Justin Timberlake said today that he feared that performing in a tribute concert to Michael Jackson would damage his career.

The 28-year-old singer is amongst the stars on a “wish list” drawn up AEG, promoters of Jackson's ill-fated 50 London shows, for a series of special memorial gigs featuring an array of performers including Beyonce and Stevie Wonder.

But in an excusive interview with the Evening Standard, Timberlake revealed that he was cautious about signing up to a concert dedicated to his idol's memory.

He said: “It is extremely tragic - there really was only king. It's an honour to be considered for a tribute to the greatest of all time but also there is a level of just me as a fan that would feel very cautious about doing something like that.

“Like anyone else in the world I'm his biggest fan. I just feel like if there would be any pretension, it would not be good. That's my worry. I understand tributing' somebody who is so influential to every artist of our generation. It would have to be done properly.”

AEG chiefs have begun talks to create a series of gigs to fill some of the the dates kept aside for Jackson's residency.

In addition to Timberlake, stars being lined up to perform at the O2 arena gigs also include Diana Ross and Ne-Yo.

Timberlake, who performed with Jackson at the 2001 MTV awards, added: “Michael's music affected the world - in a lot of ways it helped fight segregation. There are so many of us - white and black - who wouldn't be what we are without his effect on popular culture.”

The Tennessee-born singer is in London to launch his clothing brand William Rast in Selfridges, alongside his business partner Trace Ayala.

He said: “Our style is pretty fitted - there's a lot more tailoring than other labels. We have a perfect mixture of European style and US style and since you guys are in the middle it should go down well. I find that British style is influenced by America but the fits are a little slimmer and we have taken that into account.”

“To have our first shop in Selfridges is great. A lot of people say Selfridges is the best store in the world so its an achevement for us to have a William Rast shop here. It's kind of like Wimbledon - you feel like you want to show up at the holy grail of shopping.”

Timberlake revealed that after a day spent at Wimbledon, he had become a fan of Andy Murray.

He said: “Murray looks strong. I'm really impressed with his game, he's a scrambler Those workouts are paying off because he is getting everywhere. Sentimentally I'm going to back Roddick to win because he's from America but if Andy doesn't make it I would like to see Murray win because he is on his home court and I dig stories like that.”