The last time Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams and Timbaland were all credited on an album it was 2003. Save for Jay Z’s Magna Carta… Holy Grail in 2013, the last time these three names appeared alongside each other on a JT album was 2002’s Justified. Since his debut album, however, Timberlake has worked almost exclusively with Timbaland on the three subsequent solo albums — FutureSex/LoveSounds and The 20/20 Experience Part 1 and Part 2 — leaving JT’s output with Pharrell limited to just 11 records (Snoop Dogg’s “Signs”; Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body”). But that will soon be a thing of the past.
In an interview with Variety, Justin Timberlake has confirmed that he has been in the studio with Skateboard P and Timbaland to work on new music. “I wouldn’t say [my new music] is the antithesis of 20/20, but it does sound more singular,” JT told Variety in the interview. “If 20/20 sounded like it literally surrounds your entire head, this stuff feels more like it just punches you between the eyes.”
And for that “punches you between the eyes” sound, JT is linking with Timbo and Pharrell. “Songwise, I think we’ve got a good solid six that are like, ‘Whoa, what was that? Play that again’,” said Pharrell. He also described the sessions as personal and self-reflective.
Justin Timberlake Readies New Music
“For the biggest pop stars in the world, the place where they have the most trouble is honesty,” he said. “It’s hard for them to know that the beauty of a record, the sweetest spot in the song, is where they show vulnerability. Because there’s a formulaic sort of vulnerability, like, ‘Baby, I can’t sleep without you …’ and that’s not really it. But if you’re able to really screenshot your own vulnerability, and frame it properly, and color-correct it, then it becomes something that every human can relate to. And I think Justin is in the place where he’s mastering that right now.”
Meanwhile, Timbaland went on to discuss the pair’s winning chemistry. “My connection with Justin is very deep,” he said. “Just because I like what’s in his brain, and he likes what’s in my brain. And our process is we just sit around, talk and vibe, catch up on life. All the while, the musical equipment is hooked up, and we play little sounds until we find something and go, “Ooh! Let’s do that.’ When a sound stops the conversation, that’s where we start.”
Unfortunately, despite the exciting news, there is no set date in mind for when fans can hear this reunion. “I think everyone I’m working with right now knows that I’m notorious for being like, ‘Yeah let’s work. I have no idea when I’ll put it out, though… I’ll put it out when it’s done — when it feels right.”
Read more from JT’s new cover story with Variety here. Also, just for the heck of it, relive the JT and Pharrell studio sessions for Justified below.