By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
November 10, 2002
With “Justified,” Justin Timberlake has declared his independence.
From ‘N Sync, the boy band that made him famous. From his female counterpart Britney Spears. And from critics who gleefully depicted him as a bubble-headed, curly-haired playboy.
Go ahead. Say what you will. But Timberlake is confident his debut solo album–which shows off a slightly more mature and diverse sound than the songs he sings with ‘N Sync–will prove otherwise. And if his solo success facilitates the death of this generation’s most popular boy band, then so be it. He’s already got enough money socked away for the future, thanks to the 26 million albums ‘N Sync has sold in the United States.
While he claims to look forward to working on the next band record–which will likely be released a year from now–he doesn’t mind taking a stab at the genre that made him a superstar.
“The bubble gum sound is old,” he recently told Entertainment Weekly.
Nailed about the comment during a recent interview from New York, Timberlake, 21, ‘fesses up.
“I did make that statement and I stand behind it,” he says. “Those are the closest words I could use so that people would know what sound I was talking about. When people latch onto a sound, they want to hear it for a while. But I don’t think people want to hear that so much anymore. I know that I don’t.”
Citing albums by Nelly and Eminem as his favorites this year, Timberlake continues, “Music is ever-evolving. That’s why I did this record.”
Of course, Eminem shows nothing but contempt for boy bands. In “Without Me,” the rapper threatens to beat up Timberlake’s bandmate: “Chris Kirkpatrick, you can get your ass kicked.” Timberlake takes the slight in stride, joking that Kirkpatrick could kick Eminem’s skinny little rump in a Celebrity Deathmatch.
“Chris is a tough bastard,” Timberlake says. “It would definitely be funny to watch. I love those Celebrity Deathmatches. They’re hilarious.”
While not a stark departure from ‘N Sync’s most recent songs, such as “Girlfriend,” the songs on “Justified” exude less pop and a little more growly r&b and hip hop. No one’s going to mistake Timberlake for Al Green or Nelly, but his new direction is a smart career move.
It also fulfills his dream of singing songs he wrote for himself, albeit with the help of seasoned songwriters. He co-wrote all the material on “Justified.” And both he and the Neptunes–the production team that collaborated on his solo album–insist his name wasn’t given songwriting credit simply for vanity’s sake.
“My outlook on songwriting changes, just like I would assume any normal 21-year-old changes outlook on life every other week,” he says. “This is a specific project.This is the first time I’ve done it. I can tell you my outlook was just to be me. When you write a record for yourself it’s a lot easier to do that.”
Of course, his solo effort, which was released Tuesday, comes exactly one week after the Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter released his debut album, “Now or Never.” Two blonds–both the youngest and arguably the most popular members of their respective groups. They could easily get lumped together, no?
“As far as anybody comparing the two of us, it’s kind of lazy of the press,” he says. “We have totally different songs and you can tell we’re two totally different artists. It’s like comparing Coldplay to the Vines.”
Yes and no. While it’s true Carter and Timberlake have chosen differing paths for their solo projects–with Carter opting for a lite-rock approach a la Bryan Adams–they hail from bands that were created to woo the same youthful market and compete for the same babysitting money. Diehard fans will tell you that the Boys’ “I Want it That Way” sounds nothing like ‘N Sync’s “Tearing Up Your Heart,” but the songs were written by outsiders to express the same sentiments.
With their solo albums, the two are telling the world they don’t need their bands to complete them. Both deny their respective groups will disband, but their albums are a declaration that they want to move on, regardless of what musical direction their bands choose.
Jive Records, which is home to the pop music trifecta of ‘N Sync, the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, maintains they aren’t pitting the two against each other. If anything, they want to keep their cash cows happy and productive.
“We honestly didn’t think about the timing of their releases,” says Janet Kleinbaum, Jive’s senior vice president of marketing. “They’re going in two different musical directions and both have very strong, separate fan bases. Both records hold their own on their own merits.”
Timberlake may be the first member of ‘N Sync to release a solo album, but his band members haven’t been sitting on the sidelines waiting for him to come back to the recording studio. JC Chasez is working on his own album, slated for release next year. Lance Bass, who starred in the ill-fated film “On the Line,” hasn’t given up his dreams of blasting off into space. Kirkpatrick started a casual wear fashion line. And Joey Fatone has established himself as a formidable character actor with supporting roles in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “On the Line” and a starring turn in the Broadway musical “Rent.”
