Justin Randall Timberlake, better known as Justin Timberlake or JT, turns 38 today! The former mousekeeteer turned boy band sensation turned solo global superstar has been in the spotlight for decades at this point, with a load of accomplishments to celebrate, let's take a look at the rise and domination of one of music's most cherished pop stars.
An appearance on Star Search at age 11 gave a young Timberlake a taste of the spotlight and even though he didn't win on that episode, he ended up landing a role on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club shortly after.
Justin was cast on The All-New Micky Mouse Club in 1993 and 1994 alongside future pop superstars Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, fellow NSYNC member JC Chasez, actors Ryan Gosling and Kerri Russell. The young stars had no idea they were being groomed into some of the biggest names of the next generation.
After parting ways with the Mouse, Timberlake became a part of the boy band NSYNC, joined by former mouseketeer JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass and Joey Fatone. NSYNC would go on to become one of the biggest boy bands of all-time, releasing a series of record-breaking albums from 1997 through 2001. In their time together as a boy band, NSYNC catapulted to the top of the charts, moving over 25 million albums in the US alone and completing five nationwide tours.
Going solo came as no shock, as boy bands are notorious for eventually breaking up. But the world wasn't ready for what Timberlake had in store, linking with famed producer Pharell Williams, Timberlake created his debut solo album Justified with a release in November of 2002. The albums lead single "Like I Love You" debuted at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards followed by the hit singles "Cry Me A River," "Rock Your Body" and "Señorita."
Making a dive into the acting world, Timberlake starred in films such as Black Snake Moan, Alpha Dog and even taking a voice role on Shrek The Third as Prince Artie. Scratching his itching bug, Timberlake was ready to follow-up the success of his debut solo album in 2006 with Futuresex/Lovesounds. The album helped further propel Timberlake to new superstar heights with the lead single "Sexyback" topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 7 consecutive weeks. The album would also spawn the hits "My Love," "What Goes Around... Comes Around," "Lovestoned," "Until the End of Time" and "Summer Love." Moving 684,000 copies in its opening week, Timberlake had sealed the deal with Futuresex/Lovesounds.
Moving forward, Timberlake would link up to work with artists such as T.I., Ciara, Beyoncé and Madonna on collaboration projects while largely focusing on films, taking a role in the critically acclaimed film, The Social Network. Timberlake returned to his solo musical career in 2013, that's 7 whole years after Futuresex/Lovesounds.
Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience is his third studio album that was supplemented by his fourth album The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2. The project featured the hits "Suit & Tie" and "Mirrors" and was supported by a massive world tour that would go on to gross $231.6 million, making it the highest-grossing solo tour of the year.
Justin Timberlake released his fifth studio album Man of the Woods on February 2, 2018 and debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart. Timberlake would go on to headline the Super Bowl LII halftime show in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 4, making 2018 one of the biggest years for the solidified pop icon. Timberlake is still currently touring in support of the album with his The Man Of The Woods Tour.
With so many decades of success in the industry, Timberlake should take every reason to celebrate his accomplishments at the young age of 38. We're looking forward to seeing what the next couple of decades bring from Timberlake. Happy Birthday, JT!
