Justin Timberlake’s second solo album FutureSex/LoveSounds reshaped his sound, established his post-NSYNC identity and produced three US No. 1 singles.
by Paul Cashmere
Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds reaches its 20th anniversary in 2026, marking two decades since the singer followed his successful solo debut Justified with a markedly different record built around Timbaland, Danja and a broader electronic, funk, rock and R&B palette. Released in September 2006, the album became a major commercial success and confirmed Timberlake as a solo artist independent of his NSYNC past.
The album followed a period in which Timberlake had stepped back from recording after Justified established him outside NSYNC. That debut had sold four million copies in the United States and produced hits including Rock Your Body and Cry Me a River. By 2005, Timberlake was ready to return to music, but he did not initially have a clear creative direction for his second album.
That uncertainty became central to the making of FutureSex/LoveSounds. Timberlake began working with Timbaland and Danja at Thomas Crown Studios in Virginia Beach in November 2005. The sessions initially had no working title or defined concept. Rather than attempting to reproduce Justified, Timberlake wanted to experiment, with Timbaland and Danja providing the production environment in which the new sound could develop.
One of the defining moments came when Danja played a guitar riff that Timberlake began developing vocally. Timbaland added drums and, within a short session, the foundation of What Goes Around… Comes Around had been recorded. My Love subsequently became another pivotal recording, with Danja later identifying the song as a turning point that changed the direction of the album.
FutureSex/LoveSounds expanded substantially on the R&B and pop foundations of Justified. Timberlake drew on Prince, David Bowie, rock, funk, techno, trance and electronic music, while also referencing artists including Michael Hutchence, Arcade Fire, David Byrne, The Killers, The Strokes and Radiohead. The result incorporated electro-funk, dance-pop, disco, new wave, soul, gospel and hip-hop across a 66-minute album.
The album’s structure was also distinctive. Reprises, preludes and interludes were integrated into the sequencing, creating a division between the more sexually focused “FutureSex” material and the relationship-oriented “LoveSounds” section. Losing My Way provided a darker narrative, drawing on a documentary about crystal methamphetamine addiction, while (Another Song) All Over Again was conceived as a tribute to Donny Hathaway.
The commercial response was immediate. FutureSex/LoveSounds sold more than 684,000 copies in its first US week and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, giving Timberlake his first solo chart-topping album. It ultimately sold more than four million units in the US and has accumulated millions of additional album-equivalent units through later consumption. Internationally, it also topped charts, including in Australia, where it reached No. 1 and was certified five-times platinum.
Its six singles extended the album’s reach. SexyBack, My Love and What Goes Around… Comes Around each reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while Summer Love gave the project four No. 1 Mainstream Top 40 singles. SexyBack was particularly significant because Timberlake deliberately chose a recording that departed from the vocal style associated with his earlier work.
The album also changed Timberlake’s position within the music business. Its success ended much of the discussion about an NSYNC reunion and shifted attention towards what Timberlake would do next. The partnership with Timbaland likewise became more consequential, with demand for the producer’s work increasing following the success of FutureSex/LoveSounds and Nelly Furtado’s Loose.
The accompanying FutureSex/LoveShow further established the album’s scale. Beginning in San Diego in January 2007 and concluding in Abu Dhabi in December, the global tour played 119 venues, attracted 1.6 million people and grossed US$126.8 million, making it the third highest-grossing concert tour of 2007.
Two decades on, FutureSex/LoveSounds remains a defining recording in Timberlake’s catalogue. It earned Grammy recognition, multiple international awards and repeated appearances on best-of-the-decade lists. Its influence has also been noted in discussions of the development of pop and R&B during the late 2000s. For Timberlake, the album represented the point where his solo career became the primary story rather than an extension of his boy-band history.
Tracklisting
FutureSex/LoveSound
SexyBack
Sexy Ladies / Let Me Talk To You (Prelude)
My Love (featuring T.I.)
LoveStoned / I Think She Knows (Interlude)
What Goes Around… / …Comes Around (Interlude)
Chop Me Up (featuring Timbaland and Three 6 Mafia)
Damn Girl (featuring will.i.am)
Summer Love / Set The Mood (Prelude)
Until The End Of Time
Losing My Way
(Another Song) All Over Again
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