Get (Fans) Off The Stage: Bieber, 5SOS & Performative Apathy
Justin Bieber isn't who he once was. Whatever squeaky-clean image he once held was defenestrated the moment in January 2014 when he was arrested on a DUI charge. He was 19, impossibly rich, overly confident in the face of the law (in the two years prior, Bieber managed to bypass any real trouble, collecting misdemeanors for reckless driving and vandalism). But this was a big red mark. If he were to return to any sort of limelight, he'd have to say he's "Sorry."
And so he did. Purpose is an apology album, to his fans, to his lost love Selena Gomez, to his family, perhaps even to himself. Having a bad boy image? Well, that's an appearance a hell of a lot easier to maintain than actual legal delinquency. It just so happens that Purpose is also a beautiful, complicated pop album, one with three singles bigger than most of 2015's other musical outpouring. It's been an interesting transition to watch, as Bieber's move from problematic teen to earnest young adult has been one with a cool factor partially dependent on mystery.
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