It’s a Justin thing.
Justin Timberlake reacted to Justin Bieber covering “Cry Me a River” during his Saturday weekend 2 Coachella headlining set. In a new post to Instagram on Monday (April 20), Timberlake shared an old video of himself meeting a young Bieber.
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“I know this has been a long road,” Timberlake writes in his Instagram caption. “And I know it’s not always a smooth ride. I’m proud of you — and you should be proud of you too. Sending love @lilbieber.”
Alongside the vintage clip of the duo meeting, Timberlake also posted a snippet of Bieber’s Saturday performance. In the video, Bieber speaks to the crowd about the song he is about to sing, saying, “You know, I grew up listening to Justin Timberlake and so many other beautiful talents, but I remember this like it was yesterday.”
Behind the singer, a large screen plays a video of his younger self on guitar singing “Cry Me a River.” The original cover, which is still up online, was posted to Bieber’s YouTube in February 2008 under the title “Cry me a River – Justin Timberlake cover – Justin singing (Justin Bieber).” Bieber debuted with his first single, Billboard Hot 100 hit “One Time,” the next year.
“Guitar was out of tune,” Bieber says before singing a duet with his younger self. The clip Timberlake posted ends with Bieber turning around to face the screen to continue the song before cutting off right before the pre-chorus.
“Cry Me a River” was the second single from Justin Timberlake’s debut solo album Justified. The track peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart.
There’s a lot of history between the Justins, as Timberlake famously tried to sign a pre-fame Bieber, but the Canadian tween pop star and his manager Scooter Braun ultimately chose to partner with Usher instead.
Watch Justin Bieber’s full original 2008 cover of “Cry Me a River” below.