Celebrity (album)

JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake co-wrote 10 of 13 songs on the album in order to experiment with different sounds and genres.[1]

At the 2000 Billboard Music Awards on December 5, NSYNC announced they would begin "experimenting with new music" for their third studio album at a recording studio in Florida during January and February 2001. Justin Timberlake said the band planned to spend two months in the studio to come up with ideas, while Joey Fatone stated that they may leave Florida as the album progresses. NSYNC also said they wanted to collaborate with Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs and Richard Marx, with whom they had worked on their second studio album No Strings Attached (2000).[2]

Although No Strings Attached sold 14 million copies worldwide, including a record 2.4 million in the United States during its first week, critics ridiculed the band, who did not match the critics' perceptions as a "credible group" and were not considered "artistic".[3][4] In response to this, NSYNC decided to be more involved in production, co-writing 10 of the 13 tracks on Celebrity. JC Chasez discussed the recording process in an interview with Billboard: "Our objective was not to be self-conscious and try to make another hit record. Instead, we set out to make a record that was more reflective of what turns us on musically. We also wanted to prove that pop music comes in a lot of different flavors. It's not all bubble-gum."[3] The band decided to assign roles for each member to combat media perception of "leadership roles within the group". Timberlake and Chasez worked on the album's production and music, while Lance Bass was assigned to handle business and management, and Fatone started to plan the supporting tour alongside Chris Kirkpatrick.[4]

NSYNC sought out several collaborators to add new styles to their sound for Celebrity. BT was initially hesitant to work with the band when Timberlake approached him in late 2000, as their styles were opposite from each other. He finally agreed when Timberlake was willing to work with the sound used in the song "The Hip Hop Phenomenon" on the UK version of BT's 1999 album Movement in Still Life, stating: "If you wanna do something that punk-rock, I'll do it."[1][5] During the production of "Pop", BT tried 40 different treatments for vocals, with him using equipment that is commonly used for movie sound effects, and he constantly shouted Michael Jackson's name at Timberlake to inspire him. BT changed the song from "new-school R&B, Timbaland-style beats, to progressive house".[5]

The album's second single, "Gone", was initially written as a duet between Timberlake and Jackson, but was declined by the latter of the two.[6] Timberlake took the song to NSYNC's A&R team and the band later recorded it. Jackson changed his mind after the song's release and wanted it to be performed only as a duet between himself and Timberlake, but they could not find a way to rewrite the song.[7] American production duo the Neptunes became engaged to produce Celebrity's third single "Girlfriend".[1][4] Timberlake was determined to get American musician Stevie Wonder to play the harmonica for "Something Like You" after Timberlake composed the song with his songwriting partner Robin Wiley. Wonder recorded the harmonica part after Jive Records contacted him, with Timberlake describing his presence as a "surreal moment".[1]

Celebrity includes elements of several musical genres, including pop,[8][9] R&B,[9] teen pop,[10] and urban.[11] In contrast to No Strings Attached, the decision to experiment with different sounds on songs such as "Pop" was made so NSYNC could appear more mature and musically diverse.[4] The album fuses sounds from NSYNC's earlier songs such as "Bye Bye Bye" (2000) with experimental genres, including hip hop and British two-step.[3] Several of the producers who worked on Celebrity influenced the unique sound of each track, which was attributed to the band's self-awareness and desire to accentuate different aspects of their music.[12]

The album's first track, "Pop", refers to NSYNC's defense of the pop genre towards their critics.[13] Larry Flick of Billboard described the song as "a crafty, anthemic blend of Cameo-style electro-funk beats, Euro-pop synths, heavy-metal guitars, and Timberlake's now-signature human beat-box riffs", while John Hugar of Uproxx referred to it as "a sort of proto-salvo against in the rockist vs. poptimists argument", and called the song a preview of Timberlake's 2003 single "Rock Your Body".[3][14] The next track, "Celebrity", was produced by Rodney Jerkins, who used "low-key, funksome, two-step slither" along with camera clicks.[9][15] "The Game is Over", according to Barry Walters of Rolling Stone, includes the "Pac-Man theme and dance-y squeaks", and "echoes the sounds and sentiments of the last album’s edgiest cuts".[16] The fourth track, "Girlfriend", is an R&B song that was produced by the Neptunes.[15] A remix of the track that features rapper Nelly was noted for giving the song a hip hop influence.[17] Nelly raps over a minimal guitar figure for two verses; the first which lasted for 61 seconds before the song's first verse.[18] "The Two of Us" contains a "British dancefloor beat",[19] which was compared to that of "Digital Get Down" from No Strings Attached.[20] Staff writers at Billboard considered the ballad "Gone" to be "harrowing, relentless and unmistakably final".[21] Hugar noted "Gone" as the precursor to Timberlake's second single "Cry Me a River" (2002).[14]

