In which Justin Timberlake is king

MANILA, Philippines - I have been a hardcore Justin Timberlake fan for approximately one week.

Growing up in the golden age of the boy band meant being trained to take fangirling seriously. The rule of the game was that you could gush over a boy band, but you can only pick one member to love and cherish forever. When it came to N’Sync, I couldn’t stomach Justin’s ramen noodle curls; I set my cap for Lance Bass who I thought was a) my future husband, and b) heterosexual.

My Timber-romance began when I listened to his newest single Suit & Tie. I’m personally a sucker for brassy, retro musical cupcakes and this hit me on my weakest points. Justin particularly slew me with his insanely smooth dance moves—both in the David Fincher-directed music video and his Saturday Night Live performance. It was like he woke me up from a 12-year dream and said, “Hey girl, doesn’t it feel good to be handsome and well-dressed? Because it does. Now touch my grownup, slicked-back hair.”

At that point, I had almost forgotten that Justin Timberlake is, among many things, a singer. A really good one, at that. In between “FutureSex/LoveSounds,” arguably one of the coolest albums in the history of pop, and his latest album, “The 20/20 Experience,”he became known as Justin Timberlake, that famous guy who acts and does other stuff.

His thespian career won’t exactly turn Daniel Day-Lewis green with envy, but he’s had his share of successes. Justin’s sketches and digital short films turned him into a well-loved host on Saturday Night Live, using that pretty face as a prop to show off his comedic prowess. He was stellar as the douchebag nobody loves, playing Sean Parker in The Social Network.

If only to mask his inherent perfection, Justin also dabbled in some questionable ventures. He wasn’t exactly terrible in Friends with Benefits opposite Mila Kunis, but we all know that film was just an excuse to show off his abs. (Not that we mind.) In 2011, Mr. Sexy Back bought MySpace, believing that he could make it a relevant social network again. (It still isn’t.) Oh, and he married Jessica Biel the year after. That isn’t really a problem, except for the part where he didn’t marry me.

But strange life choices aside, Justin’s music career is solid proof of just why he’s one of a handful who can get away with making his fans wait for an album for six years. His first album, “Justified,” is a solid piece of work—it’s 13 tracks of a cool guy’s summer holiday, the one where he realizes that he’s still got a lot to prove but he’s definitely on his way up. For a really long time, no one would shut up about Cry Me a River, which was supposedly inspired by pop star Britney Spears.

Ah, yes, Britney. Who can forget that Britney Spears was a huge chunk of Justin’s young life? I surely don’t. I especially have not forgotten those infamously coordinated denim outfits at the 2001 American Music Awards. It was as if the music gods collaborated to make fangirls’ fantasies come to life; even if this match made in pop heaven would churn up years of questionable fashion choices, so be it.

It further solidified Justin’s place as the face of N’Sync, a boy band that has actually produced some pretty decent songs. I mean, they’re no Backstreet Boys, which to me is already a worthwhile victory. On the other hand, a lot of N’Sync members flounder to gain relevance, even back when the band was still together. (Joey Fatone? Ring any bells? Of course not.) After all, Justin casts a pretty big shadow. I’m inclined to believe that NSYNC is likely to live in our cultural dictionary as the band that proved that even in 1995, Justin Timberlake was destined to be a star.

It’s true that I don’t have a lot of street cred when I say this, but Justin Timberlake is a force to be reckoned with. He may not be exceptionally good at everything, but he’s the Justin of all trades, if you can pardon the pun. He’s a multi-hyphenate, and most importantly, a talented singer. Who cares if he thinks he can make MySpace cool again? He might even be right—not only did he manage to bring sexy back, he actually attracted millions of girls with his horrible ramen noodle hair. I say, if he can do that, he can do anything.