Justin Timberlake Set to Reveal Potential Collaboration with Chris Stapleton w/ New Music
Well now. The rumor mill has gone from billowing steam to boiling over with uncorroborated information about new music from Justin Timberlake, with potential heavy ramifications in the country realm as Saving Country Music has been reporting on for some time. Now it appears that after the Christmas holiday and heading into the new year, we’ll start to get some answers about if some, any, or all of the new material from Justin Timberlake will be “country” in nature, and if it will involve one of Timberlake’s favorite collaborators, Chris Stapleton.
The first rumor is that a new Justin Timberlake song will be released on January 5th, and may be called “Fresh Leaves.” Timberlake trademarked that term, along with the term “Man of the Forest” in paperwork revealed on December 18th. “Man of the Forest” is the presumed title of the new album. An Assistant Music Director of Montreal radio station The Beat 92.5 let the info slide on Twitter about the new single.
But we may not have to wait until January 5th for more information. According to another widespread set of rumors, details of Justin Timberlake’s new album will be revealed in a Friday, December 29th feature in the recently-sold Rolling Stone, including confirmation that Chris Stapleton will collaborate with Timberlake on the new album. At the moment, no further details are available.
What we do know for certain is that the new Timberlake record is done according to a November 27th interview with producer Timbaland, also in Rolling Stone. “The music we just made?” Timbaland says. “It’s gonna put him on another plateau.”
Timbaland is also the man responsible for starting the rumors that the music will be country in nature.
“You mean, are we gonna go country?” Timbaland responded to the direct question in November 2015. “Well guess what, we are country. He’s from Tennessee, I’m from Virginia. It’s only right that we try to tap into … what we was raised in, you know? And I feel like I was raised, we was raised in the country. I mean, that’s who we are. I mean we love love songs. We heard our parents sing ’em. You know, the old country songs. But now it’s a new generation of country.”
But of course, that was over 2 years ago now, which is plenty of time for Timberlake to change his mind, forestall making a country move until the future, or decide to do something in between. Timberlake has said point blank in the past he wants to make a country record, telling Sirius XM in 2013, “I still got my eyes set on a Best Country Album. There is time for that.” The Memphis native also recently moved to the Nashville area.
Either way, we should finally have some answers in the waning moments of 2017, and the early part of 2018 of whether country music will have to ingest the reality of Justin Timberlake impacting the country format. Justin Timberlake is also set to perform at the Super Bowl on February 4th, 2018 where his new music (and Chris Stapleton?) will most certainly be featured.
December 23, 2017 @ 10:28 am
dont no if I like the sound of this un less they get luke down there to ole stapaldan wood not be nuthin if not for ridin on lukes cote tells
December 23, 2017 @ 10:53 am
His son’s name is Silas, which in Latin means “Man of the Forest”.
December 23, 2017 @ 11:06 am
Makes sense since the duet with Justin on the CMAs launched Chris into stardom. I think they sound great together.
December 23, 2017 @ 12:58 pm
“…copyrighted that term…” ? Huh?
Been involved in publishing a long-ass time. Never heard of it.
December 23, 2017 @ 8:47 pm
Likely a trademark, not a copyright.
December 23, 2017 @ 1:23 pm
I doubt this will be a true “country” album in the traditional sense. But these are two talented SOB’s so I’m willing to bet the music will kick ass regardless of the genre it taps into.
December 23, 2017 @ 1:29 pm
Sounds cute. Omg.
December 23, 2017 @ 1:36 pm
My opinion on this has flopped back and forth for awhile now. On one hand, we don’t need any more artists from other genres crossing over into country. But on the other hand (there’s a golden band), I feel like Timberlake could do something really cool with this. Like a “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” for this generation. Of course, JT is no Ray Charles, but a similar approach for this project could work out pretty well.
December 23, 2017 @ 4:17 pm
Warthog, if he does have some country on this album, I think you have it right, it will be more akin to Ray Charles’ “Love Country Style” approach than a trad or pop country approach. When I saw JT and Stapleton live this year together with JT’s band, the songs they did were soulful, bluesy horn-backed music with a touch of country in it. Stapleton’s guitar and voice have very bluesy/soul elements and lend themselves to JT’s usual R&b vocal style nicely.
December 23, 2017 @ 7:13 pm
Justin & Chris are both great singers & song writers. I can’t wait to hear them both singing together. I’ll buy the album
December 23, 2017 @ 8:49 pm
ready to hear that new Nick Lachey and Cody Jinks collab too
December 24, 2017 @ 7:55 am
Justin who? Please excuse me, buy my mind does not operate in that realm. Never heard of the guy.
December 24, 2017 @ 9:39 am
Don’t you realize this is as momentous as Cash teaming up with Grant and Perkins? Where is your sense of perspective on this? All the kids are talking about it. Fall in line and get with the program.
December 24, 2017 @ 12:20 pm
think some of u need to research before u talk smack about some one ” riding coattails” Chris wrote songs for “Luke ” and many many other stars.
December 24, 2017 @ 6:52 pm
Exactly! Chris wrote “Drink a Beer”, if I remember correctly.
December 24, 2017 @ 11:41 pm
As I’ve pointed out many times before, Chris Stapleton wrote songs as a professional songwriter working for a publishing house. Some of those songs are great and went on to be cut by great artists of country music. Chris Stapleton did not specifically write songs for Luke Bryan. He wrote a song that Luke Bryan later decided to record. That’s not to excuse some of Stapleton’s weaker songs, but it’s a misrepresentation to say that he specifically wrote songs for anyone during his time as a professional songwriter.
December 25, 2017 @ 11:26 am
Confusing…I thought you were responding to me, directly. I see, now, you’re responding to others, but just to clarify : I didn’t say Chris wrote specifically for anyone. Glad to see he’s been getting some airplay, but I don’t listen to mainstream, and I don’t have XM. I have heard him being played, the times I have listened.
December 26, 2017 @ 12:29 pm
Think some of u need to get yr sarcasticometers checked, maybe get trollometers calibrated while yr there
December 24, 2017 @ 12:37 pm
Fairly certain that this album won’t be full country. Rather it will have a country/americana/blues style song or two, much like Beyonce, Lady Gaga’s, and Miley’s recent albums.
And whatever direction it goes, the Thomas Rhett knockoff will come out 6 months later.
December 24, 2017 @ 8:36 pm
Chris has wrote songs for and with multiple artist and put more than one name on the map. For anyone to ask who he is…they must not know country music at all
December 24, 2017 @ 9:08 pm
How can he trademark “Man of the Forest” and “Fresh Leaves”? What a tool. Like I need a reason to root against him.
December 26, 2017 @ 5:24 pm
Justin, himself, has said this album is his most Memphis sounding album yet but with a modern twist. Alicia Keyes is also supposedly a collaboration on his album along with Chris. I suspect the album will lean more blues/soul than actual country. His Grandfather always wanted him to do a Country album since he brought Justin up listening to Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Sr. etc. but his Grandfather died a couple of years ago before it happened.
January 2, 2018 @ 8:43 am
http://www.justintimberlake.com/
You can watch a trailer and see where it’s going. The imagery is definitely a ‘country’ vibe but I think he will do it justice. With all the Taylor Swift and Harry Styles hype, I’m guessing this new JT will blow them all out of the water.
January 2, 2018 @ 9:45 am
https://youtu.be/bVU-MmJZFFA