"Tell Me, Tell Me... Baby" was written by Max Martin and includes elements of Europop.[12] "Up Against the Wall" is an R&B song that features two-step garage elements;[19] it was compared to Billy Joel's song "Get It Right the First Time" from his 1977 album The Stranger.[20] "See Right Through You", the ninth track on Celebrity, has an R&B sound;[15] according to David Browne of Entertainment Weekly, the song is "another tale of betrayal by scheming girls". The Brian McKnight-produced track "Selfish" combines the vocals of Chasez and Timberlake with an adult contemporary track.[10] "Just Don't Tell Me That", a teen pop track, is similar to songs by Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.[16] According to Browne, "Something Like You" is a "squishy ballad with drooling-puppy harmonies and lyrics". He described the US version of the album's final song "Do Your Thing" as "mild electronica";[10] the track was included on Celebrity because Jive Records wanted a song that showcased NSYNC's vocal talents and harmony.[1]

The artwork of Celebrity depicts the band walking on a red carpet while surrounded by flashing cameras and a crowd.[22] Jackie Murphy created the artwork, which was photographed by Mark Seliger.[23] Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine considered the garish cover art to be a hybrid of the cover of the Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and music videos by alternative rock band Sammy, and said the title Celebrity "none too subtly [draws] attention to the fact that they're stars".[12] Ariana Bacle of Entertainment Weekly stated the appearance of each member on the artwork is "tame" in comparison to that of NSYNC's 1997 self-titled debut studio album, specifically criticizing Chasez and Joey Fatone's highlights for seeking unneeded attention.[24]

NSYNC appeared on Total Request Live to promote Celebrity on its release date.

The album was officially announced on April 2, 2001 as Celebrity, with Jive Records having intentions to release an "uptempo" first single later that month.[25][26] On May 11, 2001, MTV played a recording of "Pop" via satellite during NSYNC's tour rehearsal for PopOdyssey, leading to the song's release to radio stations as the album's lead single three days later.[27] Celebrity was initially set to be released on June 26, 2001, with the opening date of PopOdyssey on May 12, 2001.[25][26] The tour was postponed to May 18, 2001, because the staging was still in development, and the album's release date was postponed to July 24, 2001.[28][29] NSYNC decided to perform the tracks from Celebrity on tour before its release.[30] The tour was sponsored by Verizon, which launched several television and radio advertising campaigns across the US in promotion of the album and its release date.[31] In an interview with Billboard, Chasez stated the concept of playing new songs at a concert was unusual but he felt it was a good sign that the crowd was actively participating. Jive Records president Barry Weiss was surprised by the band's touring approach, acknowledging the audience response would indicate "an album of immeasurable creative and commercial depth".[27]

MTV broadcast a television special entitled The Road to Celebrity on July 21 and 22, 2001.[27] The premiere of Celebrity, which included celebrities such as Britney Spears, Hugh Hefner, the Olsen Twins, and Aisha Tyler, was held at West Hollywood on July 23, 2001.[32] NSYNC also played several songs at a tailgate party in the parking lot and appeared on MTV's Total Request Live on July 24, 2001, coinciding with the date of the album's ultimate release.[27] To promote Celebrity, NSYNC appeared on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Today, between June and August 2001.[33]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	65/100[42]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
Blender	[11]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	[43]
Dotmusic	[9]
Entertainment Weekly	B[10]
NME	8/10[44]
Q	[45]
Rolling Stone	[16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[46]
Slant Magazine	[8]

Celebrity was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 65 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[42]

Erlewine said Celebrity is NSYNC's "most varied album yet" and called it a highlight from the teen-pop era of 1999–2001, and praised the musicianship of Timberlake, Chasez, and the songwriters.[12] J.D. Considine of Blender said the album "shines brightest when the group matures enough to forget about its image and focus on the tunes".[11] Alex Needham of NME wrote that although NSYNC display feelings of discontent on Celebrity, they "have the tunes to make up for it".[44] In one of his "Consumer Guide" reviews, Robert Christgau gave the album a one-star honorable mention, writing, "they survive writing their own songs", highlighting "Selfish" and "Do Your Thing".[43]

