The Bieber Come Back
Caroline Howe | Contributor | USDRadio
Between 2010 and 2012, a highly contagious fever was rapidly spreading and disproportionately infecting girls. The fever peaked with the release of a movie tracking the pandemic. I’ll admit, I fell victim to this and was quickly consumed by illogical desires to “[chill] by the fire while eating fondue” with a boyfriend I did not have (Bieber, 2012). The fever I am referring to is best known as Bieber Fever.
Justin Bieber entered the music scene as a young boy with hair that strategically swooped across his forehead and made teen girls weak at their knees. His first hit, “One Time“, was dangerously catchy. The adjacent music video, which oddly reminds me of Aaron Carter’s “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)”, established Bieber as the heartthrob to listen to. Bieber quickly established his place on top of the charts. In 2012, Forbes estimated Bieber had earned “$108 million over the past two years” (Greenburg, 2012).
As the typical Hollywood story goes, rapid success often leads to a certain fall from fame. Bieber’s popularity began to decrease in 2013 as he attracted more and more negative publicity. Even though he was continuously releasing new music, his career was overshadowed by his 2014 arrest in Miami, Florida
So what has become of Bieber?
He began repairing his public image by admitting he made mistakes on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in early 2015. He was also the punch line of an episode of Comedy Central Roast. Bieber is likeable yet again. His shift from bad boy to “reformed pop-star” has allowed the media to refocus on his music with the debuts of his newest singles “Where Are Ü Now?” and “What Do You Mean?” The latter song was on Billboard’s top 10 list before the single was even released and quickly shot to number one once it was released on August 28th (Anderson, 2015). This November will mark a fresh start for the star with the release of his fourth album.
Dare I say it, but I think Bieber is making a comeback. He is equipped with talent, good press, and fans that never stopped loving him even when he was the “bad boy” of the pop world. Bieber has already introduced music that differs from his teen-heartthrob days but is still mainstream enough that it appeals to a large audience. His most recent single has even convinced me, an ex-Bieber fan, that he is back and ready to take over the music industry.
In anticipation of his album release, I highly recommend you get your vaccines because another wave of Bieber-fever is coming and it will be stronger than ever before.