Justin Timberlake debuts new song ‘Sanctified’ on SNL

Justin Timberlake has debuted his new song ‘Sanctified’ on Saturday Night Live.

• READ MORE: Justin Timberlake – ‘Man Of The Woods’ review

The singer was the latest musical guest on the late-night sketch comedy series, where he played ‘Sanctified’ in full. A heady mix of gospel, rock and R&B, Timberlake uses some apt religious metaphors to describe his love in the song: “I get down on my knees and confess to your temple / And you take me and you serve me mercy”.

Timberlake also brought out rapper Tobe Nwigwe to deliver his verse, surrounded by an army of dancers. The SNL performance culminated with everyone joining Timberlake on stage to head bang to a rushing gospel-rock climax. Watch the thrilling moment below:

The musician also appeared with guest host Dakota Johnson, who gently mocked Timberlake’s ‘comeback’ in her opening monologue. The pair previously starred together in 2010 film The Social Network.

Timberlake also performed his romantic new song ‘Selfish‘, the lead single to his forthcoming album ‘Everything I Thought It Was’. It’s Timberlake’s first solo release in over five years, and he debuted the track at his recent free hometown show in Memphis.

The former *NSYNC member has not appeared on SNL since December 2013. He’s hosted the show five times, and has performed on the show six times – including his 2000 debut with *NSYNC.

‘Everything I Thought It Was’ will be Timberlake’s newest album since 2018’s ‘Man Of The Woods’, which NME dubbed “ace”: “The old Timberlake shines through at all turns – and you know what? We still think he’s ace.”

In other news, the singer recently reunited with *NSYNC for their comeback single ‘Better Place’, their first song in more than 20 years. Timberlake described the song as a “love letter to our fans”.

Elsewhere, comedian Katherine Ryan hit out at Timberlake for his behaviour towards Britney Spears and Janet Jackson in the past, calling him “a grubby little eel face”.