The Complicated Life of Pop Superstar Justin Timberlake

In 2001, *NSYNC released Celebrity, continuing the group’s commercial dominance after the enormous success of No Strings Attached. The album kept them at the center of pop culture, but Timberlake’s voice, image, and creative presence were becoming harder to miss.

He was still part of a group, but the signs of a solo future were already there. His vocals carried major hooks, his public profile kept rising, and his ambitions seemed to be stretching beyond the boy-band format. Soon, *NSYNC’s future would change completely.