When Justin Timberlake was 13, he wrote his first song. And what was the inspiration that first moved the eventual Grammy and Emmy award-winner to put pen to paper?
An earring.
The young teen wanted to get his ear pierced. His parents' answer demonstrated how they subtly encouraged Timberlake toward a path in music. My parents said, If you write a song about it, we'll take you to get your ear pierced.'
This was just one of the many stories the singer, songwriter, and actor recounted casually from the stage in a packed Berklee Performance Center the day before he'd be given an honorary doctorate-along with Missy Elliott and Alex Lacamoire B.M. '95-at the 2019 commencement proceedings. Before getting to those stories, he had an exceptionally hyper crowd to calm, as he walked out to an uproarious standing ovation that lasted almost two minutes without losing a decibel of volume.
Listen to a snippet of the crowd's reaction as he was introduced by Panos Panay, vice president of innovation and strategy:
Favoring ripped jeans over a graduation robe, Timberlake sat for an informal interview with Panay and regaled the students in the audience with stories behind his hit songs, his collaborations with the likes of Madonna, and inking his first major deal with NSYNC-the latter of which he did at age 15, just two years after his ode to earrings. Here are some highlights from that conversation.
On Not Fearing Clich s People say, I don't want to be clich . But clich s are the truth over and over again, so that's okay. Because the truth is always what we need. Not always what we want, but it's what we need.
Music vibrates. Music does move a vibration. And there are certain keys that move different vibrations. E-flat minor is one-it's an awesome key to write music in. But also? C is a great key to write in. C is the clich of musical keys because it's true over and over again.
When you hear the opening C chord in Can't Stop the Feeling!'-that's what I want. I want that [immediate excitement]. It's not a science, it is an art.
On Gaining Confidence as a Songwriter I started to gain more confidence when I started working with [pop songwriting powerhouse] Max Martin. I was 16, and in a group that you may or may not have heard of. We [the members of NSYNC] had just signed a deal. I was 15 when we actually signed the deal. But I was 16 years old when they sent us to Stockholm to work with this group of hitmakers.
I was really lucky to be exposed at such a young age to [Martins] tenacity of just writing a song. Turning over every stone to see what could sound wrong and right at the same time, and the way they worked.
Read More
Learn more about Timberlake, Missy Elliott, and Alex Lacamoires experience at the 2019 commencement proceedings. The most important thing you can do as a songwriter is listen. To really hear what's happening.
Being cool is not a thing. It's an un-thing. Be passionate, be angry, frustrated, or be sad, or happy-just don't try to be cool. Your confidence will come from within. Just keep writing.
[For Cant Stop the Feeling!]: That song specifically-I just don't know how I was so lucky to stumble into that idea. Every song feels that way. I could tell you where these ideas come from, but I don't remember how, from that point, it ended up being finished. There's this wave of creativity that rushes over you when you find inspiration.
On Trying to Save the World with Madonna With Madonna, our writing process [for the song 4 Minutes] was such that she had a journal. It was very personal. It's a very personal experience to cowrite with people. The songs have to come from an honest place.
[To Madonna]: These lyrics are so heavy. Can we lighten it up a little? And she said no-she's Madonna; she can say no. And I finally was just like, Oh my God, we have four minutes! We can't save the world in four minutes! [pauses] Ok, we're gonna save the world in four minutes-that's what the song was gonna be.
On Failure and Daring to Suck I only have one rule in the studio: dare to suck. There are no wrong answers when it comes to creating art, because it's only going to lead you to what feels good to you. And if you're going to connect that to other people, it has to feel good to you first.
Life happens in the grey area. It happens when you're misunderstood. That's like, when the really good stuff happens. You can learn from failure and success. There's never a wrong answer. I think we are defined by what happens right after we feel like we've failed.
Related categories:
News
Related Reading
Missy Elliott, Alex Lacamoire, Justin Timberlake Honored at Commencement The music icons received honorary doctorates for their lasting contributions to music and popular culture.
Star-Studded Commencement to Honor Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliott, and Alex Lacamoire Berklee Today
Spring
2019
Volume
30
Number
3
Missy Elliott, Alex Lacamoire, and Justin Timberlake to Receive Honorary Doctorates at Berklee Commencement Berklees commencement ceremony takes place on Saturday, May 11, at the Agganis Arena at Boston University.
