Britney Spears’ fans are mobilizing to boost her 2011 song “Criminal” back onto the charts in response to the recent news of Justin Timberlake’s DWI arrest.
This fan-driven campaign aims to revive the song’s popularity, showcasing their support for Spears and potentially capitalizing on the renewed public interest surrounding Timberlake.
The movement is gaining traction on social media platforms, where fans are streaming, purchasing, and promoting “Criminal” to achieve this goal.
On Tuesday, June 18, around 12:37 a.m., Justin Timberlake, 43, was arrested after police determined he was “operating his vehicle in an intoxicated condition,” according to a statement by the Sag Harbor Police.
Following the news of Timberlake’s arrest, Britney Spears’ fans have taken to social media, encouraging others to buy and stream her song “Criminal” from the album “Femme Fatale”.
The song, released as a single on September 30, 2011, is now the focus of a fan-driven campaign to bring it back to the charts.
As of the time of publication, Britney Spears’ song “Criminal” was at No. 68 on the iTunes Pop Chart.
This surge in popularity is attributed to the coordinated efforts of her fans in response to Justin Timberlake’s recent arrest.
The recent rise in the song’s popularity follows Justin Timberlake’s arrest early Tuesday morning in Sag Harbor, New York.
According to the police report, Timberlake allegedly drove his 2025 BMW through a stop sign and “fail[ed] to keep on the right side of the roadway.” This incident has spurred Britney Spears’ fans to rally behind her 2011 hit “Criminal,” pushing it up to No. 68 on the iTunes Pop Chart.
The officer initiated a traffic stop, and noted that Timberlake’s “eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot, and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests.”
“I had one martini and I followed my friends home,” Timberlake told authorities, according to the arrest report.
He was then taken to Sag Harbor Police Headquarters to be processed. Timberlake was charged with one count of driving while intoxicated and received two citations: one for running a stop sign and another for failure to keep in lane.
Police said in a statement that Timberlake was held overnight for arraignment on Tuesday morning. He was released on his own recognizance following his court appearance at the Sag Harbor Village Justice Court. Timberlake is due back in court for a hearing on July 26.