Justin Timberlake has revealed some details about his new album Man of the Woods, first announced yesterday and set for release on February 2. Collaborators on the new album include Timberlake’s longtime creative partners the Neptunes and Timbaland, country artist Chris Stapleton, and Alicia Keys. It was Timberlake’s duet with Stapleton at the 2015 Country Music Awards that set off speculation that the former NSYNC star’s next studio project would pull more heavily from country influences, a prediction that appears to be coming partly true with the Americana-inspired launch of Man of the Woods. According to a press release, Timberlake’s “new material explores storytelling inspired by his son, his wife, and his personal journey from Memphis to where he is today.”
Beside visuals of snowy fields and rolling hills, the title of Timberlake’s newly announced lead single “Filthy” does seem a bit incongruous. We’ll find out how it fits together when the song drops on Friday (January 5) with a video by director Mark Romanek, who also directed the video for Timberlake’s big hit of 2016, the infuriating Trolls theme song “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” According to RCA Records, “Filthy” was co-written and co-produced by Timberlake, Timbaland, and the producer Danja. James Fauntleroy and Larrance Dopson of musical collective 1500 or Nothin’ are also credited as writers.
Yesterday, Timberlake tweeted out album cover artwork shot by photographer Ryan McGinley, which should be sufficient to silence any critics who felt that the album trailer was more adjacent to the woods as opposed to of it:
📷 #ryanmcginleystudios https://t.co/oydnUMzBE8 pic.twitter.com/40nvpuf4Mt
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) January 2, 2018
“Filthy” is the first of four forthcoming Timberlake singles, each with a video helmed by a different director (other directors and song titles have yet to be announced). The remaining three singles will be released weekly beginning January 18. Two days after the album release, Timberlake will perform the February 4 Super Bowl halftime show for the first time since he instigated a “wardrobe malfunction” while performing with Janet Jackson in 2004.
