Justin Timberlake's comeback single Suit & Tie makes US chart history

Justin Timberlake has made US chart history with the release of his new single “Suit & Tie”.

Timberlake’s comeback single has logged the highest first-week plays on US radio since it premiered on January 14. "Suit & Tie" came in at number 14 in the chart, also making it the highest ever entry for a male artist.

The Billboard Pop Songs chart, which measures mainstream top 40 radio stations, reported that "Suit & Tie" logged 6,045 plays across the air in the second week of January, beating record holder Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”, which opened with 4,602 plays in February 2011.

“Suit & Tie”, which features Jay-Z, is Timberlake’s first single in six years after he took a break from music to pursue an acting career. The singer has since appeared in Oscar-winning film The Social Network, as well as rom-coms Bad Teacher and Friends with Benefits.

The release sees a continuation of Timberlake’s collaboration with Hollywood music producer Timbaland. The producer worked on the singer’s debut album Cry Me A River, and 2006 album Future Sex/Love Sounds, where the duo collaborated on singles “SexyBack” and “LoveStoned”.

On January 10 Timberlake announced his return to music via YouTube. In a video to his fans he said: “What does the next decade mean for me? I'm the one who sits and is obsessive about it before you even get to hear it... I don't want to put anything out that I feel like is something I don't love. You just don't get that every day. You have to wait for it.”