# Justin Timberlake was told his 2006 single “wouldn’t work”. Now, it’s been streamed over 1,500,000,000 times

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/justin-timberlake-was-told-his-2006-single-wouldnt-work-now-its-been-streamed-over-1500000000-times/
- Published: 2026-11-06T10:48:29+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T11:40:59+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/justin-timberlake-2006-single-wouldnt-work/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Timberlake’s label doubted “SexyBack” would work.
- The song topped the US Hot 100 for seven weeks.
- Timberlake says trusting his instincts changed everything.

## Summary

Justin Timberlake says his record label doubted that “SexyBack”, the lead single from his 2006 album *FutureSex/LoveSounds*, would succeed. The song became a major hit, and his account highlights how trusting an unconventional creative choice can pay off.

Speaking on Complex’s Re-Rank series, Timberlake said he and co-writer and producer Timbaland wrote the track quickly to rethink the sound of dance music. The label objected that it did not sound like him, was too fast and, at 118 beats per minute, did not match radio trends. “SexyBack” spent seven consecutive weeks at number one on the US Hot 100 and won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording; it has since passed 1.5 billion streams.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.