Concert or Karaoke? Justin Timberlake Dragged for Barely Singing During Performance

When you pay to see someone like Beyoncé or Justin Timberlake perform live in concert, you expect the full package, and by that, we mean actual singing. Not lip-syncing, not low energy, and definitely not just the occasional live line here and there. Fans want to hear nearly every lyric belted out, because isn’t that the whole point of a concert? To hear the artist live and in person?

Well, it seems Justin didn’t get the memo that lays out these expectations during one of his performances at the Electric Castle festival in Romania in mid-July 2025. He’s now going viral, not for a showstopping set, but for a performance that has people wondering why they even paid for it. Here’s more on the dull performance fans got, and a roundup of some of the best comments it produced.

During a July 2025 performance at the Electric Castle festival in Romania, Justin Timberlake had fans doing more of the singing than he did while performing his 2016 hit “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” He popped in on the mic every now and then to sing a word or two, but overall, at least in the clips making the rounds on TikTok, Justin is barely singing.

And while many initially thought the chatter was exaggerated, no, dude literally wasn’t singing. He was either holding the mic out to the crowd or just moving his lips, with the mic resting beside him, as if he expected the crowd to handle the whole song.

Now, sure, it’s normal for a performer to turn the mic toward the crowd for a popular line or chorus, but fans were honestly surprised (and disappointed) by how little effort Justin seemed to put into the song ... and others. In additional clips shared by attendees of the Romania concert, Justin gave the same low-energy treatment to hits like “Rock Your Body” and “Mirrors.”

While he did his best to hype the crowd by walking around and getting up close to fans, he still barely sang. So, it wasn’t just one song; it was several. And because it was that bad, the clips have sparked some pretty hilarious reactions in the comments section.

Justin’s performance in Romania may have been lacking, but there was no shortage of entertainment in the comments. In a repost of @andreeamadaline.ene’s video, shared by @themutesinger, commenters went in on Justin, with one person writing, “This performance could’ve been an email.” Another summed up the vibe perfectly with: “The audience ft. Justin Timberlake.” Someone else chimed in, “I want a refund, and I didn’t even go.” Geez.

One commenter even admitted she thought Justin was joking at first, but after watching the clip, she realized, nope, he was dead serious. Maybe he had a sore throat? Maybe he was under the weather? Hopefully, Justin or his team will speak up soon and offer some sort of explanation.