavoury scandals. The negative buzz around the once untouchable singer has led to new album ‘Everything I Thought It Was’ under-performing. On both sides of the Atlantic the album has given Timberlake his worst first-week placing – the set landed at 5 in the UK and 4 in the US – and in the US it was his worst first-week sales of his career.
Middling reviews of the record probably haven’t helped and not even a series of reunions with NSYNC, which fans never thought they would see, has had much effect. Where did it all go wrong?
Is ‘Everything I Thought It Was’ really that bad?
To say the reviews for ‘Everything I Thought It Was’ were bad, would be an understatement. Averaging 3 stars across the board, the set was described as being ‘about as sexy as a soiled mattress’ by The Independent. The Evening Standard criticised the length of the record and the sex-focused lyrics calling the record ‘embarrassingly horny’, the sentiments of which have been commented on in several reviews.
Honestly, ‘Everything I Thought It Was’ isn’t as bad a record as the critics are making out. If you look at the fan reaction, the response has been largely positive with many pleased that Timberlake is making pop/R&B music again, and not continuing with his attempt to go a little more rootsy on ‘Man of the Woods’. The music across the 18 tracks sounds like Timberlake is harking back to his ‘Futuresex/Lovesounds’ era, which was his most successful.
That decision, while hitting the right note with fans, has led to accusations that he’s trying to relive past glories and rehashing what he’s done before. The irony being that when he tried to do something different on ‘Man of the Woods’, the critics complained he’d moved away from his signature sound.
While ‘Everything I Thought It Was’ may not be up there with Timberlake’s earlier work, there is much to enjoy. ‘Paradise’, with his former bandmates NSYNC, is a delight for fans that have waited years to hear the group sing together again, while ‘No Angels’ is the right mix of pop/funk that Timberlake has made his own over his career. Sure there are some duds on the record – lead single ‘Selfish’ is oddly forgettable and opening track ‘Memphis’ is just a bit too weird in the wider context of the record.
Where did it all go wrong for Justin Timberlake?
There are several moments that can be referenced. His relationship with Britney Spears came under the spotlight again in 2023 when she released her autobiography ‘The Woman In Me’. The picture she painted of Timberlake wasn’t a great one, claiming that he encouraged her to have an abortion and detailing embarrassing moments where he behaved in ways that can only be described as tone deaf. It was the latest incident in the singer’s career where his relationship with women came under scrutiny.
His infamous performance with Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 saw him take zero responsibility for Jackson’s mishap when her breast was exposed on live TV. That moment got Jackson blacklisted for years, impacting her career. Timberlake has also been plagued with rumours that he’s cheated on his wife, actress Jessica Biel, most notably when he was photographed holding hands with his ‘Palmer’ co-star Alisha Wainwright.
Beyond women though, fans have grown tired of Timberlake’s treatment of his former bandmates NSYNC. Originally departing the band to release a solo record with the promise of a return, Timberlake never recorded with the band again until last year’s ‘Better Place’ for the soundtrack to his latest movie ‘Trolls Band Together’. As he prepared to launch ‘Everything I Thought It Was’, Timberlake reunited with NSYNC on multiple occasions and there’s a feeling amongst fans that he’s using the band to rebuild his own success. All we really want, is an NSYNC reunion tour right?
Can Justin Timberlake turn things around?
It feels like it’s going to be an uphill battle for Timberlake but if he finally relents and tours with NSYNC, that could be a turning point for him. Nostalgia is higher than ever before and plenty of bands from the 90s are getting back together for highly successful tours. Given that Timberlake’s own headline tour is facing slow ticket sales, particularly in the UK, the star will certainly need to do something to get back on top.
‘Everything I Thought It Was’ is actually a solid enough record and it should have performed better than it has so far. The narrative around Timberlake has definitely hindered him on this album campaign but as we all know, it only takes one single to turn things around. We expect there will be a deluxe album before the end of the year with some new material, and if Timberlake is really smart, he’ll announce that NSYNC reunion tour sooner rather than later.
Justin Timberlake’s album ‘Everything I Thought It Was’ is out now.
