Timberlake Steps Up

Justin Timberlake says that the 'bubble gum' sound is over. The high-profile member of 'N Sync backs this claim by releasing his first solo album, a collection of R&B inspired songs under the title Justified. Considering the lead single, you may think that Timberlake didn't look past Thriller for his inspiration. But that would be wrong, Justin is taking on the whole spectrum of '60s and '70s soul music as his muse to interesting results. Below is a revealing look at Justin Timberlake in 2002, one of today's biggest pop stars taking a leap towards the music artist he wants to become.

TeenMusic.com: First of all let me say congratulations on your new album. Is it exciting that you're getting a lot of critical good words before the record comes out?

Justin Timberlake: It is very exciting. Sometimes I don't think it's all good. I mean there's some bad too, you know, I think everything comes with something. But, you know, the critics who have said good things, I was pleasantly surprised and happy that they like the record because they're very hard to please. So it feels good and I'm happy with it.

TeenMusic.com: I just wanted to know why you wanted to do a solo record in the first place?

Justin Timberlake: Well why not? It's something that's kind of been an ongoing thing for me as a kid. And I just got, you know, in the madness of all the 'N Sync craze and things just got so crazy. I think as a group we decided to kind of slow down and see where our heads were at and what we wanted to do for the next record. I just got this creative spurt and went in the studio and here it is. It's really more about timing than anything. It kind of just worked out.

TeenMusic.com: You were quoted in Entertainment Weekly saying, "The bubble gum sound is old." Did you see the writing on the wall? Is that why you kind of went off to do this?

Justin Timberlake: No, it was a little more organic than that. But I think music is ever evolving, you know, just like we got a heavy dosage of Nirvana and Pearl Jam, you know, seven or eight years ago. I think a sound people latch on to and they want to hear it for a while. In this past year the two top albums are Eminem and Nelly as far as I'm concerned, those are my two favorite records. And they're both of the same genre, they're both hip-hop.

I just think popular music is ever evolving. I did make that statement and I stand behind it. I think the bubble gum sound--it's the closest words I could use so people would know what sound I was talking about--I think that has changed. I don't think people want to hear that so much anymore. I know that I don't and that's why I did this record.

TeenMusic.com: I wanted to talk about the influence of Michael Jackson in your music. As a songwriter, what makes you different from him?

Justin Timberlake: I think honestly that I've used a lot more different sounds than Michael did. It's apparent obviously in the first single because the staccato beats and the staccato rhythms and the vocals. As you listen on to the album you'll hear some of my stylizing growing up in Memphis, Tennessee. It's very blues influenced.

So I think it's just a fusion of other different styles of music. I mean obviously (Michael has) influenced our whole generation. You know I wasn't lucky enough to grow up in a time where we could watch people like Michael and Madonna and look up to them as pop icons. And I just think, you know, there's other music out there for me, you know, and there's other music that's influenced me.

TeenMusic.com: Can you talk a little bit about what you can do as a solo artist that you couldn't really do with 'N Sync?

Justin Timberlake: I think I'm still learning. You know this is all a learning experience for me. I've already said some things that I shouldn't have said. I've already may have done some things that I shouldn't have done, but you know what? I don't care. I mean I think everybody has a past and this is the way I wanted to express it.

As far as promoting the record without the guys, it is strange. It's a lot more personal, because for some reason the tabloids have just grabbed a hold of me in the past year. It becomes a little annoying that people just want to ask personal questions and I'm kind of like, hey I've got a record coming out too.' But also, I mean, I get it. I understand that that's just something that comes along with it, and I'm cool with it. I mean, for me, I'm a human like everybody else so, you know, I make mistakes and I know it.

TeenMusic.com: I'd like to follow up on something that Billboard wrote when they reviewed Like I Love You. They ended it with this thought: It leaves you wondering how he can fall back into a lineup of five after showing that he can easily hold his own alone?

Justin Timberlake: That was a major compliment.

TeenMusic.com: That was a great compliment but I'm wondering, can you see yourself falling back into a group?

Justin Timberlake: Sure. I think the fact that the guys in the group are my friends that's what's inspiring to make another record. Because you know that there are no egos, everybody's doing what they're doing because they love to do it. And that's reason enough for me to make a record even if it is a flop. You know, those are my friends and they'll always be my friends. I would never turn my back on them as far as that goes.

