Justin Timberlake Announces Return to Music: “I’m Ready”

A video of Timberlake in the studio affirms he's ready to be the prince of pop once again

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Justin Timberlake is being such a tease about his long-awaited new music, but we do know now that it’s finally coming.

The singer, movie star and now new MySpace investor first tweeted a mysterious message Wednesday night promising an announcement the next day. That announcement turned out to be another announcement: a countdown clock set for midnight on Sunday, Jan. 13 is currently ticking away on his website, but an accompanying video of Timberlake in the studio affirms he’s ready to be the prince of pop once again.

(SEE: Where Justin Timberlake’s Southern Hospitality falls on TIME’s Top 10 Celebrity Restaurants)

“I’m the one who sits and is obsessive about it before you even get to hear it,” Timberlake says in the video, explaining why he’s stayed away from music for so long. “I don’t want to put anything out that I feel like is something I don’t love. You just don’t get that every day. You have to wait for it.”

And Timberlake’s return to music is shaping up to be a star-studded affair worth the wait. Radio Now 97.9 in Florida claims Timberlake’s comeback single features none other than rapper Jay-Z, whose wife has definitely been working with him. Beyoncé, who previously collaborated with Timberlake on a remix of his song “Until the End of Time” in 2007, revealed in a recent GQ interview that she recorded another song with him for her own upcoming album. (It’s safe to say we probably won’t see him make an appearance during her upcoming Super Bowl performance, though. We all know what happened last time.)

The former member of boy band *NSYNC hasn’t released an album since 2006’s FutureSex/LoveSounds, which sold more than 4 million copies. Timberlake was busy the past few years working on his movie career, starring in David Fincher’s The Social Network and opposite Mila Kunis in Friends with Benefits.

Hip-hop producer and longtime collaborator Timbaland, who produced some of Timberlake’s biggest hits, including “Cry Me a River,” has reportedly re-teamed with Timberlake to produce the entire upcoming record. So, yes, JT fans, it looks like he finally is bringing the sexy back after all.

MORE: Who’s Performing at the Presidential Inauguration and Grammy Awards?

Justin Timberlake is being such a tease about his long-awaited new music, but we do know now that it’s finally coming.

The singer, movie star and now new MySpace investor first tweeted a mysterious message Wednesday night promising an announcement the next day. That announcement turned out to be another announcement: a countdown clock set for midnight on Sunday, Jan. 13 is currently ticking away on his website, but an accompanying video of Timberlake in the studio affirms he’s ready to be the prince of pop once again.

(SEE: Where Justin Timberlake’s Southern Hospitality falls on TIME’s Top 10 Celebrity Restaurants)

“I’m the one who sits and is obsessive about it before you even get to hear it,” Timberlake says in the video, explaining why he’s stayed away from music for so long. “I don’t want to put anything out that I feel like is something I don’t love. You just don’t get that every day. You have to wait for it.”

And Timberlake’s return to music is shaping up to be a star-studded affair worth the wait. Radio Now 97.9 in Florida claims Timberlake’s comeback single features none other than rapper Jay-Z, whose wife has definitely been working with him. Beyoncé, who previously collaborated with Timberlake on a remix of his song “Until the End of Time” in 2007, revealed in a recent GQ interview that she recorded another song with him for her own upcoming album. (It’s safe to say we probably won’t see him make an appearance during her upcoming Super Bowl performance, though. We all know what happened last time.)

The former member of boy band *NSYNC hasn’t released an album since 2006’s FutureSex/LoveSounds, which sold more than 4 million copies. Timberlake was busy the past few years working on his movie career, starring in David Fincher’s The Social Network and opposite Mila Kunis in Friends with Benefits.

Hip-hop producer and longtime collaborator Timbaland, who produced some of Timberlake’s biggest hits, including “Cry Me a River,” has reportedly re-teamed with Timberlake to produce the entire upcoming record. So, yes, JT fans, it looks like he finally is bringing the sexy back after all.

MORE: Who’s Performing at the Presidential Inauguration and Grammy Awards?