Artist Of The Week: Justin Timberlake and ‘N SYNC

While I am all about giving Shockya’s “Artist Of The Week” to fresh-faced singers, every now and then a seasoned talent deserves to dethrone the youngins and retake the title. So, my apologies to the next Ray-Ban, Converse and flannel clad outfit because Justin Timberlake and his ‘N SYNC pals triumphed to the top this week with their performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.

As a teenager during the ‘N SYNC pop reign, I will always have a “soft” spot for this quintet, no matter how much they have tipped the scale since the 90s. Determined to be “different” from the other Juicy Couture donning teens, I sided with JC Chasez, but now it’s pretty clear that that was the wrong choice. Timberlake has defied the curse of boy bands and has continuously churned out hit after hit with his now trademark flare intact. With his first solo release in 2002, “Justified”, Timberlake has become one of the most commercially successful singers and has won six Grammy Awards and four Emmy Awards. His third album, “The 20/20 Experience”, is this year’s biggest-selling album with over 2 million copies sold.

Accepting this year’s “Michael Jackson Vanguard Award” at the ripe age of 32, Timberlake performed a medley of songs, which included “Sexy Back”, “Like I Love You”, “Cry Me A River”, and “Rock Your Body”. With his vocals effortlessly on pitch and his dance moves as suave as ever, Timberlake didn’t even have to twerk once to get the crowd moving. An ‘N SYNC performance of “Bye, Bye, Bye” was the icing on the cake. Even though I am a bit disappointed with the brevity of the performance, much like that of Destiny’s Child at the Super Bowl, a “short” reunion is better than none at all.

What was the best part of Timberlake at the MTV VMAs? The humility he exuded in his acceptance speech. Take note, Kanye West, just because your pockets might be deep doesn’t mean your graciousness has to be buried away with the money.

Check out some of Timberlake’s VMA performances below, dating back to the ‘N SYNC era leading up to last night.

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