Justin Timberlake “Mirrors” – First Listen (Audio)

By On 02/11/2013 · 47 Comments · In American Idol

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After last night’s Grammys, Justin Timberlake dropped another new song from his upcoming 20/20 album titled “Mirrors.”

You better have a few minutes to spare, the track is 8 minutes long. It’s a pop opus!

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  • hayes

    I like this song, way better than Suit and Tie. The Pusher Love Girl song he debuted on the Grammys didn’t make much of an impression on me, but I’m still looking forward to his CD.

    I like Bruno Mars and his music, but I like Justin Timberlake as well. No need to choose either/or, I have room for both.

  • hayes

    I like this song, way better than Suit and Tie. The Pusher Love Girl song he debuted on the Grammys didn’t make much of an impression on me, but I’m still looking forward to his CD.

    I like Bruno Mars and his music, but I like Justin Timberlake as well. No need to choose either/or, I have room for both.

  • Niall

    It’s entirely possible people like Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift will outsell JT, but he’s progressing in his life and his music reflects it. I have no doubt this CD is going to be a big critical success and he’ll probably clean up at the Grammy’s next year. He’s doing what he’s always done, and that’s forge his own path musically. I wouldn’t bet against the 20/20 Experience being a highly influential cd in much the same way as his previous two.

  • Kitwana

    Niall, I think Justin was at his best borrowing heavily from the likes of Usher and old school Michael Jackson. Forging his own path? Not so much. At this point, he seems to be borrowing heavily in look and sound from Michael Buble (without the vocal chops), ELO and Chicago. Good luck to him. Personally, if he wanted to borrow a sound, he should have gone for Bruno Mars.

  • HopeForMusic

    I don’t get where some are saying that he shouldn’t think he’ll be number 1 again, or a superstar.  Obviously, as others have said, radio has been more than happy to play his music, lots of folks are buying it, and someone thought he would be sufficiently well received to offer him a spot performing on the Grammys.

    Very few people ever reach number 1 in their chosen field, and even fewer would ever expect to remain there.  Should everyone take their ball and go home if they can’t be number 1 again?  I assume that Justin enjoys making music, and maybe he’ll be overjoyed to just be doing what he loves, even if with a lesser degree of success.  None of us can possibly know what his expectations are for theis new era.

    Oh, and the X-Tina comparison?  No comparison, as she is one unlikeable woman.  He’s well liked, and I think people will give him a bit more of a chance to find success again.

  • tibitibis

    What i can say, Justin is adorable and good actor, but a pop icon? nah. While he was performing yesterday i was thinking that he was copying Bruno Mars and Janelle M styles …without success sadly for him :/ …..Bruno Mars deserved more the kind of introduction JT received, he’s (Bruno)an amazing songwriter, amazing singer and live singer and Great performer .

  • hellomusicgirl

    Anyone who thinks that Bruno Mars is coming out with a completely unique new sound with the current record needs to spend a little time listening to The Police, circa the late 70s. I like the re-up of that vibe but it’s not something Bruno invented. 

    There’s not a whole lot new under the musical sun. Doesn’t mean it’s not good but I can think of very few artists (and none of them commercially successful) who are putting out a completely unique “new” sound now. But isn’t a big part of advancement about pulling the good parts from what we know and building on it? Standing on the shoulders of giants and all that.

  • irockhard

    Almost, JT is 32, Adam is 31.

  • supersonic

    I think his album will be a shoo-in for next year’s Grammys. 

    With the way they were kissing his ass Sunday night, he’s got Album of the Year on lock.

  • KrisKD

     Justin has been dong this since he was 14 years old. He is an established artist with an established fanbase.  What does it matter what today’s teens feel about Justin? Justin is not trying to appeal to today’s teens.

  • KrisKD

    Bruno Mars did not invent the look and style that Justin is going for in this era. Why would Justin not deserve the introduction that he got? You have the right to your personal opinion of him as an artist but how can you deny the commercial and critical success that Justin has had.

  • KrisKD

    Justin has consistently forged his own path. I am not aware of other albums that sounded like FS/LS. I also am hard pressed to find any song of his that sounds like Usher. Now both Usher and Justin were both inspired by Michael Jackson that is evident. I also have not heard anything of Justin’s that sounds remotely like Michael Buble. At all. Justin’s new music harkens to old-school R&b music. But in my opinion it still sounds like Justin. And Micahel Buble did not invent the look that he sports. Obviously he was inspired by Frank Sinatra and others from that time period. And that is what a lot of artists do. They put their own spin on music that has inspired them in the past.  And like hellomusicgirl said even Bruno Mars, has “borrowed” from The Police.

