Justin Timberlake’s UAE fans elated at his return

Justin Timberlake is returning to Abu Dhabi as the American pop star and actor will take the stage at the du Arena, promoters Flash Entertainment have revealed.

ABU DHABI // More than six years after his last gig here, Justin Timberlake is returning to the capital.

Event promoter Flash Entertainment revealed on Thursday that the US pop star and actor would perform at the du Arena on May 23.

Timberlake’s last UAE performance was at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi in December 2007.

His fans in the UAE are eagerly anticipating his return.

Janice Priyanka K, 22, an associate at an audit firm who lives in Abu Dhabi, said she had been a fan since she heard his 2002 song, Cry Me a River.

“I’m super psyched for the concert,” she said. “Justin Timberlake is a brilliant artist and I can’t imagine not going to the show.”

Her birthday is on May 27, so she considers the concert an early present to herself.

Saahil Fazil, also 22, a finance student in Dubai, said: “Justin’s music is just brilliant. Honestly, he’s the only one with the potential to be the next Michael Jackson.”

Seton Vermaak, a 39-year-old Dubai resident who works in advertising, said this was the only recent concert announcement he had been excited about.

He owns most of Timberlake’s CDs, DVDs and iTunes downloads and is excited to see the artist perform live.

“I know that he’s much better live even than listening, he’s a showman,” said Mr Vermaak, a South African who has lived in the UAE for three years.

“He goes across so many different kinds of people, so I expect the audience to be quite a variety.”

The news of the concert confirmed speculation about the singer’s arrival – an animated teaser video was released on YouTube on Tuesday, hinting at a forthcoming concert.

The 17-second video featured a paper unwrapping before a hand appeared to write #JTUAE over a silhouette resembling Timberlake.

The video concluded with Thursday’s date emblazoned over a black background.

Timberlake’s performance is part of a world tour promoting his two-part opus, The 20/20 Experience.

Released last year within six months of each other, the twin albums found Timberlake reuniting with his super-producer Timbaland to release an expansive collection of songs, owing more to neo-soul and progressive rock than the catchy pop and R&B of his previous releases.

Led by the hit singles Suit and Tie (featuring Jay Z) and Mirrors, part one sold more than 580,000 digital copies on iTunes, breaking the platform’s record for opening week sales – before going on to become the biggest selling album in the US last year.

While the follow up, The 20/20 Experience: 2 of 2, released last September, was less favorably received by critics, it still did well on the charts with nearly a million copies sold by the end of the year.

Timberlake’s tour, which began in November in New York, is his first solo trek in five years and is making its way around North America and Canada.

The two-hour show presents a hefty 30-song set featuring early hits Rock Your Body and Senorita as well as his latest singles, Take Back the Night and Pusher Love Girl.

In a few performances, Timberlake also took time to pay tribute to his major influence, Michael Jackson, by performing the late legend’s 1983 classic Human Nature.

Ticket prices are to be announced soon and will go on pre-sale from midday on January 16 from www.ticketmaster.ae and select Virgin Megastores across the UAE. For more information throughout the day go to www.thinkflash.ae.

Members of Justin Timberlake’s fan club, the Tennessee Kids (#TNKids) will have access to a pre-sale starting on January 13. To register for the fan club go to thetennesseekids.justintimberlake.com.