SoulMate

**SoulMate** is Justin Timberlake's sixth studio album, released on February 1st, 2020 and recorded in 2018-2019. It is Timberlake's first studio album which hasn't been co-produced with Timbaland. *SoulMate* stays one of the best-selling albums of the 2020s. In 2022, it was certified 3× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album has been named by several publications as one of the greatest pop albums of this century. It was nominated for the 2021 Grammies, but won none of them much to tons of praise and love from critics and fans alike.

## Background

In 2011, Timberlake began recording for his next studio album "The 20 / 20 Experience", He recorded many different songs, but not all of them made the project. When the album released in March 2013, Timberlake decided he wanted to release a new album with all the scrapped or shelved material from the sessions before. In the Spring, he also began recording new material that would make this new project. However, due to the crazy success and intense praise the album garnered, all plans for a sequel were scrapped since Justin was satisfied enough.

Despite many mixed reviews from critics regarding Timberlake's "Man of the Woods" album, he continued to make music from love from fans. During the initial sessions, Timberlake recorded "SoulMate", a throwaway that would be released simultaneously with him touring for his previous studio album. It was mixed in July 2018 and set for release, but close friend and world renowned producer Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon convinced Timberlake to instead begin recording and making new music based off this one song.

Timberlake had planned a world tour for this album that would start in the Fall and were to progress until Late 2021, but due to the Coronavirus emerging, the tour itself was delayed to July 2021 and September 2022.

## Recording and Production

In October 2018, Justin Timberlake announced officially as they had been working on Trolls World Tour that he had begun production on a new album with the help of Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, but when fans found no mentioning of Timbaland, many were shocked that this time Timbaland would not be returning to the studio to help Timberlake with his new project. Between October 2018 and June 2019, Timberlake had actually done very minimal vocals in the studio as instead he had begun taking material from specific previous albums and to place them onto this new album. Quoted, "I have so much stuff done that I haven't released that I love so much that I just wanted to get it out sometime." Timbaland's contributions were taken from 2011 - 2013, as Timberlake had confirmed, he had not came to any of the new sessions for the project.

On December 5th, 2018, "Take Back The Night" leaked. It was confirmed by many sources to have been recorded in July 2013 for an album called "The 20 / 20 Experience - 2 of 2" which would've been the sequel released later that period, but other sources had begun claiming that this song had leaked due to being placed on a new upcoming project.

Reworking of the old songs took place between November 2018 and April 2019. Official sessions had taken place in the Summer of 2018 and between August and November of 2019. Songs such as "The Other Side" and "Don't Slack" weren't meant for the Trolls World Tour soundtrack, but Timberlake had felt the soundtrack for the motion picture needed more stronger singles so he chose two songs from his own album to release on the film's soundtrack.

## Tracklist

1. Strawberry Bubblegum
2. Take Back The Night
3. SoulMate
4. Let The Groove Get In
5. Don't Slack (feat. Anderson .Paak)
6. Pusher Lover Girl
7. The Other Side (feat. SZA)
8. Spaceship Coupe
9. Not A Bad Thing
10. Blue Ocean Floor