  • chillj

    With stars like Britney and Justin (for a recent generation) , they continue to appeal to the demographic that was young when they were young, but that demographic is in constant flux.  Pop stars come in waves; some survive, but more survive in memory – an ultimately the star fades.  Many years ago pop stars are long forgotten.

  • mmb

    whether or not JT is “on the wrong side of 30″ isn’t going to impact the success of this era.  Enrique was, what, 34ish when he had his most recent pop comeback after having been out of the pop world for prolly close to 10 years; the guys in fun. just broke through and are all around 30/31ish.  Having had a successful showbiz career since he was a tween — a career that has included music, tv, movies business ventures — he has certainly earned the right to make the kind of music that he wants.  He doesn’t need to, nor should he, mold himself to the current fashion.   I’m not particularly loving what I have heard so far, although I like Mirrors more than S&T or Pusher Lover Girl.  JT is a big star and he has clout.  It is no surprise his return is accompanied by a lot of fanfare. His album will ubdoubtedly debut at number 1 to big numbers.  His tour will be successful.  Will he have a slew of radio hits?  who knows.

  • potatorocks

    I have always thought Justin forged his own path.  It was because of that, that I was so reluctant to accept that he seemed to have ripped off Bruno Mars Grammy appearance from last year.   But he did.  Why?  Did he want us to compare and choose?

    I do not think Justin and Bruno are interchangeable.  Their voices are not similar.  Robin Thicke is closer in voice, not as good and is 35.    There is plenty of space for a JT comeback.  I hope the rest of the album is something I want to listen to.

  • KrisKD

    Bruno Mars and what he did was probably the furthest thing from Justin’s mind when he came up with his Grammy performance. This is the style that Justin is going for this era. He has done two shows so far and they were the same as his Grammy performance. The only difference being that the Grammys had background dancers. He is doing another show after the Brit Awards and that will probably be the same.

    I do agree with you that Bruno and Justin are not similar. The style of music that they are doing and have done is different. The only thing comparable about them is that they are both males.

    I personally love everything that I’ve heard, especially Pusher Love Girl and That Girl.

  • irockhard

    whether or not JT is “on the wrong side of 30″ isn’t going to impact the success of this era.  Enrique was, what, 34ish when he had his most recent pop comeback after having been out of the pop world for prolly close to 10 years

    Oh he’ll probably have success this era but it won’t be comparable to the success he had in the past and he’s unlikely to become the top dog again like he used to be, and his age is a contributing factor, as is his years of absence.

    the guys in fun. just broke through and are all around 30/31ish.

    Rock isn’t obsessed with youth like pop is, that being said rockers also need to start young because it can take them many years to break out, it took fun. 12 years. 30ish is not a good age to start at the bottom of the rock n roll ladder.

  • KrisKD

    Yeah, FS/LS had songs with interludes and preludes. Justin said they touched on that with this album. A lot of the songs are two in one. My favorite prelude from FS/LS was “Set The Mood Right.” I love it so much. I wish that was a whole song.

  • tibitibis

    LOL’ and you’re right is my personal taste about Justin! ;) No saying i didn’t like him , but TO ME musically is not all what some want to make him look and i didn’t said Bruno style was the original one but Janelle and him were the first to use the concept in this new musical era (latest years) to make it popular and more stream ? (not sure if is the right term) in a very successful way ……. Personal View BTW . In any case JT has the support (Logistic and economics) to make his musical reintroduction a Good experience. ;)

  • Aavari

    I haven’t had a chance to listen to mirrors. But I’ve changed my opinion on Suit & Tie. My first listen, I thought it sounded too dated, and not in a good way. I’m still not crazy about it, but I see now that it’s my own taste that’s hung up on his old FS/LS sound (the timbaland stuff, mainly). I think JT really knows what he’s doing with his new smooth R&B style. It’s not my thing, but I think, once again, he’s going to be ahead of the curve.

  • Holden17C

    “Suit & Tie” was so cheap and lazy that it was offensive. The message seemed to be, “I don’t need to make an effort because people will buy it anyway.” This track is a little better, but I’m still incredibly underwhelmed.

  • Sophie Gonzales

    I’ve been waiting for years for Justin to come back to music, but I was disappointed by Suit and Tie at first listen. It’s grown on me now (apart from the first 40 seconds and the Jay-Z rap!), and I really love Mirrors and the other song he debuted at the Grammys. He may or may not be as successful as he was in 2006/07, but I’ll still love him. Can’t wait for the full album release!

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