Justin Timberlake says label doubted hit song SexyBack would work

Justin Timberlake recently shared that his 2006 song "SexyBack," co-written and featuring Timbaland, faced skepticism from his record label. According to People and reported by 985thecat.iheart.com and other iHeart outlets, the label thought the song was too different from what was popular on the radio at the time.

Timberlake ranked "SexyBack" as his No. 4 song in Complex's Re-Rank series and described it as a track that "makes zero sense but all the sense in the world." He said it was intended to redefine how dance music could sound and that he wanted it to feel androgynous so listeners could identify with it personally.

When he first presented the song to his label, they reportedly told him it would not work because it was too fast at 118 BPM and did not sound like his usual style. Despite this, Timberlake trusted his instincts and believed the song's uniqueness was its strength.

The musician described the experience as "trusting your gut and doing something so decidedly different," which ultimately changed everything for him. "SexyBack" went on to become one of his biggest hits, proving the label's doubts wrong.