More from Berklee Now
Most Popular
What Its like to Be a Woman in the Music Industry Erin Barra, a professor in Berklees Songwriting Department, and researcher Becky Prior share key findings from the first-ever study on women working in the music industry, published by Berklee and Women in Music.
Latest
Justin Timberlake Talks Songwriting Secrets, Clich s, and Earrings The multiplatinum recording artist shared stories from his two-decade career while on campus to receive an honorary doctorate.
BerkleeNYC Launches Community Fund The BerkleeNYC Community Fund will raise money for scholarships, pr
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/07/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced the appointment of Kathy Samuels ...
01/07/2026
Shade has announced Custom Objects and Automations, a platform expansion releasing June 29, 2026, that adds database and workflow automation capabilities direct...
01/07/2026
FOR-A America has announced the addition of Jaz Wray and Fernando Cruz to its U.S. sales team. Both report to Ernie Leon, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Strate...
01/07/2026
NBC Sports will air all 15 MLB games nationally on Sunday, July 5, across NBC, P...
01/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced a wireless communications upgrade for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, deploying FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems across both prod...
01/07/2026
England's performance team will use Sony's STATSports APEX GPS tracking system to monitor player physical data in real time during FIFA World Cup 2026 m...
01/07/2026
Adder Technology has announced the appointment of Neil Hillier as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Hillier succeeds Adrian Dickens, who transiti...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. has announced a strategic transaction creating two separate companies. The Production and Playout business will continue as Bitcentral, now own...
01/07/2026
DAZN has announced results from DAZN48, its creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Launched in April 2026, the program received thousands of applicatio...
01/07/2026
Sarah Rose, VP, global services, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT), will be inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at t...
01/07/2026
Gravity Media and the World Economic Forum's production team provided broadc...
01/07/2026
Insight Productions has announced the launch of Insight Storm, a 53-foot mobile broadcast unit built for esports production. The truck is built around a Ross Vi...
01/07/2026
ESPN has announced several content initiatives marking America's 250th anniversary, as part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Celebrates America pro...
01/07/2026
Eleven production kits, REMI workflows, and cloud distribution bring 40 World Cu...
01/07/2026
The conference also discussed the opportunities offered an industry that is endu...
01/07/2026
The Mountain West Conference has announced the launch of MW , a direct-to-consumer streaming platform powered by Kiswe. The platform will carry live Mountain We...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
01/07/2026
LONDON, UK, 1 JULY Jigsaw24 has appointed Alan Henry as Head of Sales for Media and Entertainment, reinforcing its continued investment in helping broadcaster...
01/07/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending secure content distribution platform protecting high-value media from disclosures, theft and unauthorised access, today announ...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. a leading provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters, as well as streaming pla...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Groundbreaking First Nations Screen Business Accelerator launched through nation...
01/07/2026
Chyron Launches the All-New Chyron Academy: A Reimagined, Hands-On Learning Expe...
01/07/2026
Amplium Captures Kawasaki Brave Thunders Game with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersiv...
01/07/2026
Boris FX Optics Expands Plugin Support to Apple Photos, Capture One, and Affinit...
01/07/2026
UKTV has today announced the appointment of Matt Berry to the newly created role of General Manager - Marketing, effective 1 July.
Matt will take on this senio...
01/07/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign featuring Deborah Meaden challenges consumers to rethink everyday bathroom wasteWednesday 1 July 2026
Fussy asks Bri...
01/07/2026
Constituency-level analysis reveals where girls miss out most on sport - and where targeted action could unlock more than £640 million in economic and health be...
01/07/2026
Wuppertal July 1, 2026
Riedel and SKAARHOJ Expand Collaboration With SimplyLive IntegrationRiedel Communications today announced an expanded collaboration wit...
01/07/2026
Apple today introduced power-packed updates to Apple Creator Studio, a groundbre...
When Justin Timberlake was 13, he wrote his first song. And what was the inspiration that first moved the eventual Grammy and Emmy award-winner to put pen to paper?
