Believe is the third studio album by Canadian recording artist
Justin Bieber, released on June 15, 2012 by
Island Records. The album marks a musical departure from the
teen pop sound of his previous releases, and incorporates elements of
dance-pop and
R&B
genres. Intent on developing a more mature sound, Bieber collaborated
with a wide range of urban producers for the release as well as some
long-time collaborators, including
Darkchild,
Hit-Boy,
Diplo and
Max Martin.
Bieber co-wrote twelve songs (plus 3 deluxe-edition bonus tracks) with
many hired songwriters, and the music was arranged by session musicians.
"
Boyfriend"
was released as the album's lead single on March 26, 2012. The track
received mixed reviews, with several critics citing comparisons to
fellow vocalist
Justin Timberlake.
[3] Despite its lukewarm critical response the single was a commercial success, debuting at number two on the
Billboard Hot 100 with 521,000 digital units sold in its opening week.
[4] A series of promotional singles were then released preceding the release of the album, and on June 26 it was confirmed that "
As Long as You Love Me" served as the second official single from the album.
[5]
Background
On March 1, 2012, Bieber appeared on
The Ellen DeGeneres Show to announce that the first single from his upcoming album would be called "
Boyfriend"; it was released on March 26, 2012.
[6] The song was written by Bieber and
Mike Posner, and produced by Posner and Mason Levy.
Bieber also invited his fans to participate in one of the creative
decisions for the "Boyfriend" single. Two potential cover arts were
published on Bieber's website, and fans were encouraged to vote for
which one they preferred. The cover with the most votes became the
official cover for the single.
[7]
Singles
Bieber announced via
Twitter that the first single off his upcoming third studio album,
Believe will be released in March 2012.
[8] On March 1, 2012, Bieber appeared on
The Ellen DeGeneres Show to announce that the first single from his upcoming album,
Believe, will be called "Boyfriend" and was released on March 26, 2012.
[9] The song was written by Bieber and
Mike Posner,
and produced by Posner and Mason Levy. Two cover arts were published on
Bieber's website, and fans were encouraged to vote for which cover they
would preferred; with the most votes for cover and it will become the
official cover of for the single. "Boyfriend" reached number two on the
Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top ten in several countries worldwide.
[7]
Island Def Jam confirmed on June 26, 2012 that "
As Long as You Love Me" featuring
Big Sean, which was previously released as the third and final promo single as part of the iTunes album countdown to
Believe,
will now be released as the official second single off the album. It
will officially impact U.S. Top 40/Mainstream and Rhythmic radio on July
10, 2012.
[10][11]
"
Beauty and a Beat", is the third single off Believe. It was released on November 13, 2012 and features vocals from rapper
Nicki Minaj. It has so far peaked at 5 in the US.
"Right Here" featuring Drake will be released as the fourth U.S. single, impacting U.S. Rhythmic radio on February 5, 2013.
[12]
"
All Around the World" which was released as a promotional single, will now be released as the fourth international single from
Believe. It will be released in the UK on March 4, 2013.
[2]
Promotional singles
The first promotional single from the album, the
Rodney Jerkins, Dennis Aganee Jenkins, Travis Sayles-produced "Die in Your Arms", was released to iTunes on May 29, 2012.
[13] The song samples
Michael Jackson's
"We've Got a Good Thing Going" and was written with ten co-writers. The
second promo single "All Around the World", which features Ludacris,
was released on
iTunes on June 4, 2012.
[14] "
As Long as You Love Me" featuring
Big Sean was released on June 11, 2012, as the third promotional single.
[15][16]
Other songs
On May 7, 2012, Bieber announced that he would release a song titled "
Turn to You (Mother's Day Dedication)" on May 11, 2012 for
Mother's Day weekend. He stated that the proceeds of the song would go to help single mothers.
[17] Although some had suspected it would, "Turn to You (Mother's Day Dedication)" did not make the final track listing for
Believe. It was revealed during Bieber's interview with Fuse, that he collaborated with
Lil Wayne on a song called "Backpack" that would be included on a "repackaged" version of the album.
