MattShea
Friday 11 Jan 2013 - 1:37 PM

Justin Timberlake doesn’t release new music, begins countdown for release of new music

The blogosphere lost its collective shit yesterday when word spread Justin Timberlake was preparing to release his first single in over three years.

Initially thought for a Monday release, Timberlake himself took to Twitter yesterday afternoon (our time) to cryptically post “Thursday, January 10th, 2013 at 9:01 am PST...”, suggesting a potential release for the wee hours of this morning.

Thursday, January 10th, 2013 at 9:01 am PST...
— Justin Timberlake(@jtimberlake) January 10, 2013

No music was forthcoming, but Timberlake did once again take to Twitter to flick off a fresh missive: “To whom it may concern...I think I'M READY! #JT2013”, in which he links to a video that talks about new music and initiates a three day countdown, bringing a Monday blast-off back into play.

To whom it may concern...I think I'M READY! #JT2013 tmbr.lk/imready
— Justin Timberlake(@jtimberlake) January 10, 2013

What’s still unclear is whether any new music will feature Jay-Z. Such was the angle of reports yesterday, as Jacksonville, Florida’s Radio Now 97.9 tipped that the New York rapper will feature on a new Timbaland-produced Timberlake single. The idea seems to be based on circumstantial evidence of the duo’s apparent recent work together in the studio (started by Perez Hilton, so it must be true) and a 2011 Vanity Fair interview, where Timberlake revealed they’d been in talks in 2006 to have the rapper appear on his FutureSex/LoveSounds album.

“Look, Jay-Z has put out 11 albums, and I was talking about doing a collaboration with him, and he said, ‘I can’t do it right now, but I’ll get you on the next album,’” Timberlake told the magazine. “I was like, ‘No, man, I don’t work like that. This sounded good to me for you and me to do together, and if it doesn’t work, then I totally get it, but I won’t be putting an album out next year; these aren’t a dime a dozen to me.’”

Everyone will have to simmer down and wait, but Monday’s looking like it will provide an extra belated Christmas present for Timberlake’s patient fan base.