Justin Timberlake and Timbaland perform onstage during the Songwriters Hall Of Fame 50th Annual Induction And Awards Dinner at The New York Marriott Marquis on June 13, 2019 in New York City.
Theo Wargo/GI for Songwriters Hall Of FameTimbaland and Justin Timberlake are certainly no strangers in the studio, but it looks like these two have been working on some new music together.
On Wednesday (Dec. 29), Timbo posted a video of him, JT and Ant Clemons — who performed “Better Days” alongside Timberlake during the Celebrating America concert following President Joe Biden’s inauguration — vibing in the studio to a new snippet. “Soon to come,” the Verzuz co-creator captioned the snippet with a series of suspicious eye emojis.
But what’s particularly noteworthy about the new sample is the signature baby voice that Timbaland first made popular on Aaliyah’s Grammy-nominated 1998 single “Are You That Somebody?” which was recently released on streaming services for the first time, much like the late R&B singer’s discography. Clemons is heard screaming in the video, which Anderson .Paak teased him about in the comments section. “N—a why you screaming like that @antclemons,” he wrote, to which Clemons responded with a series of cry-laughing emojis.
In the video, Clemons exclaims to Timbo, “You brought the baby back! You should put the baby on this and Lil Baby.” “And DaBaby,” JT chimes in with a laugh. “And my baby.”
Timbo and JT reunited this past spring on Justine Skye’s latest album Space and Time: Timbaland executive produced it and the former *NSYNC member was featured on the song “Innocent,” which gives songwriting credits to Timbaland and Missy Elliott due to its interpolation of Aaliyah’s “If Your Girl Only Knew.”
Earlier this month, the megaproducer teased another major release/reunion with Missy, which would be her first full-length album since 2005’s The Cookbook.
Hear what Timbaland and Justin Timberlake have been cooking lately below.
Zara Larsson has indicated that she may have cancelled her December 3 appearance at the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The singer initially confirmed that she would not attend, before removing the comment and sharing a more detailed explanation of why the performance no longer feels right for her.
The Swedish star was scheduled to take the stage at Etihad Live on Yas Island during the Yasalam After-Race Concerts. Zara and Lewis Capaldi were due to launch the weekend’s entertainment. However, supporters encouraged her to reconsider the booking because of concerns surrounding the United Arab Emirates’ reported connections to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organisation accused of committing atrocities during the nation’s civil conflict.
A fan commented: “Please read about what UAE is doing to Sudan then cancel your Abu Dhabi show!” Zara responded: “I will not be going to Abu Dhabi.” Fans later realised that both comments had been removed.
She then shared that she had been considering what it means for her, as an artist, to perform in particular countries.
The Midnight Sun singer explained: “I think about that a lot in my life as an artist… I wanna perform and spread joy and music for people in every country, because no single person is their government.
“I’ve met so many wonderful people from every corner of the world and I know this to be true in my heart. I love people, and I love my fans soooo much.”
Zara acknowledged that her original comment “maybe came off as an impulsive response,” but explained that she had given the booking serious thought. She now believes withdrawing is the decision that “aligns with me the most right now, for many different personal reasons beyond politics.”
She continued: “Maybe I’ll delete both comments and do a better statement soon. I hope to sing with you in the beautiful future!”