[18] "Right Here", featuring
Drake, also debuted at number 95 on the Hot 100.
Critical reception
Believe has received generally mixed reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an
average score of 68, based on 14 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
[19]
While
BBC Music noted Bieber's ongoing "tween appeal,"
[22] it also examined his gradual stylist evolution from his previous album.
The New York Times
noted the search for maturity Bieber exhibited. It complimented the
natural strength of his voice, which did not need as much technical
enhancement as it did previously.
[30] However,
Slant Magazine criticized the production needed to "slice, dice, and
Auto-Tune [Bieber's] notes into shape"
[29] Entertainment Weekly praised the pop star's evolution, calling the album both a "reinvention and a reintroduction."
[23] Rolling Stone
noted the deeper voice and more intense beats found on the album,
although it lampooned one of his euphemisms for newfound sexual
maturity.
[28]
The New York Times noted the difficulty Bieber faced in creating the album—a tension between his love of R&B and the profitability of
pop music—while suggesting that his "savvy compromises" made the conflict manageable."
[30] Entertainment Weekly
praised the variety of audiences for the album, calling it "the rare
album that tries to be everything to everyone and largely succeeds."
[23]
Reviews of the vocals on specific songs were mixed.
The New York Times
review complained of certain songs where Bieber "sounded bored" and
un-like himself, although other tracks were said to show him when he
"leans on his instincts." The review credited Bieber for his "limber and
wounded" vocals. It suggested that Bieber's voice would continue to
evolve, and that in a few years it could fully express "angst". It said
Bieber was "more credible when begging or retreating",
[30] while BBC Music stated similarly that "his confidence, for the most part, [is] played down."
[22]
A large number of reviews compared Bieber to
Justin Timberlake,
[22][28][30][31]
a once-teenage pop star who achieved great success during his evolution
from teenage boy band member to young adult. Most found the situations
very different, saying Bieber was better suited to pursuing his own
style rather than follow in the footsteps of Timberlake.
The New York Times, however, complimented his references to
Michael Jackson as aspirational.
[30]
Meanwhile, reviewers tended to praise Bieber's work with other pop
stars. BBC Music said that, despite an abundance of guest contributors,
Bieber is "never overshadowed."
[22] Additionally,
Wordxlife.com
thought that by including other artists such as Big Sean, Nicki Minaj,
and Drake on his album, he is signaling that he is serious about making
more mature music.
[32]
Assessments of the long-term impact of the album generally avoided calling
Believe a revolutionary step forward.
The Independent roundly criticized the artist's lack of innovation, calling it a "pitifully timid affair".
[24] The New York Times noted that while Bieber was not ushering in radical changes to pop music, he was at least playing to his personal strengths.
Billboard noted the singer's potential with future releases, pointing out "multiple songs that hint at what Bieber could become someday."
[31]
Commercial performance
Believe debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 374,000. It was Bieber's fourth number-one album.
[33] It dropped two spots in its second week to number three with sales of 115,000 copies.
[34] Believe was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 31, 2012,
[35] and has sold 1,324,000 copies in the US in 2012.
[36]
The album sold 57,000 copies in its first week in Canada, debuting atop the
Canadian Albums Chart.
[37] In the following week, the album fell to number two selling 18,000 copies, behind
Linkin Park's
Living Things.[38] It also debuted at number one on the
UK Albums Chart with sales of 38,115 copies, making Bieber the second youngest male solo artist ever to reach number one.
[39] In Japan, the album entered the
Oricon Weekly Albums Chart at number seven, selling 13,886 copies.
[40] As of July 26, 2012, the album has sold over 98,000 copies in Canada.
[41] In Brazil, the album was certified platinum by
Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos (ABPD) within three days of release.
Acoustic version
On December 14, 2012, Bieber announced on
The Ellen Show that he will be releasing an acoustic album of
Believe. It is set to release on January 29, 2013.
