Is the man who brought “Sexyback” about to launch his comeback? That’s what Justin Timberlake‘s fans think.
Timberlake, 42, began teasing his long-awaited album on Tuesday, January 16, by posting a TikTok where he appeared on the set for some kind of video shoot. He replied to a fan asking “New Music????” by wordlessly counting to the number six on his fingers. He raised his eyebrows and walked off screen. The tease excited fans, with one saying, “Justin Timberlake, do NOT threaten us with a good time like that!”
If that wasn’t enough, Timberlake shared a slideshow to his newly scrubbed Instagram page the day after posting the tease on TikTok. The first slide featured an upside-down MISSING poster asking people, “HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?” The flier listed his height as “Feel like 10′ tall,” his weight as “Up,” his eyes as “Precision” and his hair as “Depends.” Those with any information were asked to call a hotline.
The gallery included photos of Timberlake in different looks, models of desert terrain, a model of a convenience store’s ice cooler and a picture of a power bank with the letters “EITIW” written on its side. The last slide had fans wondering if these letters were the name of a forthcoming single or album.
“‘Everything I Thought I Wanted’ or what….? Whatever it is, it better be good,” speculated one. Another theorized, “Everything in this is weird? Effort is the inevitable waste? Exactly in time I waste? everywhere I think I wonder?” Billboard noted that fans on Reddit tracked down a trademark application filed by “a mysterious LLLC” early last year for the phrase “Everything I Thought It Was,” along with “Everything I Thought It Was…A Sonic Film.”
Timberlake’s previous album was 2018’s Man of the Woods, which contained the singles “Filthy,” “Supplies” and the triple-platinum “Say Something,” his collaboration with Chris Stapleton.
With these teasers, many of Timberlake’s fans expressed dismay that they weren’t getting a full-on ‘NSync tour. Timberlake reunited with Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick for “Better Place,” a song for Trolls Band Together. It marked the boy band’s first new music in twenty years. The single arrived after the band appeared together at the 2023 MTV VMAs, prompting many to wonder whether a reunion tour was in the works.
“The last 23 years, we’ve all kind of discussed maybe doing something here, maybe doing something there,” Bass, 44, told Us Weekly exclusively when discussing ‘NSync’s future. “This [reunion] came up because of Justin and the movie that he was doing,” and things progressed “naturally” from there.
