Justin Timberlake drops a new song and video, Selfish, teasing his upcoming album Everything I Thought It Was, set for release on March 15—marking his return after five years.
The video, with nearly 300,000 views within hours of Thursday’s launch, is quite meta. It reveals Timberlake’s trial-and-error process in creating the video.
But the catch is Britney Spears fans are rallying against Justin Timberlake by pushing her 2011 song Selfish to No. 1 on the iTunes charts. It now sits above his just-released new single.
Britney Spears Fans Dominate iTunes, Dethroning Justin Timberlake
After Justin Timberlake‘s released Selfish, Britney Spears‘ Army trolled him by boosting Spears’ 2011 song of the same name on the charts. Spears’ Selfish hit No. 1 on iTunes a day later, outperforming Timberlake’s new track.
Timberlake released Selfish on January 25, almost a week after teasing a snippet on his social accounts. He debuted the full song during a hometown show at Memphis’ Orpheum Theater, giving a preview of the mid-tempo track.
The Like I Love You singer made headlines just months earlier when Spears dropped her memoir, The Woman in Me. Spears revisits her relationship with Timberlake in the book, sharing details that weren’t all positive.
Spears’ fans hold a grudge against Timberlake, particularly because he portrayed himself as the victim in their breakup with the 2002 single Cry Me a River. The accompanying music video, featuring a Spears lookalike, portrayed negatively.
In her memoir, Spears expressed being betrayed and ashamed by the Cry Me a River music video’s portrayal. She also shared details about an abortion during their relationship, explaining they ended the pregnancy because Timberlake wasn’t ready to be a father.
Britney Fans’ iTunes Takeover Started as Playful Joke
According to the Britney fan account BritneyxYtube, Britney Spears’ fans to boost her song Selfish on iTunes was all “started as a joke.” As BritneyxYtube tells EW:
“Then we all joined in, saying that Britney Spears was coming back with a ‘brand’ new song. I still can’t believe that it became so big, and we see the results we see now. We are all so happy to see her song making a comeback after all these years!!!”
Britney Spears will release her new single, “Selfish,” this Thursday, January 25th. pic.twitter.com/UZtpy0Y1MV
— Britney Stan ✨ (@BritneyTheStan) January 22, 2024
The Princess of Pop has confirmed no plans for a comeback, stating on Instagram that she “will never return to the music industry.” This response comes amid rumors of collaborations with artists like Charli XCX for a new album.
As for Timberlake, Selfish marks the lead single from his upcoming album, Everything I Thought It Was. Following the song’s debut, he revealed the Forget Tomorrow World Tour, starting in Vancouver, Canada, on April 29.
