Justin Timberlake gets 'personal' in first album in five years

Timberlake's fifth solo studio album 'Man of the Woods' comes out on February 2 

NEW YORK: Pop superstar Justin Timberlake on Tuesday announced his first album in nearly five years, promising more "personal" songwriting inspired by his home and family.

The 36-year-old singer and actor said that "Man of the Woods," his fifth solo studio album, will come out on February 2 -- two days before he headlines entertainment during the Super Bowl, generally the most watched television event of the year in the United States.

Timberlake unveiled the album with a short video on social media that, true to the album´s title, shows him walking reflectively in scenes of nature from a snowy forest to a sunny corn field.

"This album is really inspired by my son, my wife, my family, but -- more so than any other album I´ve ever written -- where I´m from," Timberlake says in the video.

"And it´s personal."

Timberlake -- who had a son in 2015 with his wife, actress Jessica Biel -- grew up near Memphis, Tennessee, one of the capitals of blues and soul music as well as rural-rooted country.

The video features snippets of acoustic guitar, hinting perhaps at a more somber sound for the album, but closes with Timberlake in the studio with all-star pop producer Pharrell Williams.

Timberlake, one of the top-selling artists of the 21st century both as a solo artist and with boy band NSYNC, rose to fame with an electronic pop sound before finding a new voice by bringing in R&B, notably on his 2006 album "FutureSex/LoveSounds."

Timberlake has been offering hints of his upcoming album for years. In a 2016 interview with the BBC, Timberlake declined to describe it as a country album but acknowledged the influence.

"I really did grow up in a place in America where I was like two hours from the country music capital of the world (Nashville), home of the blues, birthplace of American rock ´n´ roll," he said.

Timberlake last released full albums in 2013, putting out "The 20/20 Experience" and "The 20/20 Experience -- 2 of 2" in quick succession.

Even without albums, Timberlake has kept putting out music, scoring a mega-hit in 2016 with "Can´t Stop the Feeling!" a giddy summer song that appeared in the animated film "Trolls."

But Timberlake has focused increasingly on acting rather than music in the past several years, most recently starring as a bookish and seductive lifeguard in Woody Allen´s "Wonder Wheel."