NEVER SAY NEVER
"
Never Say Never" is a song by Canadian recording artist
Justin Bieber. The song serves as the theme song for
The Karate Kid (2010), and features rap interludes from the film's star,
Jaden Smith. It was originally a risque demo with sexual lyrics performed by American singer
Travis Garland, it was written and produced by
The Messengers,
and Omarr Rambert. However, for unknown reasons, Bieber was tapped to
record the song for the film. He re-wrote the song with The Messengers,
Rambert, Smith, and his vocal producer
Kuk Harrell, to feature inspirational lyrics to foil the film's theme. The song contains
R&B and
pop elements while merging
hip-hop.
The song was released for digital download in the United States on June
8, 2010. The song was later included as a track on the remix album
My Worlds Acoustic (2010). To promote Bieber's
3D concert film of the same name, the song was released as the lead single from Bieber's second remix album,
Never Say Never: The Remixes.
[1][2]
"Never Say Never" peaked within the top twenty in Canada, Norway, and
New Zealand, while reaching the top forty in Australia, as well as
charting in other international markets. After it was re-released as the
lead single from
– The Remixes, promoting his film, the single peaked at number eight on the
Billboard Hot 100,
becoming Bieber's second top-ten single in the United States. Its
accompanying music video, directed by Honey, features Smith and Bieber
in a recording studio playing around and dancing, and is intercut with
scenes from the film. He has notably performed the song on
Today and on his
My World Tour. Smith joined Bieber during the tour's stop at
Madison Square Garden to perform the song for scenes in
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.
Background
A demo of the song, "Sexy Together" was originally recorded by Mike Chilton and
Travis Garland (with Mike's close friend Chuck singing backup).
[3] Reportedly Bieber re-wrote the song with its original writers
Adam Messinger,
Nasri, Omarr Rambert, and his vocal producer
Kuk Harrell, while Smith added lines.
[3] Carina Adly MacKenzie of
Zap2it
preferred Bieber and Smith's version, commenting, "No wonder Bieb
skipped this version -- it's a total snoozer. You'd think that a song
about sex would be more interesting than a song about little kids doing
karate... but no."
[3] Bieber hinted at the collaboration by posting a promo photo of himself and Smith on his
Twitter, and also posting that a video of his would premiere before "
Somebody to Love," the second single from his studio album debut,
My World 2.0.
[4] The song was confirmed when the track listing for the soundtrack was revealed.
[4] It was released on
iTunes in the United States on June 8, 2010.
[5]
Composition
"Never Say Never" is a pop-
R&B which includes
hip hop.
[6] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by
Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Never Say Never" is set in
common time with a metronome of 96
beats per minute, which is described as "steady, not too fast."
[7] It is composed in the key of
A minor with vocals spanning from the low-note of G
3 to the high-note of C
6. The song follows in the
chord progression of Am–C–G–D
[7] Bieber provides lead vocals in the song while Smith provides the backing with rap interludes.
[8] The song is a "motivational track," containing
inspirational
lyrics, such as Bieber singing about a life filled with adversity,
through lines like, "I never thought that I could walk through fire / I
never thought that I could take the burn".
[9] Idolator thought the song as a tween-friendly version of
Eminem's "
Lose Yourself."
[10] Smith's lines reference his father, and puns in the phrase, "raised by the power of Will".
[6]
He also makes reference to his lineage by saying "Born from two stars
so the moon's where I land.", as he is the son of Will Smith and Jada
Pinkett Smith, who are both Hollywood stars.
[6] Smith also makes references to
Luke Skywalker and
Kobe Bryant in his lines.
[11]
Critical reception
The song has received mainly received positive reviews. Shima Maya of
AOL Radio Blog gave the song a positive review, calling it "a burst of energy", and stating, "Even on a soundtrack featuring the likes of
Lady Gaga,
John Mayer and the
Red Hot Chili Peppers, this single...is sure to stand out as the film's flagship anthem."
[9] Toor also complimented Bieber's "now-trademark silky smooth voice."
[9] Monica Herrera of
Billboard said that Smith's rapping skills could rival those of his former-rapper father.
[12] E! Online said "And while some might insist that "
Parents Just Don't Understand," we think Big Willy would totally be down with Jaden's rap." Maria-Mercedes Lara of
Celebuzz
said, "don't make assumptions with the suspiciously nepotistic
circumstances surrounding Jaden's appearance on Bieber's song: the kid
is actually really good."
