I didn't expect to be writing this today, and I can actually see losing a fan or two over it, because people are petty. That said I think this will also interest a great many screaming girls... JUSTIN BIEBER GOT BETTER. There, I've said it, get over it. Those of you who have known me for a while know I'm not a huge fan of his music, but that I still have a great deal of respect for him as both a person, and as an artist. Consider how many people his age (or any other) are out on YouTube trying to push themselves as the "next big thing", pretty much everyone on the site fits that description.
So let's look at the fact that a "14-ish" year old boy managed to gain the attention of a major label, was propelled into the spotlight and released some fairly catchy singles. No, the lyrics at first were not the best and were unfortunately quite repetitive, but for the age group he was reaching it wasn't a big deal, and really it wasn't that odd. I remember when the Backstreet Boys, *N Sync, and various other boy bands were the big deal in the 90's and early 2000's, and while they were slightly less repetitive in some ways, this was more likely because you had about five guys who knew if they each said the same lines, that people would get bored with it. So yes, Justin on his own can get away with it, especially since his music has taken a strong turn towards dance and club styles (which regardless of artist, more often than not, are extremely repetitive genres). Outside his style though, look at the collaborations he's pulled off over the years: Usher, Ludacris, and among many others recently, Far East Movement. It's hard to argue against that kind of success, and now at 18 he's coming out with his third official album, and everything I'm hearing is proving to me that he's maturing beyond what most people had thought he would be capable of within this short amount of time.
The first three tracks from the album have already been released as individual singles with the full release coming next week. "All Around The World (Feat. Ludacris)" is a good opening dance track, both lyrically and instrumentally that I'm sure will end up in a lot of clubs over the next few months. Track two, "Boyfriend", is oddly enough something I'd have expected more out of Soulja Boy a couple years ago than I ever expected from Bieber, minus the actual singing bits. It still came as a pleasant surprise to me, blending his previous sound with the new (I do however prefer the version in the music video because it runs a bit longer). Track three "As Long As You Love Me (Feat. Big Sean)" returns us more to the dance theme the new album seems to be carrying and while mildly repetitive actually shows that he's come much farther than expected and is capable of grabbing an older audience than originally.
My one concern with the "new" Justin is that his initial appeal to his fans was the "good boy" mentality, and I think that he's working to get rid of that as his style has become less Disney-esque. I have nothing against him changing and growing up, in many ways I prefer the new attitude he's brought to his music, it has me on the verge of being a genuine fan. At the same time, I don't want to see him trade his image for another stereotypical "rebel" grabbing at his crotch, like he's afraid he lost something that was supposed to be down there. Half of the pop music scene has adopted that from hip-hop, and it comes across as ingnorant. Basically, I'm just asking that he find himself and continue to grow, without becoming something less desirable on an intellectual level (Some may recall Miley Cyrus's "Can't be Tamed". Good direction song-wise, bad direction for family friendly image). I believe he actually does have that under control, but as a general consideration it's more the idea than action that worries me. If he keeps a handle on that, I believe he can go extremely far and will expand his fan base well in all directions. Heck, I may even do an album review next week...
I'd like to hear from both sides of the aisle on this "Fans V. Not So Much": What do you think of the new sound/ appearance, does this have any effect on your perception of him, and will you buy or at least stream the album? Let me know what you think in the comments section below and you could win a copy of the new album when it comes out next week!
- Nick
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