I feel like we tend to think of the music industry as consisting only of the current stars who are commercially relevant (ex. Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish), or the venerated legacy acts whose heydays were several years or decades ago (ex. the surviving Beatles, Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey).

But who is in neither category: The ones who are declining but not completely irrelevant? I feel like Timberlake applies here. He seems a bit desperate right now, and to use a metaphor, he seems to be resorting to the “break in case of emergency” glass that is the *NSYNC reunion and Furtado-Timbaland collab coming out next week.

Bonus question: are there any artists who seem convinced that they are more relevant than they currently are and still think it’s the peak of their own popularity? Just curious.

Edit: Friendly reminder that “legacy act” does not necessarily mean “this artist is or will become a legend”, though some may. A legacy act is someone who isn’t dominating charts and is sort of in an “elder statesman/woman” role, although the use of the term does not mean that an artist has reached a specific age.