Timberlake rose to fame in the late 90s as a member of hugely popular US vocal group 'N Sync, with whom he enjoyed a string of bestselling singles and albums. Timberlake became the most prominent member of the group owing to his personal relationship with teen pop queen Britney Spears, although by the time he launched his solo career in late 2002 the celebrity couple had endured a very public split. Timberlake hooked up with prominent urban songwriting and production heavyweights the Neptunes and Timbaland, to work on his debut album, with additional assistance from Brian McKnight and Mario Winans. He co-wrote all of the material on Justified in a marked attempt to distance himself from 'N Sync's adolescent fanbase and woo a more mature audience. Justin's debut is eerily reminiscent of Michael Jackson in his mid-80s prime. The album also included collaborations with Janet Jackson and Bubba Sparxxx. Justin Randall Timberlake was born to Lynn Harless and Randy Timberlake on January 31, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee. At the age of 11, he appeared on the show "Star Search", and even though he didn't win, it didn't dampen his ambitions. He also appeared on "The Mickey Mouse Club", where his costars included Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, Christina Aguilera and fellow band mate, 'JC Chasez' . At the age of 14, Justin became a member of the boy band, 'NSYNC. In 1998, the group released their self-titled debut album. They became a big hit with fans and made a place for themselves in the music world with a succession of big-selling albums. In the beginning of 2002, Justin spent time working on and writing songs for his debut solo album. During this time, he broke up with his longtime girlfriend, Britney Spears. The release of the solo album, titled "Justified", came in November of 2002. Songs from his solo album include: "Like I Love You", "Cry Me A River", and "Rock Your Body."