I don't think an 'N Sync record is all about me, it's about everybody that's in the group. I would do it in a heartbeat, I can tell you that. That's my approach and I just think everything's about timing. I mean, obviously I don't think it's right for me to go in the studio tomorrow and start making an 'N Sync record when I just made this one. I think you kind of have to let the music come out as it inspires you. You shouldn't rush something.

TeenMusic.com: Do you have tour plans?

Justin Timberlake: I do plan to tour. 2002 was an incredible year by the way. It was an incredible year on many different fronts for me and so many different things happened and my life changed in so many different ways. I think right now I'm very happy with where I'm at.

As far as 2003 goes, I do have plans to do a tour. They're not as specific as I could comment on dates right now. Obviously I want to put the record out and see how people react to that and then plan the tour accordingly.

TeenMusic.com: I want to ask you actually are there any moments that you're especially proud of on the new record?

Justin Timberlake: I mean I'm proud of the whole thing. Songs are kind of like your babies. You like them for different reasons, all of them. I think for the most part I just like overall how the record feels. You can tell that everybody had a good time making this record. When you hear Pharrell chanting in the background, I mean, we wanted to record this record like they used to record records back in the good old days, as they like to call them. There's moments on the record where you'll hear somebody in the background just shout out something and we just kept it on the record. We weren't trying to make everything so perfect. I think that's the proudest part about the whole thing is that it does sound organic.

TeenMusic.com: What's the one rumor about you that you absolutely hate?

Justin Timberlake: I can't honestly say that I hate them. I'm kind of indifferent about all of them. I think for me--and I say this in the most humble way because I am in the end a guy from Memphis, Tennessee, who was lucky enough to do what I'm doing--I don't think it's my responsibility to live my life a certain way or to comment on things that people say about me because that's their perspective. I have my own perspective, you know.

I can't honestly say that there's been something that people have said that I've just read in the papers and gotten so upset about. I think in my experience, the only thing that I can do is just laugh about the things that people say about me that aren't true.

TeenMusic: As you look down the road doing another 'N Sync album, what are the challenges for that, where you're going to take your music now?

Justin Timberlake: Well I think we helped illustrate that picture with Gone and Girlfriend. Those aren't bubble gum songs. Those come from a different influence, and like I said I think our music was beginning to evolve in a different way anyways. So I think that the challenge was just to be to go in and, I know for a fact when we come back to make another 'N Sync record everybody's going to have these incredible ideas. I think the challenge is going to be trying to get all of them into the music and trying to get a certain kind of focus on a certain sound. And I think we'll rise to the challenge.

TeenMusic.com: How much you are in contact with the other guys from 'N Sync?

Justin Timberlake: We're all doing individual things. I mean Joey's in New York, Lance just made it back, finished his training--That still sounds funny to say--And, you know, I keep in contact with them as often as possible. I mean, we all have individual lives as well as our commitments to the group. And, you know, I think we just got to the point last year where we were okay living our individual lives as well as living out our commitments and our inspirations to the group. Everything's cool. We're still cool. I keep in touch with them as much as possible.

TeenMusic.com: I was just curious what you thought of American Idol and the Kelly Clarkson explosion. What do you think of the phenomena?

Justin Timberlake: I met Kelly Clarkson. I think she's a sweet girl. Honestly I've only seen like one episode. With my schedule I don't really get to watch much TV. What I do understand though that that it is a little creepy, something very strange about it, and very fascinating. I can understand why the whole world is watching. It is rather fascinating to see if you can take someone and put them on a show and see how that affects their career. I think Kelly Clarkson is truly talented though.

TeenMusic.com: Did you have this album's sound in your head before recording, and if so, how closely was that sound realized in the studio?

Justin Timberlake: You know I didn't particularly know what was going to come out of this record. I just kind of did what came naturally in the studio. I think there was no speculation on my part of what it should sound like. It could be whatever I wanted it to be. I don't think I realized that it did have a particular sound until it was done. When I get into making songs I get so hyper-focused on the actual song I don't even think about how it relates to the rest of the record. I just kind of do what I do.

TeenMusic.com: Were any of these songs written with Britney in mind?

Justin Timberlake: There was no particular song where I would say that somebody particular was in mind. When I write a song, I mean, look at the song like Gone, take that song, I mean, that wasn't written about anything. It's just kind of written about how I would have felt from that perspective. I can't honestly say that there was a particular song with anyone in mind. I think half of the album does come from personal experience but the other half is completely fantasized, made up. Maybe I was living in a matrix, I don't know.

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