Justin Timberlake didn’t even think to go solo until he spoke with Michael Jackson.
The 33-year-old singer was part of boy band ‘N Sync for seven years before releasing his first independent album Justified in 2002.
Justin wrote a song for Michael years ago, but ‘N Sync used the track instead, which led to an interesting conversation with the King of Pop that changed the musician’s career forever.
"It was one of those songs where, it felt a little more personal to me, because I had written it for the biggest artist of all time," Justin recalled in a forthcoming episode of Oprah’s Master Class.
"I guess Michael did hear it, and called me on the phone and said that he wanted to cut the record, but he wanted it to be a duet between himself and I. And I said, 'Well, it's already out, we've already cut the song as an 'N Sync record ... could we do, like, an 'N Sync featuring Michael Jackson, or Michael Jackson featuring 'N Sync?' And he was very absolute about the fact that he wanted it to be a duet between himself and I.”
The star claims he never really entertained thoughts of becoming a solo artist before speaking with Michael.
"I think it's the first idea that I ever got about doing something on my own because it was the first time I ever really felt the confidence to do it," Justin explained.
The 20/20 Experience singer went on to sell millions of records worldwide as a solo artist.
Justin’s full Oprah’s Master Class interview will air on OWN network May 11.
