Justin Timberlake Was Under ‘Intense Pressure’ From Flop Album & Tour Before Partying & DWI

Justin Timberlake‘s DWI arrest on Tuesday may have come as a shock, but it’s starting to sound like it’s part of a downward spiral that’s been going on for weeks. Let’s rewind…

Back in January he dropped Selfish, his first single in years, and the response was… tepid. The track peaked at just #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. If you don’t even remember this coming out, well, what can we say? You’re correct.

The single was overshadowed by the bigger news at the time, which was JT was going to tour for the first time in forever. Hilariously though, that came with the caveat that his wife Jessica Biel was keeping him on a short leash for his time on the road. You know, after the whole cheating incident while he was filming in New Orleans?

Then in March the album, Everything I Thought I Was, dropped — and that too was the meagerest of hits. His first album in six years, and it debuted at just #4… and only dropped off the radar from there. Turns out “everything he thought he was” was a bigger star.

Related: Young Cop Did NOT Recognize Justin Timberlake! Oof!

See, he clearly had greater expectations for the whole thing as he launched his tour with some pretty big venues, and well — the ticket sales just haven’t matched the seating capacity. It’s all been a big hit to JT’s ego, apparently. As one industry insider put it to The US Sun this week:

“It hasn’t been the smash hit he’d been hoping for. It’s been difficult for an artist of his stature to realise he’s now past his prime – his glory days are behind him.”

Another source pointed out:

“It can’t be easy for him to deal with audience rejection and coming to terms with the fact that music tastes have moved on.”

That’s exactly what’s going on, according to an insider closer to Justin himself. That is to say, it hasn’t been easy — he’s been facing “intense pressure” of late:

“Justin’s friends want him to take another extended break from music to focus on his health and wellbeing. He has felt intense pressure to compete with touring juggernauts like Beyonce and Taylor Swift — and his tour has barely sold in comparison.”

He thought he was going to do Bey and Tay numbers? No wonder he’s down in the dumps! It even makes sense he was drowning his sorrows, trying to let off steam by partying with friends in the Hamptons. However…

We have to say once again there is NO excuse for drinking and driving! Justin Timberlake is rich. He could afford an Uber, a taxi, a limo, a private car service — anything he needed to avoid getting behind that wheel. Instead, according to the arresting officers, he was too drunk to drive and did so anyway. He made the choice which was the most dangerous for all involved, so you’re not going to get much sympathy from us here. How do we say this… cry us a river??

Something tells us when you google “Justin Timberlake Selfish” from now on, you’re going to get just as many comments about this incident as links to his music. And fair enough.

[Image via Justin Timberlake/YouTube.]