With Justin Bieber set to give Mumbai its mid-week Purpose, we trace the pop star's journey to a tentative second innings
It was in 2010 that Canadian music artiste Justin Drew Bieber popped into our TV rooms in a blaze of shampoo hair and Baby-boy smiles. Seven years, four studio albums, four compilation albums, and a baffling number of chart topping singles later, the child-no-more star's musical sports car (remember the automobile show called Boyfriend?) seems to have shifted gear into a surprising new territory with his latest, Purpose (2015). On the day of his Rs 4-76k performance in Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium, we take a look at the genre evolution that's made reluctant Beliebers out of atheists.
My World 2.0, 2010
Cooing in a voice tailored for pre-teen girls, former YouTuber Justin Bieber dropped his debut studio album, with its lead single Baby. Seen coping with his first heartbreak by busting moves in a bowling alley, Baby kick-started Bieber's slew of successful collaborations with his big-man friends, in this case, American rapper Ludacris.
Never Say Never, 2011
With the freshly minted pop sensation and Karate Kid Jayden Smith bobbing their heads in sync, Never Say Never didn't make any pretence about its target audience. This formulaic teen anthem would've probably peaked just the same had it released ten years before or after its time— cause hard it is to find the teen that will not lap up mild angst (When your heart's under attack) and blunt motivation. (Whenever you knock me down / I will not stay on the ground).
Believe, 2012
Ah! The one with the flashy cars and older girls! (Boyfriend). Gone was that sparkling image that Mums delighted in letting their girls worship. If one goes by the stand-out numbers in the album, Boyfriend and As Long As You Love Me, Believe suggested that Bieber's soaring sense of self had perhaps reached an uncute height. He 'd gone from I'll buy you anything / any ring to I got money in my hands that I'd really like to blow—his lyrics weary under promises of an erotic lush-life. But the music had become less sticky candy, with strains of electro-pop shining through the Bollywood high drama. (In As Long As You Love Me, Reservoir Dogs actor Michael Madsen was made to rough up Bieber to derail his romance with the daughter. Throw in a sacrificial mother, and we almost had a white DDLJ!) Clearly, even with the deepening of JB's vocals and influences, there was still some time before he broke out of his rather alarming vision of adulthood, where As long as you love me / We could starving/ We could be homeless/ We could be broke. Yikes!
Purpose, 2015
Somewhere between Bieber's messy break up with singer Selena Gomez ( 2013), scuffles with paparazzi and his tearful I-am-what-my-fans-make-me plea at the 2015 VMAs, his music earned street cred amongst millenials (not just girls) who wouldn't be caught dead listening to his numbers earlier. With Tropical EDM, R & B and smooth spirituality blending well with his humble, redemption-ready attitude, Purpose hit all the right notes. It made Rolling Stone magazine call Bieber "the comeback kid" whose scraggly but sincere climb to maturity couldn't be disregarded. While Sorry, Love Yourself, Where Are You Now and What Do You Mean? grabbed optimum attention, other numbers—Mark my Words / Trust/ All in it inspired sentiments like "I used to be a hater, now not so sure!". (YouTuber Rice Cloud)
Sure, he had help from Skrillex, Diplo and the gang, but that does not take away from the fact that Justin Bieber has wrung out grudging admiration from the sceptics. For now, that is his biggest achievement.
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