We’re still in May, and you know what that means — the memes are back, along with NSYNC’s iconic 2000 hit, “It’s Gonna Be Me.” But have you ever wondered why Justin Timberlake sang it like “May”? As it turns out, there’s a perfectly good reason — and it had nothing to do with him trying to create a meme.
On a 2023 episode of Hot Ones, Justin sat down with his *NSYNC bandmates, and set the record straight. When asked whether the exaggerated pronunciation was intentional, he laughed and admitted it wasn’t his call.
“I sang, ‘It’s gonna be me,’ and [the producer] was like, ‘No, no, no, no, no,’” Justin recalled.
That producer was none other than Max Martin, the Swedish hitmaker behind countless pop anthems. With co-writers Andreas Carlsson and Rami, Martin had a specific sound in mind — and apparently, “me” sounding like “may” was part of the magic. JC Chasez chimed in, noting the Swedish songwriting team’s accents often influenced their creative choices.
“Because of the way they spoke, they’d use phrasing that didn’t totally make sense in English,” Justin added. “But it stuck in your head — and that’s why the songs worked.”
The result? A catchy track that not only topped the charts but also birthed a pop culture phenomenon that resurfaces every April 30th. Even Justin has embraced the joke, poking fun at himself in a TikTok where he cheekily named “me” as the one word he mispronounced that still haunts him.
Twenty-five years later, it’s safe to say: it’s gonna be… legendary.
Source: E! News
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