Justin Timberlake's 'Can't Stop the Feeling': How he's succeeded in entertainment

Timberlake has released a new song, 'Feeling.' While some projects have fizzled, the singer has garnered praise for his work in other musical genres besides pop and for his skill as an actor.

Justin Timberlake accepts an award at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles in 2013.

John Shearer/Invision/AP

May 5, 2016

Singer Justin Timberlake has released a new song titled "Can't Stop the Feeling," his first new song with him at the forefront in about three years. 

The song follows Mr. Timberlake's 2013 album “The 20/20 Experience,” which included the hit song “Suit & Tie.” 

First rising to fame as a member of the band NSYNC, Timberlake has since become an extremely successful solo artist, with his albums including 2006’s “FutureSex/LoveSounds” and 2002’s “Justified.” Both spawned multiple hit singles. 

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While he has experienced success in pop music, Timberlake has also been lauded for his forays into other genres as well. A duet with country singer Chris Stapleton at the CMA Awards last year was widely praised, with Rolling Stone writer Marissa R. Moss writing of their performance, “Timberlake’s falsetto is tailor-made to slay the highest notes of the song that appeared on Stapleton’s ‘Traveller’… and the band grooved the whole thing into a revelatory, take-us-to-church moment that left Florida Georgia Line – and really, the rest of the evening’s performers – in the unfortunate spot of having to follow that.” 

And Timberlake’s turns in film and on TV have also garnered praise for his skills as a performer. There have been some less-positively-received projects, of course, with, for example, his 2011 movie “In Time” being poorly received by critics.

But after he appeared as Napster co-founder Sean Parker in the 2010 Best Picture nominee “The Social Network,” David Denby of The New Yorker wrote, “Justin Timberlake, with his charm and his physical dynamism, and with a wicked visionary gleam in his eye, torques the movie even higher.”

And following his multiple appearances as a host on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” VH1 writer Christopher Rosa put Timberlake on his list of the best “SNL” hosts ever, writing, “Justin Timberlake is certainly SNL’s best contemporary host.... Timberlake has an undeniable charm and dynamite comedic timing that put him on par with some of the hosting greats.”