Timbaland, Justin Timberlake & Nelly Furtado Reunite for First Collaboration in 16 Years

Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado have nothing left to prove, but take listeners back to the 2000s on new single “Keep Going Up.” The trio last collaborated on 2007’s “Give it to Me” from Timbaland’s sophomore album Shock Value, the single peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In teasers ahead of “Keep Going Up,” Timbo and Timberlake are seen Facetiming Furtado to chat about the song. “You know what’s crazy to me? It’s like you mix ‘Promiscuous’ and ‘Say It Right’ energy in the same song,” Timberlake says, referencing two singles from Furtado’s 2006 album Loose. Also Furtado’s third album, Loose was the Canadian vocalist’s only album on Timbaland’s Mosley Music Group label.

Timbaland has been a longtime collaborator of Timberlake's since his 2002 solo breakout Justified, also contributing to 2006’s FutureSex/LoveSounds, 2013’s The 20/20 Experience and 2018’s Man of the Woods.

Timbaland, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake - Keep Going Up (Visualizer)youtu.be

With “Keep Going Up” filled with positive affirmations, Timbaland, born Timothy Mosley compared it to 1985 Quincy Jones-co produced song “We Are the World” in a chat with ET.

"I think we gave it a song with meaning. Meaning, it can relate to you or your friends. 'I keep going up, if you keep going up.' Like no matter what you go through, Imma be here for you. You know what I'm saying?” he said. “And that's what that song is. It has all different meanings, and you still dance to it. You still jam to it. That's why this song is one of the best of my lifetime. It feels like 'We Are The World.'"

Mosley, who will soon drop EP, Textbook Timbo, also teased a forthcoming joint album between the three. "This ["Keep Going Up"] sets you up for everything JT and Nelly about to do," he said. "I went to Justin doing a rehearsal, I said, 'A fan said we should do album.' He's like, 'You know what, we should.' And that's in the works."