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Justin Timberlake has offered a playful apology for his beatboxing days.
The singer, 45, regularly showed off his vocal percussion while performing with NSYNC in the early 2000s. After a video poking fun at those moments went viral, he joined in with a humorous response.
Taking to Instagram, Hannah Young said: "We don’t talk about Justin Timberlake beatboxing enough. Because there was a moment in time where that man would be in the middle of a song and just boots and cats and boots and cats.
"Nobody questioned it. Nobody said ‘Justin, you know? We have drums. This is a professional recording studio. There are instruments available to you.’
"And we liked it. That’s what I need us to sit with. We were watching that man make drum noises with his mouth, like, ‘oh, my god, what can’t he do?’"
Fans filled the comments with their reactions before Justin added his own lighthearted take.
Laughing at his past musical choices, he wrote: "I often look back on that time as well. I still haven’t come up with any answers. I don’t know how to apologize enough for whatever those ambitions were. Too many boots. Too many cats. I hope you can forgive me. Also, I can’t promise I won’t do it again. God help us all."
Justin has also previously recalled how producer Timbaland used beatboxing to introduce the melody for Cry Me A River, his 2002 single, before the pair recorded it.
He said the studio session remained clear in his mind, including how quickly the song took shape.
Speaking on Hot Ones, Justin, who found fame with NSYNC before building a successful solo career, said: "The crazy thing about Cry Me A River was he beat-boxed it first. I came into the studio and I was like less than thrilled and I think he saw my mood and he just started, like, [beat-boxing].
"Four hours later it was, like, written and recorded and then we started working on post-production."
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Adam Lambert surprised viewers by joining the George Michael tribute at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.
Sombr, Teddy Swims and RAYE had been announced for the performance at Sunday night’s ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The tribute celebrated the British musician, who died in 2016 at age 53.
Introducing the segment, Orville Peck said, “George Michael was a pop god. He became an international superstar at only 19, writing and producing hit after hit, ruling the charts and paving the way for so many of us.”
“His music and videos were timeless anthems and powerful statements against the establishment. (1987 song) I Want Your Sex was so raw that MTV ran a disclaimer in front of it. Freedom! '90 catapulted the era of the supermodel and the iconic outside was a reclamation of his own narrative.”
Sombr, whose real name is Shane Boose, opened with Faith and Father Figure, both from 1987. RAYE, born Rachel Keen, then sang I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me), George’s 1987 duet with Aretha Franklin.
Teddy Swims, whose real name is Jaten Dimsdale, performed 1984’s Careless Whisper. Lambert followed with Freedom! ’90, joined by MEEK, MNEK and Saint Harison.
George received the MTV Video Vanguard Award in 1989.
A live album titled George Michael: The Faith Tour is due in November. A film with the same title is scheduled to reach cinemas in December.
The ceremony also paid tribute to Dolly Parton. In a recording made ahead of the show, Kacey Musgraves sang Parton’s 1973 song I Will Always Love You.
The country star died last month at age 80.
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