It’s not entirely official, but it looks like Justin Timberlake’s contribution to this summer’s soundtrack will be Justified’s steamy opening track, “Senorita.”
“When I heard [the music] I felt this groovy summer thing,” the singer said Tuesday (May 20), beatboxing the Neptunes beat. So for the lyrics Timberlake crafted a summer tale, creating the subject in his head rather than basing it on his own life, like he did with “Cry Me a River.”
“On that sunny day/ Didn’t know I’d meet,” he sings in the opening verse. “Such a beautiful girl/ Walking down the street/ Seen those bright brown eyes/ With tears coming down/ She deserves a crown.”
“When I wrote it, when me and Pharrell [Williams] were collaborating on it, I just kind of envisioned walking down a hot street, beads of sweat on everybody, and just seeing this dark-haired, voluptuous, dark-skinned creature, this girl, walking down the street,” Timberlake explained in a conference call with journalists just before he took a London stage. “You’re like, ‘Man, I wonder what I could say to her to make her head spin.’ We automatically created the scenario: ‘What if she was in a situation with another guy and he wasn’t treating her right?’ ”
Timberlake at first said he was leaning toward “Senorita” to follow up “Rock Your Body,” but then about 30 minutes later he declared, “I’ve made my mind up.” Video plans are not yet in the works.
Justin also revealed some details about his portion of the upcoming Justified and Stripped Tour (see “Justin Timberlake/ Christina Aguilera Tour Dates Announced”). The singer will perform with eight dancers and a 14-piece band, including four backup singers, three horn players and a DJ.
“I’ve added to the live sound that is already on the record,” Timberlake said.
There will be elaborate production features, but Justin’s spending more time working on rearranging his songs than on the look of the show.
“I think fans can expect to see a spectacle. I’ll always come with something aesthetically pleasing, but at the same time… I don’t think you’ll walk away thinking it took away from the music,” he said. “My favorite moments are when I stand by myself and sing.”
Timberlake said he will likely bring up special guests at select shows, including the Neptunes’ Williams, but an onstage collaboration with Christina Aguilera is still just in talks.
“The first couple of weeks will be getting used to doing the show,” Timberlake said. “We did this tour because we both have an appreciation for each other’s music and talent, so the possibility is always there.”
He said the tour came about because both he and Christina wanted to give their fans two for the price of one. “And even though this is her second album and my first, I think we are at similar places in our career where we want to break the mold of what people look at as teen pop and move into a different direction,” he added.
Timberlake returns from Europe this week, and after hosting the MTV Movie Awards, which air June 5, he’ll kick off the tour June 6 in Phoenix, a city he’s excited to be in for a few days. “I’m looking forward to playing the Raven,” he said, referring to Phoenix’s famous golf course.