The New Justin Timberlake Song Is About to Be Everywhere, All Year Long
Remember how four years ago it seemed like you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”—Justin Timberlake’s upbeat chart-topping smash from the Trolls soundtrack? Well, that animated hit's new sequel, Trolls World Tour is coming out soon, which means that Timberlake is back helming the soundtrack and ready to dominate the radio again, this time with SZA as his partner-in-crime on “The Other Side.”
The track—which has slightly funkier and much more laid back vibes than “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”—has credits that read like a murderer's row of pop music geniuses. The undeniable musical legend Max Martin co-wrote “The Other Side,” and Ludwig Göransson, who produced both Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” and composed the score to Disney+'s recent hit series The Mandalorian (a man of many talents!) was behind the boards for Timberlake’s latest. It's cowritten by Sarah Aarons, who was hugely responsible for the success of Zedd and Maren Morris's "The Middle" a few years ago (you know the one).
Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” was the best-selling song of 2016, and SZA has already proven her ability to make a soundtrack cut a crossover hit with "All the Stars," which she cut with Kendrick Lamar for the Black Panther soundtrack.
Trolls World Tour, which stars Timberlake and Anna Kendrick as two of the titular Trolls, hits theaters on April 17. The soundtrack, of which “The Other Side” is the lead single, comes out a little earlier, on March 13, and the track list is... truly wild. Notable songs include “Rock N Roll Rules” from HAIM and Ludwig Göransson, “Crazy Train,” as performed by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Rachel Bloom, and Kelly Clarkson’s “Born to Die" (please let this be a Lana Del Rey cover... please).
The last track on the album, “Just Sing (Trolls World Tour)” is credited to—get ready—Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Kelly Clarkson, George Clinton, Mary J. Blige, Anderson .Paak, Rachel Bloom, Kenan Thompson, Anthony Ramos, Red Velvet, Icona Pop and Sam Rockwell. We simply have no choice but to stan. Anyway, get ready to hear "The Other Side" on the radio, in every CVS, and at your gym until the end of time. There are certainly worse options out there!
Q&A
After she dropped Ctrl, the praise for SZA was unanimous: Critics loved her. The charts loved her. The Internet formed a hive for her. She racked up five Grammy nominations...none of which turned into awards. So how is 2017’s favorite new artist holding up in 2018?
Originally Appeared on GQ
