For years Justin Bieber has been the musical prodigy we’ve been patiently waiting to see flourish in a major way. Upon entering the music industry he did just that, creating chart-topping albums: My World 2.0, Under The Mistletoe, and Believe. After releasing such hit records seemingly year after year, whether it’s off a studio album or compilation or whatever, Bieber has kept his foot firmly planted on the neck of the music industry.
One could say Believe was Bieber’s transition into the mature stages of music. Following the positive vibes of the success of Believe was the widely-criticized Journals compilation album, which to me was a huge twitter mixtape, but I digress. Seemingly, Biebervelli hit the pitfalls of public perception, however, this isn’t an essay on his character. Conversely, the singer’s legal woes and outstanding asshole behavior took a toll on the output of music. Obviously, this all stunted his creative process. I’ve written before about the Bieber vs. America mentality he harnessed and how this is one big journey of self-discovery.
Looking back at it now, I was completely correct. All of Bieber’s erratic behavior was just a sign of a young teenage superstar sifting through the muck of Hollywood glamour and glist.
After much public slander and deportation efforts, the Purpose singer eventually gathered all his mental angst and tossed it out the window and apologized during a humbling Comedy Central roast. Then the all shores on the Canadian side of things remained calm.
Well, expect for #dickgate.
Focused and undeterred, we receive monsters “Where Are Ü Now?” and “What Do You Mean,” then followed by “Sorry.” Now, not being the biggest Justin Bieber fan because of my age, I’ve come to appreciate his steady ascension in the past year. He is still able to produce quality pop music then flip the script and bring everyone down from their euphoric state, and romanticize over the perfectly crafted production with truth and soul-caressing lyrics. To say you haven’t see any growth in Purpose is to say LeBron James’ hairline is real. Some things are just undeniably obvious.
There was a time when my peers would say, “You listen to Justin Bieber??” Now, given his popularity, and more importantly, growth, the reach of the Telfon Blonde has superseded anything most folks in their late 20s and early 30s would even imagine. Although never a huge fan, I’ve always kept my eye on the burgeoning skills from the Canadian upstart. Truthfully, when Bieber started somersaulting into cretinism, I became leery and figured it was curtains for another potential star. There have been far too many cases of young stars in music that fell off harder than Tara Reid. Somehow, Scooter Braun wrangled Bieber and his teenage-acting father, and seemingly got them in order.
The ending result?
Justin Bieber kicks his demons aside, flexes his collection euphonious sounds, and wields substantial charisma to eventually soar into fan’s hearts. The aforementioned sentence is cemented in Purpose, besides the pop tracks you’d expect, songs “All In” and “The Most” are just some of the tracks entrenched in purposeful candor. For people waiting for Justin Bieber to grow-up, music-wise, wait no longer. Stripped to the bone, honest, and an elegantly designed piece of art that all ages can fully dive into; let’s witness the inception of Justin Bieber.