While some critics wonder whether Jive isn’t canceling out its own sales by releasing Carter’s and Timberlake’s albums so close to each other, industry experts predict it won’t hinder sales.
“There isn’t as much of a cross following between the two bands as you might think,” says Geoff Mayfield, Billboard magazine’s director of charts. “When ‘N Sync became popular, Backstreet Boys fans thought they were encroaching on Backstreet Boys territory. So while there are kids who like both, there are a lot who like one but not the other.
“Justin can be a big deal. The single’s done pretty well, and no one’s expecting him to do numbers anywhere near ‘N Sync’s. I have a suspicion his album will be bigger than Nick Carter’s, which should do pretty well. In a way, what’s remarkable is when you compare them to other youth-oriented acts from the past like Tiffany, New Kids on the Block and Kriss Kross. Both the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync have carved out a longer shelf life than we associate with kid-driven stuff.”
And carving out their own niche is a preemptive measure against extinction from the pop charts, according to some trend experts.
“For now, boy bands are dead as a massive pop phenomenon,” says Matthew Rettenmund editor of POPSTAR! magazine. “In a few years, the genre will be reborn and people will be marveling at how refreshing they are. Both ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys are adamant they are not splitting up, but I’m skeptical that either has more than one more album coming out. But if they do it, they almost certainly are facing a pretty embarrassing final chapter a la ‘Dirty Dawg’ from the NKOTB era.
” ‘N Sync is still more of interest, but with all of the guys pursuing other things and with Justin’s solo career doing pretty well so far, they will have a harder time reuniting and getting an album in the can. If they wait beyond 2003, there will be no point, and even if they do one in 2003, it will likely be a modest success at best.”
Ironically, it’s not these boy-band heartthrobs who’re likely to be relevant 10 years down the line, but pop tart Spears, who’s currently busy spinning her wheels trying to reinvent herself for the Generation Z.
“I’m not convinced Britney will be famous as a recording artist 10 years from now,” says Mayfield. “But I have maintained for a while that she has a career ahead of her as an entertainer.”
Rettenmund adds, “She is not a Tiffany or Debbie Gibson. She is like a 1987-era Madonna as far as worldwide recognition. In 1988, Madonna took a break, then did a play, then in 1989 was reborn as a much deeper songwriter and performer. Britney has to do that, but I think Britney really is much more of a marketing phenomenon in the way that Madonna used to be accused of being.”
It’s still too early to determine which blond boy band member will best the other with his debut solo album, but ‘N Sync’s Justin Timberlake appears to have the lead over the Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter–at least in the Chicago area.
While Borders in Schaumburg reported comparable sales for Timberlake’s “Justified” and Carter’s “Now or Never,” Tower Records on Clark saw more Timberlake than Carter fans showing up to boost first day sales.
“There was a better turnout for Justin’s record than for Nick’s the week before when they had their midnight sales,” says Darren Hallowell, product manager for Tower Records on North Clark. “Considering that a lot of his fans are young and that it was a school night, I was surprised that 20 people showed up at midnight to get a copy of Justin’s record. His fans seem to be sticking by him.”
Though he wouldn’t release the first day album sales, Hallowell says Timberlake’s solo album is selling as briskly as ‘N Sync’s albums.
‘N Sync’s “Celebrity” and “No Strings Attached” both moved 200 units during their first day of release at Tower’s Clark store.
Leaving Sam Goody at Schaumburg’s Woodfield Mall, Lisa Patterson, 15, couldn’t wait to get home to listen to her copy of “Justified.”
“I bought all of ‘N Sync’s records the day they came out and I wanted to do that with Justin’s as well,” says the Elk Grove Village teen. “I got Nick’s CD for my birthday last week but I didn’t really want it. Someone just gave it to me.”
Her friend, Tiffani Lee, 14, adds, “I like Nick’s sound better than Justin’s, but I wouldn’t want to buy either right now. I’d have to hear someone’s CD first to make sure there were enough good songs for me to spend that much money.”
