The 42-year-old singer released his latest single “Selfish” along with its music video, directed by Bradley J. Calder, on Thursday. The announcement was made on Instagram.
“Selfish,” which Justin Timberlake first teased on Instagram Friday, is his first new music as a solo artist in six years following the release of his 2018 album Man in the Woods. It is a mid-tempo ballad, featuring the familiar R&B sounds synonymous with Timberlake’s early work. Written by Louis Bell, Henry Walter, Theron Makiel Thomas, and Amy Allen, the song, along with its accompanying visuals, reveals the singer’s vulnerable side.
The release of “Selfish” precedes Timberlake’s upcoming album, “Everything I Thought It Was,” set to launch on March 15.
In a separate post on Friday, Timberlake confirmed his role as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on Jan. 27, joining host Dakota Johnson.
In an April 2023 interview, Timbaland disclosed that he and Timberlake had been working on new material, signaling the artist’s first release since 2018’s “Man of the Woods.”
“We just finished up, and everything sounds great,” stated the 51-year-old superstar producer. “Now it’s really on him how and when he envisions it to come out, but it’s done and it’s coming.”
Timbaland explained that the new material with Timberlake echoes the style of his 2006 Grammy-winning sophomore solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, a fan favorite for the past two decades.
“It’s fun Justin,” teased the producer, emphasizing that it’s “just giving you what you expect from us.”
Timbaland expressed, “Music is a young sport — of course, we’ve both seen a lot of life, but you have to bring out the 13-year-old kid again, you know?” He added, “We had songs that maybe were too complicated, so we said we want it to feel like FutureSex part two, so we did songs that will fit that.”
In the year preceding the new solo album, 2023 has been marked by musical milestones for Timberlake. In September, he and *NSYNC released their first song in over 20 years, “Better Place,” for his movie Trolls Band Together.
The quintet, including Timberlake, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone, reunited in the studio to record the infectious pop banger “Better Place.” The song pays homage to the ’90s and ’00s icons’ early boy band sound, infused with a contemporary update through a disco-pop beat.
In the animated movie, each member, including Timberlake, has their own to shine, with Timberlake taking the lead in carrying the chorus.
While the “It’s Gonna Be Me” band has reunited in the past, such as for their Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2018 and to honor Timberlake’s video vanguard award at the 2013 MTV VMAs, this marked the first instance of them releasing new music.
Additionally, last year, Timberlake joined forces with Timbaland and Nelly Furtado once again for the single “Keep Going Up,” marking their first collaboration since the chart-topping “Give It to Me” in 2007.
