The song Timbaland used to update the past: “I think we gave it a song with meaning”
Timbaland reunited with Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado in 2023 on ‘Keep Going Up’ in an attempt to capture some of the magic they created in the 2000s. The producer is responsible for some of their biggest hits, including Timberlake’s ‘Cry Me a River’, ‘SexyBack’, ‘My Love’ and ‘What Goes Around… Comes Around’.
As for Furtado, Timbaland was behind ‘Promiscuous’, ‘Maneater’ and ‘Say It Right’. As a trio, they collaborated on ‘Give It to Me’ from Timbaland’s 2007 album, Shock Value. Although ‘Keep Going Up’ failed to make a major splash, peaking at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100, Timbaland wanted to give fans that feeling from the mid-2000s.
“I don’t know what it was, but this song is special,” he told Entertainment Tonight during an interview. “I hope it stays up to everything that the people want. If people want the 2006 back, I think we did it justice. 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.'”
For Timbaland, the message is quite simple: “Like, no matter what you go through, I’ma be here for you. You know what I’m saying? 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’.”
Timbaland spoke about the chemistry he has with Justin Timberlake, which continued into the 2010s with The 20/20 Experience, resulting in hit singles such as ‘Mirrors’ and ‘Suit & Tie’ featuring Jay-Z. He also produced ‘Filthy’ and ‘Say Something’ featuring Chris Stapleton on 2018’s Man of the Woods.
“I’m the disruption that comes in when we come together,” he said. “The pot gonna stir a little bit and I’m gonna know what direction to go when it comes to music. And I think this is what we have. The synergy that we have is just like life. It’s like something that moves out of us that we speak the same musical language, and it’s like without talking to him, I know what type of music he’s looking for without even talking to him.”
Timbaland also teased more music to come from the trio, including an entire album. “This 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 an album.’ He’s like, ‘You know what, we should.’ And that’s in the works. This whole song is sparking off something that I think that’s gonna be incredible.”
He added, “This song will age just as well as my other songs aged. I want to create just a little window of nostalgia for this generation just to understand what greatness is. I feel like ‘Keep Going Up’ is the song that loosens up the party, and make you have a drink.”
Timbo isn’t ready to let go of the past and is determined to succeed with a blueprint similar to 20 years ago.