Following their 2007 success, Timbaland, Nelly Furtado, and Justin Timberlake recreate the same magic 16 years later on their new single, “Keep Going Up.” Their original collaboration, “Give It To Me,” slowly climbed the Billboard Hot 100 chart to the No.1 spot.
The nostalgic track features a head-nodding drum groove and thick bassline underlining dynamic verses from Furtado as she repeats the chantable chorus like a mantra: “I keep going, I keep going, I keep going up.”
Timberlake, a last-minute contribution to the track, sounds hypnotic in his higher register. After 16 years, there’s still nothing like this fresh energy—thanks to Timbaland’s Beatclub, and its members, Last Trip to the Moon.
On July 18, Timbaland and Furtado went on Instagram Live from a Miami studio, reconnecting for the first time in years. “We’re about to make music but we wanted to like chill and let you guys in on the action,” Furtado said. Subsequently, more buzz surfaced as Justin and Timbaland shared photos of themselves in the studio with Furtado on FaceTime.
Following an Instagram snippet, Timbaland announced the song’s release date and title in a flurry of social media clips.
“Keep Going Up” was a “healing experience” according to the superstars, who’ve had an illustrious career full of ups and downs. “I don’t know what it was, but this song is special. I hope it stays up to everything that the people want,” Timbaland said. “If people want the 2006 back, I think we did it justice. I think we gave it a song with meaning.”
Recently, Timberlake and Timbaland announced that they will be curating music for ESPN’s Monday Night Football for the 2023-2024 NFL season. The super-trio’s new release, “Keep Going Up,” was used on ESPN’s Week 1 Monday Night Football promotional spot.
