Justin Timberlake's gone all eccentric!
Justin Timberlake, back with a hit, embraces his cheesy, kiddy and country sides
Fatherhood may have slowed down his musical output, but Justin Timberlake can always be counted on to make a splash with every release.
The 35-year-old US singer-actor, who has a 13-month-old son with US actress-wife Jessica Biel, has shot right to the top of the charts with his comeback single Can't Stop The Feeling - his first new song since 2013's album The 20/20 Experience.
The funky summer jam debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Timberlake's first-ever No. 1 debut. It gave him his best sales week for any of his songs (379,000 downloads in its first week of release).
Evidently, the Prince of Pop is still very much a force to be reckoned with in a scene dominated by younger competition like Drake, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd.
But judging from his recent, surprising - and some say offbeat - career moves, is Mr SexyBack still the same cool dude in spiffy suits that we all know and love?
HE PERFORMED ON EUROVISION
There is no TV singing competition more gloriously cheesy than the annual Eurovision Song Contest, best known for its over-the-top costumes, campy performances and head-scratching winners.
You'd think an event like this would be beneath Timberlake.
Yet, earlier this month, he became the first superstar and non-contestant in its 61-year history to sing on the Eurovision stage, wowing the crowd in Stockholm with an old hit, Rock Your Body, followed by Can't Stop The Feeling.
He said during an interview with British TV talk show Lorraine: "Abba were discovered there, Celine Dion was discovered there. So, who knows, I might be at the Eurovision where it discovers the next Celine Dion?"
HE'S VOICING A TROLL
We thought Timberlake had chucked his cartoon voice work behind him (he was Boo-Boo Bear in the 2010 dud Yogi Bear).
But he's back as grumpy Branch in Trolls, the animated film adaptation of the big-haired toy dolls, which opens here on Nov 3.
Can't Stop The Feeling was penned for Trolls' soundtrack.
Looks like becoming a dad has brought out the kid in Timberlake.
He told People magazine he's excited to watch Trolls with his son Silas.
"I've heard different actors who are parents who've done animated films. I've heard them say: 'I want to do a movie my kid can go see, that we can go see together'," he said.
"I was always like, 'Yeah, whatever. I get it.' And now, I get it."
Timberlake and co-star Anna Kendrick (who voices troll queen Poppy) managed to grab eyeballs while promoting Trolls at the Cannes Film Festival by turning up with a bevy of models decked out in colourful Troll-like wigs, adding a touch of kitsch to the usually glam proceedings.
HIS NEW MV IS OH-SO-GOOFY
Visually, Can't Stop The Feeling is a grand departure from Timberlake's famous music videos like Cry Me A River, Mirrors and What Goes Around... Comes Around, which boasted stylish, dark undertones.
Can't Stop The Feeling is upbeat, sunny and features Timberlake flaunting awkward dance moves and cracking wacky facial expressions in ordinary settings like diners and supermarkets.
He told The Today Show that he gets such good, fun vibes from Can't Stop The Feeling that he felt spurred on to come up with more fresh material.
"The movie feels like one big pop song," he said.
"I've written four singles for Trolls, the other three singles are really extensions of Can't Stop The Feeling.
"I'm exploring making another album and it's because of Trolls. I enjoyed being back in the studio. Time to call up old friends!"
HE MIGHT GO COUNTRY
The poster boy of R&B's next album could be a countryboy soon.
Timberlake's long-time producer Timbaland told TMZ last November: "We are country. He's from Tennessee and I'm from Virginia. It's only right that we try to tap into what we were raised on.
"We've always wanted to do country music. We thought some of our lyrics were country.
"I'm already posted up in Nashville. I don't discriminate between genres. I learn it, I study it and I love it."
Last year, Timberlake released Drink You Away, a song from The 20/20 Experience, as a single to country music radio stations. He also performed it live with country artiste Chris Stapleton at the 2015 Country Music Awards.
When radio host Carson Daly asked him about his new album, Timberlake teased: "Memphis (Timberlake's hometown) is known as the birthplace of rock 'n' roll and the home of the blues but Nashville's right down the street, so there's a lot of country music."
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