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One of the most talented and successful artists of this generation turned 43 today. Click inside to celebrate his legacy with a gallery of all of his Top 10 hits!
Justin Randall Timberlake was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Due to his father being a Baptist church choir director and his grandfather introducing him, Justin sang both country and gospel music growing up. At the age of 11, he appeared on the television show Star Search. In the following years (1993 and 1994), he was a Mouseketeer on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, where his castmates included futur girlfriend and singer Britney Spears, future tourmate Christina Aguilera, future bandmate JC Chasez (and future movie actors Ryan Gosling and Keri Russell). Timberlake later recruited Chasez to be in an-all male singing group, put together by Chris Kirkpatrick and financed by boy band manager Lou Pearlman, that eventually became NSYNC.
The boy band NSYNC formed in 1995 and began their career in 1996 in Europe, with Timberlake and Chasez serving as its two lead singers. The group rose to prominence in the United States in 1998 with the release of their self-titled debut studio album, which sold 11 million copies. Their second album No Strings Attached (2000) sold 2.4 million copies in the first week. Their third album Celebrity (2001) was the group’s second album to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of 1,879,495 copies in the US. The band’s albums spawned numerous top-five singles and NSYNC sold more than 70 million records worldwide, making them the fifth-best selling boy band in history. The rise of Justin’s own stardom and the decline in the popularity of boy bands led to the dissolution of NSYNC. By 2002, when the group went on a hiatus and members were following individual projects, Timberlake partnered with Pharrell and Timbaland to start working on new music.
Timberlake premiered his debut solo single “Like I Love You” in August of 2002. It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debuted album Justified was released two months later in November. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 439,000 copies. After the 2004 Super Bowl incident, time spent acting and discovering that he had a throat condition, Justin returned to release his second album FutureSex/LoveSounds in September of 2006. It became his first solo number-one album, selling 684,000 copies its first week. Timberlake followed this up with three consecutive number one albums (The 20/20 Experience, The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 and Man of the Woods). It’s safe to assume that his upcoming sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was (which is due for release March 15), will follow suit.
The ‘Cry Me A River’ artist is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of his generation. He has become known for his diverse artistry in showmanship, vocal performances, songwriting and musical production. His awards and accolades include ten Grammy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, three Brit Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, the Contemporary Icon Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and MTV‘s Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. According to Billboard, Timberlake is the best-performing male solo artist in the history of the Mainstream Top 40. To celebrate his birthday and undeniable legacy, check out a gallery of all of his top 10 hits! HAPPY 43RD JT!
Rock Your Body: Celebrating Justin Timberlake’s 43rd Birthday With All Of His Top 10 Billboard Hits was originally published on globalgrind.com
