Justin Bieber's "Intentions" Are Artificial Crap
Instead of vulnerability, Bieber continues to opt for looking cool instead
While "Yummy" was at first glance a moderately entertaining pop song, the latest releases to emerge from Bieber's upcoming album Changes are unbelievably plain.
"Get Me" which received a quiet release last week, barely made any commercial ripples, mostly because the song itself was as enjoyable as sugar-free white chocolate. A strong feature from Kehlani revived an otherwise lifeless song about how much Hailey "gets" him, but vapid lyrics like "you got me low-key nervous, it feels like we're on the same wave" dilute the song to almost unlistenable.
On Bieber's latest offering "Intentions," the platinum-selling singer treads on the mundane. "Shout-out to your mom and dad for makin' you, standin' ovation, they did a great job raisin' you," Bieber sings with as much "vulnerability" as an Instagram DM. The single's coinciding video–which finds Bieber loosely comparing his intentions of loving Hailey to an immigrant's intentions of escaping hardship and cultivating a better life in America– is such a stretch it borders on disrespectful. Oh, Quavo's also on it, but you would hardly be able to tell considering how miserable he sounds. "I'ma find me a ring and pray it's perfected fitted," he grumbles through autotune. Can someone tell Quavo that you can get rings re-sized? The video additionally spotlights the LA-based housing nonprofit Alexandria House, which is a nice touch, but the songs superficial themes trivialize the importance of the charity represented, and the house seems to merely serve as a set for a Bieber music video. While we're at it, can someone please get Bieber to shave?
From Bieber's cringe-worthy YouTube series Seasons to the superficiality of Changes' latest singles, Bieber seems to be more concerned with looking cool than being vulnerable. His marriage to Hailey has been tumultuous, and both parties have acknowledged that being married has been incredibly difficult and emotionally taxing. Bieber has plenty of authentic experiences to draw from and speak on, but instead he continues to choose the path of least resistance ( "When I create, you're my muse that kind of smile that makes the news,") and crank out vanilla commercial pop for tweens who still think girls and guys have Cooties. Changes is set to come out on Valentines Day.