Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981), occasionally known by his initials JT, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer.
Raised in Tennessee, he appeared on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as a child. In the late 1990s, Timberlake rose to prominence as one of the two lead vocalists and youngest member of NSYNC, which eventually became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
Timberlake began to adopt a more mature image as an artist with the release of his debut solo album, the R&B-focused Justified (2002), which yielded the successful singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body", and earned his first two Grammy Awards.
Britney Spears Says Justin Timberlake’s ‘Cry Me a River’ Music Video Turned Her Into a ‘Harlot Who’d Broken the Heart of America’s Golden Boy’
variety.comZack Sharf Digital News Director Britney Spears writes in her new memoir, “The Woman in Me,” that the media fallout ignited by Justin Timberlake‘s 2002 music video for “Cry Me a River” turned her into a “harlot” (via The New York Times).
The song, the second single from Timberlake’s solo album debut “Justified,” was reportedly inspired by his relationship and breakup with Spears.
The two pop icons started dating in 1999, when Spears was 17 years old and Timberlake was 18, and separated in 2002. The “Cry Me a River” music video turned Spears into a villain in the mainstream media as it featured Timberlake dealing with an unfaithful girlfriend that looked more or less like the “Baby One More Time” singer.
The video appeared to confirm the song was inspired by Spears and perpetuated a rumor in the media that Spears had cheated. In her memoir, Spears describes the video as “a woman who looks like me cheats on him and he wanders around sad in the rain.” She writes that the media attention that erupted because of the music video’s release turned her into a “harlot who’d broken the heart of America’s golden boy,” when in reality she was “comatose in Louisiana” nursing a broken heart and Timberlake was “happily running around Hollywood.” Spears’ memoir previously made headlines due to her revelation that she got an abortion during her relationship with Timberlake. “He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young,” Spears said of telling Timberlake about her pregnancy. “It was a surprise, but for me, it wasn’t a tragedy.
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