Bieber finds his “Purpose”
by MacKenzie Reagan | @MacK_Reagan
At his core, beneath the sideswept post-emo boy-bangs, Justin Bieber was always an R&B man. “My World 2.0,” Bieber’s follow-up to his debut “My World,” was an R&B record hidden under Radio Disney-friendly sonic cotton candy. Songs like “U Smile” showcased his capability for blue(or, according to Google, hazel)-eyed soul. “Runaway Love” would fit comfortably on an early-Aughts Justin Timberlake release.
One Selena-Gomez-breakup, a peeing-in-a-bucket-whilst-cussing-out-Bill-Clinton, a wow-do-kids-still-egg-houses? and a DUI later, Bieber’s back with “Purpose,” its title perhaps a nod to his apparent newfound sense of self. In interviews, Bieber now presents a mature, apologetic version of himself, a far cry from the troubled teen who was once the subject of a White House petition for deportation (it received more than 270,000 signatures, well over the minimum needed; President Obama declined to honor the request).
The deluxe version of “Purpose” clocks in at 19 tracks, ample time for Bieber to redeem himself after 2014’s lackluster “Journals.” The album opens with “Mark My Words,” a penitent plea, allegedly to Gomez, promising “I won’t let us just fade away/After all that we’ve been through/I’ma show you more than I ever could say.”
Next up is “I’ll Show You,” a track reminiscent of Bieber’s fellow Canadian ex-teen star Drake with its 808s and heartbreak.
Third off the album is late-summer smash “What Do You Mean?,” a sexy electro-R&B offering. When Bieber performed the song live at the MTV VMAs earlier this year, he broke down in tears, later explaining his emotions stemmed from his deep desire to be liked and accepted by the public, the same unforgiving public Kanye West, in his VMA acceptance speech, chastised for demonizing stars like Bieber and himself; Yeezy garnered similar public scorn after his infamous “Yo Taylor, I’mma let you finish…” moment at the ’09 VMAs.
If ‘Ye was, as he claimed, a martyr for artists, Bieber became a martyr for young artists. We projected our disdain for troubled young stars on Bieber, an easy target with his arrogant retorts to criticism (see: his smirking deposition) and well-documented exploits. The media turned him into a symbol of everything wrong with celebrity culture — rich punk-ass kids getting away with drug use, vandalism and drunk driving — and celebrated his downfall, all the while contributing to the destructive culture of harsh scrutiny that caused him to act out in the first place. Now, as Bieber repents, he asks us, too, to repent for being complicit in his downward spiral.
Bieber gets a hand from Big Sean on “No Pressure,” a Timberlakian slinky-soulful ballad. “Talking to my conscience/I made a few mistakes/I did it to myself/I’m the only one to blame/I know you need a little while to believe again/To love again,” Bieber croons, acknowledging past transgressions yet again. Bieber isn’t perfect, girl, and he knows it. But he’s doing his damnedest to make up for it.
His remorse is replaced with bitterness on “Where Are Ü Now,” which features dubstep mastermind Skrillex. “When you broke down I didn’t leave ya, I was by your side/So where are you now that I need ya?” he implores between bass drops and synth breaks.
Nas(?!) steps in on “We Are” as Bieber flexes his R&B sensibilities. Nas’s verse adds much-needed edge to the emotion-heavy album.
On “All in it,” “Purpose”’s penultimate track, before the acoustic “What Do You Mean?” reprise, Bieber implores his audience, “Don’t do nothing ‘less your heart’s in it.” This reflects Bieber’s new game plan: gone are the days of saccharine lyrical fluff. Emotionally, Bieber is all in:
“I always felt like I had to be the best at everything
Cause I just didn’t think I wasn’t good enough
And maybe if I was good at something that I’d get recognition from that, but
I quickly found out that I’m not going to get the recognition I wanted or that I needed
Because…because people aren’t perfect
And when you’re not perfect you can sometimes disappoint people
And with God
He’s perfect and he never disappoint
So I just get my recognition from him
And give him recognition.”
Bieber has asked for God’s forgiveness, and now he asks for ours.
“Purpose” (Def Jam, 2015) | 4 out of 5 stars
Listen to “Purpose” on Spotify here.
