Justin Timberlake has said he believes almost all of Michael Jackson's songs were 100 percent perfect.

Timberlake, who twice performed live with the late singer, said tracks that were not up to scratch were “works of arts as well”.

"Growing up in Tennessee, I never really understood the phenomenon that was Michael Jackson or the pandemonium that followed him around," Timberlake told MTV.

“I just heard certain songs that I loved as a kid and I gravitated toward those songs. It just so happens that 99.79 percent of his songs are perfect. They're perfect songs.

“The other whatever percentage are works of art as well."

Timberlake first joined Jackson onstage at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York in 2001 when he was part of N*Sync.

The pair also collaborated later in the same year at the late singer's 30th anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden.

Timberlake also said that artists today, including himself, still try to emulate the “kinetic energy” that Jackson put in his music.

Meanwhile, the former N*Sync star was yesterday confirmed as one of the guests on the new artist album from producer Timbaland.

(by Jason Gregory)