Browne stated that Celebrity is "the consummate teen-pop experience", listing R&B, ballads, self-expression and Europop as examples of genres included. He also said it is "pleasant filler and nothing more".[10] In a Rolling Stone review, Barry Walters said the anxiety in the singers' vocals allowed them to "pave a new high road for teen pop’s future", and that he found the band's calling out of "anonymous gold diggers" on several tracks tiresome.[16] Writing for Slant, Sal Cinquemani criticized the album for being "slightly overcooked and a tad overzealous", saying it is unfortunate NSYNC "couldn’t completely discard the classic hit-making formula in favor of the more experimental pop that seems so inherent in this and their last album". He said NSYNC could become "The Beatles of their generation" if they abandoned the pop genre and survived the growing pains and the aging of their fans.[8] The staff of Q said Celebrity is "quality froth" despite not being good,[45] and the staff from E! Online stated that 13-year-old girls would love the album while others will only reluctantly appreciate it.[47]

Dotmusic's Cyd Jaymes was critical of Celebrity, praising the first track "Pop" for being one of the best singles of 2001, but describing the remainder of the album as "formulaic, less-than-meaty balladeering and the odd glimmer of upbeat hope", and largely underwhelming.[9] Jason Thompson of PopMatters described it as "threadbare cookie crunch" and accused the band of setting double-standards for their fans, saying NSYNC "enjoy flaunting their own image while at the same time playing a candy-ass game of 'don't like us only for our status'".[20]

In the US, Celebrity debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Although it did not sell as many copies as No Strings Attached, Celebrity, selling 1,879,955 copies, had the second-best debut week sales at the time since Nielsen SoundScan had begun monitoring record retailers in 1991.[48][49] Billboard said the album's failure to match the first-week sales of its predecessor was due to the 2001 US economy's weaker state in comparison with the previous year, as well as the first decline in album sales in more than a decade.[31] On August 22, 2001, Celebrity was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of 5,000,000 units in the US.[50] It became the third best-selling album of 2001, selling 4.42 million copies. Sales of the album were marginally lower than those of Shaggy's Hot Shot by 86,000 copies, which only beat it in the cassette format; Hot Shot sold 304,000 tapes while Celebrity only sold 92,000 tapes.[51] Celebrity was ranked at number nine on the Billboard 200 year-end chart for 2001.[52] As of March 2015, the album had sold 5,002,000 copies in the US according to Nielsen Music.[53] It has sold an additional 826,000 units at the BMG Music Club, as of February 2003.[54]

Celebrity debuted at number one in Canada on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 71,254 copies, which was the biggest first-week album sales of 2001.[31] It was certified double platinum by Music Canada (MC) for selling over 200,000 units in the country on November 7, 2001.[55] In the United Kingdom, the album sold 13,000 units in its debut week,[31] entering at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart.[56] Celebrity was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling over 100,000 copies in the UK on May 17, 2002.[57] Several European companies reported slow album sales, including Fnac in France and Spain, WOM in Germany, and Ricordi in Italy. The album sold 20,000 units in the first week in Japan,[31] where it peaked at number 11 on the Oricon Albums Chart.[58] Celebrity peaked at number 10 on Australia's ARIA Albums chart, and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for selling over 35,000 units in the country.[59][60]

In a 2016 retrospective article, Hugar described Celebrity as "a logical swan song" because it came after the record-breaking commercial success of No Strings Attached, with him saying that the album's memorable singles would allow the band to remain in the spotlight before Timberlake began his solo career. He also compared the situation to Zayn Malik's and Harry Styles' desires for solo stardom after One Direction's hiatus, concluding that it is "a reminder that boy bands are rarely built to last".[14] Bianca Gracie of Fuse noted NSYNC would go on hiatus following the release of Celebrity because of Timberlake having co-wrote and co-produced more tracks than fellow member Chasez, citing "Gone" as an example.[15] NPR's Maria Sherman stated the album shifted the band further towards the R&B genre and "firmly established Timberlake as the bandleader".[61] Andrew Unterberger of Billboard acknowledged that Celebrity contained sounds which "pushes pop music into the future".[13]

Track listing and credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[22] All lead vocals provided by Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez.

All credits taken from AllMusic.[23]

• List of 2001 albums
• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2001
• List of fastest-selling albums worldwide