Member Since: 3/30/2009
Posts: 79,408
|
Whether or not “Can’t Stop” is an arbiter of Timberlake’s future musical direction, he’s confident he’ll continue to work closely with his core collaborators.
“I wouldn’t say [my new material] is the antithesis of ‘20/20,’ but it does sound more singular,” he says. “If ‘20/20’ sounded like it literally surrounds your entire head, this stuff feels more like it just punches you between the eyes.”
Which, of course, could just as well describe the distinction between Timbaland and Pharrell. Timberlake defines his major collaborators like this: “Tim is a sound junkie, the same way Pharrell is a song junkie. And then Max is like music’s Morpheus.”
After a few weeks in the studio with Timberlake this year, Pharrell reports, “Songwise, I think we’ve got a good solid six that are like, ‘Whoa, what was that? Play that again.’” He also notes that the sessions have been unusually personal and self-reflective. “I would pay Justin a huge compliment to say he’s just discovering who he is now.”
Pharrell explains: “For the biggest pop stars in the world, the place where they have the most trouble is honesty. 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.”
As for when this new material will see the light of day, there’s no need to mark any calendars. Timberlake has cultivated an old-fashioned insistence on developing material at his own pace — pop-radio demands be damned — and that’s unlikely to change.
“I think everyone I’m working with right now knows that I’m notorious for being like, ‘Yeah let’s work. I have no idea when I’ll put it out, though,’” he says. “I’ll put it out when it’s done — when it feels right.”
|
|
|
|
