Justin Timberlake is about to make his big return, and while Timbaland has been his main collaborator for his three most recent albums, JT will be reuniting with Pharrell for LP5.
Pharrell and Chad Hugo, then known as the Neptunes played a large role on JT's solo debut, Justified, cowriting and producing singles like "Rock Your Body," Like I LOve You," and "Senorita." In a new interview, Pharrell explains some of the work he and Justin have done for his upcoming album. "Songwise, I think we’ve got a good solid six that are like, ‘Whoa, what was that? Play that again,’” he said.
According to the producer, Timberlake is just now truly finding who he is as an artist. "For the biggest pop stars in the world, the place where they have the most trouble is honesty," he offered. "It’s hard for them to know that the beauty of a record, the sweetest spot in the song, is where they show vulnerability. Because there’s a formulaic sort of vulnerability, like, ‘Baby, I can’t sleep without you …’ and that’s not really it. But if you’re able to really screenshot your own vulnerability, and frame it properly, and color-correct it, then it becomes something that every human can relate to. And I think Justin is in the place where he’s mastering that right now.”
Timberlake won't be ditching his other collaborators just yet, as he describes the various roles of Timbaland, Pharrell, and Max Martin. "Tim is a sound junkie, the same way Pharrell is a song junkie. And then Max is like music’s Morpheus," he said, before describing the feel of his new material. “I wouldn’t say [my new material] is the antithesis of ‘20/20,’ but it does sound more singular. If ‘20/20’ sounded like it literally surrounds your entire head, this stuff feels more like it just punches you between the eyes.”
No word on a release date yet, but stay tuned for further info. Read the full piece here.