Justin Bieber won 2015 for a lot of us here at Howl & Echoes. We were converted thanks to the string of hits he pumped out in the end half of the year, with total jams like What Do You Mean? and Sorry landing themselves pretty permanent spots on our regular listening playlists. Then he dropped Purpose, and whilst there were some dull moments (we’re not kidding ourselves that much), we were – and still are – very much and very happily infected with Bieber Fever.
So, it was a very good day indeed today when a new Bieber track appeared online. Titled I’ll Be There, the track is a mysterious one. Next to nothing about it has been revealed, which was not featured on Purpose. Bieber has also not referred to it on social media, which is a stark contrast from the same guy who announced his tracklisting on Instagram (with a post for each track). Clearly, there is something in the works, and the fact that Bieber is trying his hand at rapping here (with questionable success) shows he is almost definitely up to something.
Over a mellow trap beat, he confesses his loyalty to one lucky gal, crooning over an industrial synth groove in the hook. The man can sing, no one can deny that, and his pipes are sounding as good as ever here. It’s a track you feel. It’s not overly special but it gets you where it matters. That could be my Bieber Fever talking, but even the half-attempt at rapping is endearing here.
So his “verse” might be just a few lines, but it shows further progression in his new found sounds away from the sugary sweet pop that brought him his initial fame, and further into ~cool~ territory. He’s already taken over the world and smashed countless chart records with Purpose – could 2016 be the year we see Bieber cross the divide from pop superstar to hip-hop hero? Undoubtedly, everything will be revealed in time.