KUALA LUMPUR: Is the famous American singer Justin Timberlake really going to perform in Malaysia? Perhaps in the year 2028, as envisioned in a music video to his latest tune, the ironically titled, “Filthy”.
Released last Thursday on his official Vevo channel, the music video opens with a title card that reads: Pan-Asian Deep Learning Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2028.
In it, the 36-year-old singer-songwriter and music producer first appears onstage as a Steve Jobs-like technopreneur in a black turtleneck to introduce his robot creation.
The sleek-looking android eventually takes centrestage and brings down the house with a series of sultry dance moves accompanied by bubbling beats, sinewy synths and heavy breathing.
Part of the lyrics to the electro-funk number with R&B elements, that has already garnered over 19 million views on YouTube, has the singer from Tennessee cooing, “Haters gon’ say it’s fake.”
“Filthy” is the popstar’s lead single from his upcoming fifth studio album, “Man Of The Woods”, which is expected to be released on Feb 2.
The 4.35-minute video is helmed by prolific music video director, Mark Romanek, who has won Best Music Video Grammys for Michael Jackson’s Scream, Janet Jackson’s Got ‘Til It’s Gone and Johnny Cash’s Hurt.
Timberlake also posted video clips featuring the making of “Filthy” on his Instagram account. In one, he is seen performing the movements in a motion capture suit that become the dance moves of the robot in the finished music video.
Another clip featured the artiste working on the choreography for the final dance routines.