Justin Timberlake was in Dubai on Sunday, and yet most people had no idea. He wasn't here to perform, sadly, and he wasn't having a private holiday (although he did have a go on the rides at Aquaventure).
The last time he hit our city was three years ago, when, after his unforgettable Abu Dhabi performance, he sneaked into Dubai to play a round of golf. How did one of the world's top stars slip so quietly into the UAE, and what on earth was he doing here?
Well, this weekend, it wasn't Timberlake the singer, dancer, actor or golfer who sat in Atlantis wearing dark, ripped William Rast jeans (yes, that is his fashion line. Does the man sleep?) to chat to tabloid! It was Timberlake the sexy face of a new perfume, one for women.
According to French fashion house Givenchy, which first enlisted Timberlake as the face of their male scent Play, women love him so much he can even sell them perfume, which led to the creation of Play For Her, and the ensuing commercial starring Timberlake and Canadian model Noot Seear running up the Eiffel Tower. However sexy he is it's rather odd for a guy to be the face of a women's scent.
"I said the same thing!" Timberlake told tabloid! with a laugh. "But it works. When they came to me with the idea and how to pitch it I was hesitant about the men's fragrance but we did it right. It's interesting how we constructed the women's campaign, it was kind of the opposite of you how usually do it the ad was shot first and then the still was based off the commercial."
tabloid! sat down with Timberlake for an exclusive chat about scents, sex and his future sounds.
On being called a sex symbol
"I'd rather not answer that question. Yes, the word sex was in the [album] title. I think in art and fashion, It's more aspirational than anything. My last album, it was a character that I created in my mind. I obviously portrayed it because I can't write the music and record it and then have someone else do the video. I don't think I necessarily think of myself that way. I think I see it as: if you have a voice and a way that you are communicating what you are doing, that's what being an artist is about. You can be a great director, you can have all the talent as a director, all this talent as a songwriter but if you don't have a specific voice to communicate it to people, then you become like that talented artist who never made anything of themselves."
On futuresex/love sounds album
"I think my last album was really just a character in my mind. Once you have a spark in your mind, you just take it. The bravado that came out of that album wasn't totally me, it was just an idea that I had. Every once in a while, you put on an outfit, you're like your favourite version of yourself at that moment, and you have other times where you're the worst version of yourself, you hurt people and you make mistakes. We're complicated creatures, we're human. But that's what I think art and entertainment are there for — to inspire you to be the best strongest, sexiest, what have you... the ‘whatever'-est version of yourself."
On having a stage persona
"When I'm on stage, it's a version of myself; on film it's a version of myself. You're require to lose pieces of yourself but you're also required to put a little bit of yourself in it as well — because you're required to play the truth, and I think you have to do that in music as well as on stage. Just because it's not dressed up like some of the artists you see today, doesn't mean it's not a character. I think a lot of artists do that. My favourite ones do, like Prince. He could really be living that [persona]. But if you have to ask yourself that question, it means he's doing his job. And I think that people ask themselves that question about me."
On working on new material
"I have not done anything on my own stuff. I mean yes and no — I'm always cataloguing stuff in my brain and on my hard drive for future use.It's great to spice it up, but if you don't like it... I don't know until I get there. That's the thing with artists, man. We don't know until we know. And then you'll know."
On making his mark in Hollywood
"I am enjoying doing films right now. There's certain people in Hollywood that actually care what I think now. I've actually put enough time into that process that I have to see that through and not turn my back on it."
On staying gorgeous
"Grooming is on a whim. I may not shave for like a month then all of a sudden just completely shave all the hair off my face. And then sometimes you have your hair [and say]: ‘OK, I'm gonna shave my head,' and you just go and shave your head. That's the thing about being a guy we don't put thought into a lot of things. It's not high on the priority list. With that being said, I obviously take care. If there's anything guys should do, at this point, it's be thoughtful of your skin. Wear sunblock... it is your friend."
Behind closed doors
For an entertainment writer, the opportunity to speak to Justin Timberlake must be like a political reporter meeting Barack Obama: the dream interview. He's the nec plus ultra of music, fashion and celebrity: one of the world's most attractive men who has the entertainment industry in the palm of his hand. Except for one thing. In person, the world's hottest entertainer isn't very... entertaining.
Perhaps my expectations were set rather high. Having seen Timberlake perform in Abu Dhabi three years ago, a concert from which I, an avowed alt-rock fan, walked away saying it was the best gig ever, I was expecting to fall in love all over again. (Reader, rest assured I maintained my composure throughout the interview.)
Questions about his personal life were off the cards, I was warned by his publicist, and even subtle attempts to ask about his relationships were cut dead by Timberlake, who apparently despises the word "tabloid" because of American magazines' constant intrusion into his private life.
His PR confirmed to me later that another journalist who spoke to Timberlake after tabloid! on Sunday was removed from the interview after asking about Jessica Biel.
On stage, Timberlake's voice and dance moves are riveting hypnotic, even. You can't take your eyes off the man. But as he told me about his life as an artist and the purpose of entertainment I have to confess I found myself casting my eyes over the fish painted on the wall of the Atlantis' Bridge Suite.
Well, I suppose it's only fair during the time we spent together, Timberlake rarely made eye contact, preferring to eye up the door to the suite. Planning your escape, Justin?
Life as a star can't be easy prior to this two-day visit to Dubai, he was promoting the perfume in New York and left yesterday to do the same in Paris and Timberlake is hardly the most trying interviewee tabloid! has ever seen.
But that spark we were all expecting this is the man behind some side-splitting Saturday Night Live sketches and fever-inducing dance routinesseems to be firmly locked away, only to be brought out for special performances or maybe just one very special lady.
Hope he's worth it.
