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Justin Timberlake · S4 E6
Celebrity
The third album — darker, bolder, unmistakably Justin's
July 18, 2001. Celebrity debuts at number one with 1.88 million first-week copies, making it the second-fastest-selling album in history. The only album ahead of it is their own.
*NSYNC, Girlfriend (2001). Written by Richard Marx, the same songwriter behind "This I Promise You," but the result couldn't be more different. A slick, uptempo R&B track that leans hard into the group's new direction. The Neptunes later remixed it with Nelly for the single release, but this original version captures the album's attitude perfectly.
A Different Kind of Album
Justin and JC co-wrote ten of the thirteen tracks on Celebrity. That number alone tells you something had changed. The group that once handed creative control to Swedish hitmakers was now writing its own songs, choosing its own producers, and pushing into hip-hop and R&B territory that no boy band had touched before.
Girlfriend, *NSYNC (2001)
Richard Marx wrote this one too, but where "This I Promise You" was a string-drenched ballad, "Girlfriend" is a swaggering R&B track built on tight percussion and a bouncing bass groove. Justin's vocal is the focal point, riding the beat with a confidence that sounds closer to Usher than to anything on the first album. When The Neptunes got their hands on it for the single release, Pharrell stripped the production back even further, added Nelly, and turned it into something that foreshadowed Justified. The remix peaked at number five on the Hot 100, making it *NSYNC's last top ten single.
“Our objective was not to be self-conscious and try to make another hit record. Instead, we set out to make a record that was more reflective of what turns us on musically.”
— JC Chasez, Billboard interview (2001)
TAP TO REVEAL: Who was "Gone" originally written for?
How many of the 13 tracks on Celebrity did Justin and JC co-write?
Celebrity by the Numbers
Celebrity, *NSYNC
The title track, and the most revealing song on the album. Over a jittery beat, the group raps and sings about the absurdity of fame, the cameras, the tabloids, the loss of privacy. It's self-aware in a way their earlier work never was. You can hear five guys who've been living inside the machine long enough to see every gear turning.
Celebrity, *NSYNC (2001)
Five guys processing their own fame in real time. Lines about cameras and tabloids hit different when you know these singers couldn't walk to a gas station without causing a riot. The self-awareness in this song is something their debut-era material never attempted.
The Pharrell Connection
The Neptunes remix of "Girlfriend" wasn't just a single. It was an introduction. Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake clicked in the studio in a way that went beyond the *NSYNC project. Within months, Pharrell would be laying the foundation for Justified, and the sound of "Girlfriend" would become the blueprint for an entire solo career.
The album is a hit, but two of its singles tell the whole story. Next: "Pop" fights for the group's legacy while "Gone" quietly announces that Justin Timberlake has already outgrown it.
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