And Finally Artist News

Justin Bieber, working with Kanye West and Rick Rubin on new album

By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 1 April 2015

Things are so different for Justin Bieber now, compared to a year ago. He’s gone from being a social pariah to someone considered a hero by all young men for showing them the most extreme possibilities of being a really great guy.

This week he went through the last stage of his complete turnaround, a ‘comedy roast’. That’s a thing where lots of comedians (and non-comedians) go on a TV show and insult someone, for some reason. Whatever, he’s like some sort of angel now. If any one of us could be half as good a bloke as the Bieber is right now, we’d probably die of being lovely. Our hearts would give up, because we are not as strong as the JBiebs.

Once upon a time, of course, Justin Bieber was known as a simple musician, singing his songs in whatever shopping centre could lay on enough security. And now he hankers for those days again. Speaking to USA Today, Biebo said that he is in the process of finishing a new album with the help of Kanye West and master of the comeback record, Rick Rubin.

Asked how becoming a bloody nice bloke affected the music he was working on, he said: “It’s changed everything. My whole direction has changed. What you are thinking about all the time is what you write, and now that I’m thinking about more positive things, it completely changes my music”.

He went on: “I had to re-do my whole album. It was done but it didn’t match up to where I am now and where my head’s at. I want to tell my story, but I also want to give people hope. I lost hope for a while, I was in a dark place, but it’s about getting out of that rut. It’s about knowing there’s sunshine on the other side”.

Wow. I mean, just… wow. What else? What are the songs actually about?

“About growing, being in touch with yourself”, he continued. “What can I say? It’s life experiences, and knowing that you can get back up and keep going. Hope and faith, that’s what’s gotten me through this too, my faith. What I believe in. You’re around some people sometimes and it might taint what you believe. I think that’s what happened with me, I lowered my beliefs”.

He lowered his beliefs. I think we can all take something from that, can’t we? Put your beliefs on an escalator, people. Or even on a remote controlled helicopter, just to get them a bit higher. I think that’s what Justin’s trying to tell us.

“I’m finishing up the album now, working with Kanye and Rick. I’m not rushing it, I’ll just wait until it’s totally done”, he added, giving us another lesson in taking life at the right speed (which, now I think about it, might rule out using that remote controlled helicopter for your belief lifting). “I don’t want to say ‘it’s different’, because that’s what everyone says. But it is different, it’s a grown-up version of Justin and I think people will be shocked”.

I would be shocked if I wasn’t so in awe.