Natasha Dardashti staff writer
In a world where the media has been gushing about his three year hiatus, 2014 arrest reports, Jelena and more, it’s hard to not formulate an opinion on the Biebs. Everywhere you lay your eyes, there seems to be dating rumors or dissing rumors about Justin Bieber and it’s been that way ever since his pre-pubescent hit with “Baby” in 2010. Despite his selfish and simply rude image among teenagers and adults alike, it’s easy to tell that with this new album Bieber acknowledges all of his past mistakes. And he’s really “Sorry” about them.
The album, overall, had an amazing sound. While listening to Purpose, it was easily noticeable that all of the songs seemed to flow together due to the similar vibe. Most of the songs have heartfelt lyrics, all handwritten apologies to fans by Bieber himself. Gone are the impersonal I-love-you-please-love-me-back lyrics slapped onto a catchy tune, and here now are the sophisticated lyrics with, well, a still catchy tune.
Each song tells a different side to some of the stories heard in the news during 2014. In “I’ll Show You,” Bieber sings about how people expect him to be flawless, but he is only a human designed to make mistakes. Of course, this indirectly references his controversial arrests in 2014, in which many people began to see Bieber in a more negative light.
A favorite of most of Purpose’s listeners, and probably one of the best songs, was “Love Yourself.” The authenticity of this song is strengthened by the melody of an acoustic guitar, vastly different from the electronic beats of Bieber’s recent chart toppers such as “What Do You Mean?” and “Sorry.” “Love Yourself” is a constant repetition of around five chords, which isn’t shocking considering that it’s a pop song, but has a very pleasing and laid-back melody.
“The Feeling” held a lot of personal expectations. As a huge Halsey fan, the anticipation for this collaboration was dream-worthy. But not all dreams are as good as they may seem. Halsey’s hook was repetitive, uncreative and, frankly, mildly irritating. The beat wasn’t satisfying, and Halsey’s voice seems to appear from nowhere after Bieber’s verses. A positive part of the song, though, were Halsey’s chilling background vocals during some of Bieber’s verses. And though “Feeling This” wasn’t really suited to my taste, Halsey’s recent album release Badlands is. Go give that one a good listen.
While “Feeling This” was a poor example of a collaboration track on Purpose, “No Pressure” is a fantastic one. Big Sean and Bieber’s voice sound harmonious together, and the beat is simple and easy to follow.
Perhaps Bieber purposefully played the heartstrings of the millions by including audio clips of himself talking about his past mistakes and how much he regrets them, such as in “All In It”. Despite this cheesy move, the short clip did not distract from the actual sincerity of the song. The album ends on a bittersweet note, with Bieber admitting he used to feel the need to be perfect, but now understands that it’s an impossible feat to accomplish. Notwithstanding his negative image, maybe we can learn a little bit from Justin Bieber.