[13] Lara also commented that Bieber should "should be watching his back for Jaden's rising star."
[13] Tiger Beat said that they loved the song, and said it had a "great beat."
[14]
Chart performance
On the week ending June 17, 2010, the song debuted at number thirty-three on the
Billboard Hot 100, propelled by its debut at number seventeen on the
Hot Digital Songs chart selling 76,000 copies.
[15] The song became Bieber's ninth consecutive top 40 release for a regular or digital single as a lead artist.
[16] In Canada on the
Canadian Hot 100, the song debuted at eleven.
[17] The single debuted at forty-five on the
Australian Singles Chart, and peaked at thirty-eight in its second week,
[18] while on the
New Zealand Singles Chart, the song debuted and peaked at twenty.
[19] The
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) certified "Never Say Never" gold on June 5, 2011, denoting the sale of 7,500 copies.
[20] On the
Norwegian Singles Chart, the song debuted at eighteen, and spent one week on the chart.
[21] Debuting at seventy-five on the
Austrian Singles Chart, the following week it peaked at forty-six on the chart.
[22] On the
Dutch Single Top 100, after spending four weeks on the chart, the song peaked at seventy.
[23] On the
Tip charts in both
Belgian regions, the song peaked at two and five.
[23]
Music video and live performances
The accompanying clip for the single was directed by Honey.
[24]
The music video takes place in a studio, and contains a heroic concept,
featuring Bieber and Smith singing the song and playing around,
intercut with scenes from the film.
[25] Bieber appears in a
motorcycle jacket and high tops.
[26] Studio scenes include Bieber flexing karate moves, he and Smith dancing,
jerkin', and eating
Twizzlers.
[26] The scenes also show the two
shadowboxing, as footage from the flim shows Smith performing an "array of fight moves."
[27] Near the end of the clip features Bieber giving a roundhouse kick.
[28]
The actual 'film' within the music video is directly taken from the footage of
Karate Kid, which was shot entirely in
Beijing and features
Jackie Chan as "Mr. Han," a mentor figure who trains Smith throughout the film.
[29] The scenes include Smith looking at the
CCTV Headquarters building, a shot of the Beijing street scene, an
Air China Boeing 747-400 taking off and landing, and a training scene at the
Great Wall of China.
The basic storyline involves Smith's character vying for the affection
of a Chinese girl and being rebuffed by a rival suitor. Smith eventually
wins a fight against his rival and wins the affection of the girl. Both
Wall Street Journal Online and
E! Online noted the low-production value of the clip.
[11][25] Kyle Anderson of
MTV News
commended Bieber's latest "attention-grabbing video," and jokingly
stated, "As a video that features fighting, it's a pretty strong entry,
and it joins the list of great fight-centric videos below."
[27] An Idolator writer said that they were impressed with Smith's moves, and Bieber's "spinning roundhouse."
[10] A writer for
Tiger Beat said, "The video is SO cute–we love when Justin and Jaden get silly at the end!"
[14]
Bieber performed the song on June 4, 2010, on the
Today Show as part of a medley with "
Baby", "
Somebody to Love", and "
One Time".
[30] The song is a part of his setlist during the
My World Tour. Smith joined Bieber for the song on the August 31, 2010 date, along with
Usher,
Miley Cyrus,
Ludacris, and
Boyz II Men, to film scenes for his upcoming 3D concert film.
[31]
To promote his remix album,
My Worlds Acoustic as well as draw interest for the upcoming film, Bieber shot a music video for the song.
[32] The video premiered during Game 3 of the
2010 World Series. In the video, Bieber stands on a baseball diamond and dons apparel from both teams in the Series, wearing a
San Francisco Giants hat and
Texas Rangers jacket
[32]
Scenes in which Bieber sings on the diamond is intercut with players
hitting the ball and hanging in the dugout, as well as Bieber playing a
guitar.
[32] In an interview, Bieber said that the video was inspired by his love for sports.
[33]
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