31 January 1981, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Timberlake rose to fame in the late 90s as a member of hugely popular US vocal group *NSYNC, with whom he enjoyed a string of bestselling singles and albums. Timberlake became the most prominent member of the group owing to his personal relationship with teen pop queen Britney Spears, although by the time he launched his solo career in late 2002 the celebrity couple had endured a very public split.

From his adolescence on Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club through his coming of age in the hugely popular boy band 'NSYNC, Justin Timberlake became one of the 1990s biggest heartthrobs, and everything from his romance with Britney Spears to his love of fast cars turned into headline fodder. But as the Teen Beat phenomenon wanes, 'NSYNC's most popular member has wisely chosen to attempt the leap from teen idol to credible solo artist. And he stands a good chance of successfully navigating that chasm - his debut CD features a more adult, R&B-influenced vibe that relies heavily on the production savvy of Timbaland and the Neptunes. Timberlake's "solo sound" feels like a natural progression, and shouldn't alienate the 27 million people who bought 'NSYNC albums. That is to say, it's different, but not too different.

Timberlake hooked up with prominent urban songwriting and production heavyweights the Neptunes and Timbaland, to work on his debut album, with additional assistance from Brian McKnight and Mario Winans. He co-wrote all of the material on Justified in a marked attempt to distance himself from *NSYNC's adolescent fanbase and woo a more mature audience. The debut single "Like I Love You' featured verses provided by the Neptunes" protégés the Clipse, and was eerily reminiscent of Michael Jackson in his mid-80s prime. The album also included collaborations with Janet Jackson and Bubba Sparxxx, and featured the transatlantic hit singles "Cry Me A River", "Rock Your Body", and "Senorita". The huge commercial success of the album was buoyed by Timberlake's energetic live shows, and by the following year the singer could arguably claim to be the most popular solo male performer on the planet.

In February 2004, Timberlake prompted a fit of moral outrage in America when, live on prime time television, he exposed Janet Jackson's right breast during a sexually charged duet at the Super Bowl half-time show. This did not stop the singer picking up Grammy awards a week later for best male pop vocal performance ("Cry Me A River") and best pop vocal album (Justified).