Justified

Was he destined to be a solo star? Absolutely, yes. Provided his history in the performing arts, no doubt about it. But it’s also this history that would make us realize that he was meant to go through those times to get to this first solo album Justified. That he was meant to join Star Search and not win. That he was meant to be part of the Mickey Mouse Club and be there as it got cancelled. That he was meant to be part of the hit boyband NSYNC and move forward as a solo act. Justin Randell, as was his first screen name, rose as a real artist to becoming the Justin Timberlake we now know— a total performer, an artist so committed to the craft he’s called to be excellent at. People who discovered him to be part of NSYNC also recognized his pure talent that they most likely were already able to foresee his future solo career. So, was he destined to be a solo star? Absolutely, yes! But it took him to take his passion so seriously that people also took him seriously when he came out with his first solo album. He had to make sure that the songs he wrote and the music videos along with his guesting had to be planned out and executed well to be successful as a solo artist. And then began the Justin Timberlake solo journey.

Boybands were a big hit in the 90’s. Some of the big groups that emerged include Backstreet Boys, Take That, 5ive, Boyzone and NSYNC. As a young girl living in the Philippines, these bands normally go on a promotional tour in Southeast Asia first before they take the risk and gain confidence in serenading the hearts of potential fans in their home countries. I remember a young Justin Timberlake with his curly blonde hair singing and dancing with four other good-looking guys in the tune of “Tearin’ Up My Heart” in one of the noontime TV shows. That time, Backstreet Boys and a number of boybands have been to the country and this is yet ‘one of those’ groups. For me that time, they were too generic. Boybands of the 90’s are the whole package – they can sing, dance and have the good looks worthy to be posted in our room walls. It was also normal for every group to have that one person who really stands out because of the overall package. Backstreet Boys has the boy-next-door prototype Nick Carter, Boyzone’s Ronan Keating is truly the star and with NSYNC, it was the youngest but most talented member named Justin Timberlake.