Justin Timberlake is the envy of one-time boy band princes everywhere. Not only has he stayed in the public eye long after the decline of the late-90s boy band heyday that produced The Backstreet Boys and the Timberlake-led *NSYNC, he has emerged a certifiable Pop God – an impressive feat for a performer with starry-eyed, sugar-pop ‘Bye Bye Bye’ beginnings. Add to that a rather impressive (and growing) list of film roles and superstar girlfriends, and it appears that Timberlake may just conquer the world. Or at least the Top 40.
The baby-faced, hunky Timberlake was born in Memphis, Tennessee on January 31, 1981, and grew up in the nearby town of Millington. Fame came early to the talented youngster, as the 11-year-old Timberlake made it onto “The New Mickey Mouse Club” in 1993 – the season that produced future stars Britney Spears (Timberlake’s teen muse), Christina Aguilera, *NSYNC bandmate JC Chasez, and actors Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell. After the show, producer Lou Pearlman and aspiring pop idol Chris Kirkpatrick recruited Timberlake and Chasez for an R&B act that would morph into *NSYNC. The five-member group (Timberlake, Chasez, Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass, and Joey Fatone) first found major success in Germany (who knows…), and released their self-titled debut album on March 24, 1998. It sold 10 million copies.
*NSYNC became a phenomenon literally overnight, and their second album, “No Strings Attached,” became the fastest-selling album of all time with nearly 2.5 million copies sold in the first week. The group’s third album, 2001’s “Celebrity,” sold 5 million copies and marked the group’s end as the members moved on to other projects. Timberlake has been easily the most successful of the bunch, and was quickly anointed the next Michael Jackson after his 2002 solo debut “Justified” became a monster hit on the strength of top-tapping lead singles “Like I Love You” and “Rock Your Body.” His sophomore effort, the dance-happy genre-bender “FutureSex/LoveSounds,” has lived up to lofty expectations by producing two #1 singles, “SexyBack” and “My Love.”
Timberlake can dance and sing with the best, but apparently he can act too, as evidenced by impressive turns in “Alpha Dog” and Craig Brewer’s “Black Snake Moan,” a Samuel L. Jackson vehicle that recently received solid reviews at Sundance. Timberlake Fever is sweeping the world - two films already in release, two more on the way (“Southland Tales,” “Shrek the Third”), a hot album, more Top 10 singles - when will it stop? For the ladies, never. Justin recently ended his long relationship with Cameron Diaz (coming off a rather memorable one with Janet Jackson), and is now rumored to be simultaneously dating Jessica Biel and Scarlett Johansson. Save some excitement for the rest of us, Justin.