'He was so bored on stage': Justin Timberlake accused of 'singing five words on each song' on European tour

The singer, currently on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, has not publicly apologised despite mounting criticism.

A viral TikTok from a Romanian singer Amelissa who attended the concert voiced widespread fan frustration. She said: “Mr Justin Timberlake, an absolute disappointment. You come to my country, I pay a lot of money, it’s raining like shit, I’ve been waiting for you all day… you were late first of all, and then you sing like five words on each song.

“You cannot be singing like less than a quarter of a song. And also, you came with glasses on your face and wearing a hat. People came here to see you, my boy. We didn’t see you, we couldn’t see your face. You’re covered—like, no respect whatsoever for your audience. So I left. What you did was not cool. I’m a singer myself, but I would not treat my listeners that way.”

The criticism intensified on Reddit, where users shared footage of Timberlake dropping his microphone mid-performance and leaving the crowd to sing entire verses. One post that went viral on r/popculturechat read: “Justin Timberlake fans are angry after his performance at Romania’s Electric Castle festival. ‘You cannot be singing less than a quarter of a song—no respect whatsoever for your audience—he was so bored on stage.’”

In one of the most upvoted comments, Reddit user HorrorBike143 wrote: “I saw a video where he put the mic on the floor during Can’t Stop the Feeling and another one where he would yell out every other word while the crowd sang. I thought it was just that one song but I guess it’s the entire show.”

Another fan reacted to the footage by saying: “My jaw DROPPED when he put the mic on the stage.”

Others speculated that Timberlake might be “over it” or no longer interested in performing. “He seemed like he was over it and didn’t want to sing,” one comment read. Another added, “He was so off-key, which is unusual for him… My charitable thought is he might be sick and tried to power through the show.”

One said: “You can honestly learn a lot about an artist’s true intentions on their last tour because they’re not thinking about selling their next one,” one commenter observed, adding that Timberlake’s minimal effort suggested he was “just doing the bare minimum to get as much money as he can from his last tour.”

“Redemption could be had if he just agrees to an NSync concert reunion… Milk all the money he can get from it then retire. He can hide not singing the entire time since there are four other guys in the group,” wrote one fan.

A fan wrote on his Instagram page: “Hey Justin,You were our childhood idol. What you did yesterday whether intentionally or unintentionally really hurt us Georgians. We hope you will post an explanation in response.

“Georgians may be a small nation, but our voice is heard everywhere. We are known for our deep love and hospitality, but we do not forgive disrespect from anyone. Please don’t ignore this ,we grew up admiring you, and we deserve to be treated with respect.”

Timberlake is scheduled to continue his world tour across Europe and the UK, with shows planned in Birmingham, Manchester, London, Cologne, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Hamburg in 2024, followed by 2025 performances in Italy, Lithuania, Estonia, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, France, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and a return to the UK for the Isle of Wight Festival.

The controversy comes after Timberlake’s recent legal troubles. In June 2024, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in the Hamptons, though he escaped criminal conviction as a first-time offender.