Posted on 25 November 2012.
A little bit of history was made this week when Psy’s “Gangnam Style” officially passed Justin Bieber’s “Baby” as the most viewed YouTube video of all time. At of the time of writing this article, “Gangnam Style” boasts just over 821 million views, approximately 20 million more than “Baby”. This was an obvious cause of hysterical crying/celebration for those obsessed with either loving or hating Bieber’s ultra pop-y style.
I freely admit that I will never completely understand Bieber Fever, nor will I understand those on the other side of the isle that seem like they want to take a meat clever to Bieber. I’m guessing this ignorance stems from a combination of my male genitalia as well as my slow and inevitable fading presence in the American pop culture scene—something I still don’t know whether or not deserves a mourning period.
Personally, I think Bieber is a highly overrated singer that gets by on his classic Canadian looks (if such a stereotype exists) and tabloid relationships. But then again, his shaggy hair is just so… so captivating.
That is not to say that I think Bieber lacks all musical talent whatsoever. Through a process of humoring myself and dedication to staying somewhat current, I have come across a few YouTube videos displaying his talent at playing the drums.
Anyone that claims Justin Bieber is a complete joke of an artist needs to watch these videos and then take a long look in the mirror to decide why exactly it is they hate him.
I’m not writing this to chastise people into liking Justin Bieber and I’m not writing it to back up people’s hatred of him. The fact of the matter is that I’ve somehow been able to shield myself from Bieber’s takeover of modern pop music. I’ve only heard a handful of his songs, including “Baby”, “Boyfriend”, and the one with Usher. Oh, and I saw that video where he throws down that mad rap (I think he mentioned sex somewhere in the rap too.
Justin Bieber should never talk about sex. He’s one of those eternal 14-year-olds to me). I’m more or less writing it to say that we all need to realize how impressive the young man is in terms of popularity. Say what you will about him as an artist, but according to YouTube he is essentially the second biggest phenomenon in the world. That’s not bad for being 18.
He’s Michael Jackson 2.0! Face it. And, hopefully, like Michael Jackson, his musical style will evolve as he gets older. I personally grew out of bubblegum pop when I was about 15, but I am cautiously optimistic to see what this kid can do once he gets more control of his own musical process.
So Bieber can afford his drop in the polls to “Gangnam Style” because I think we call all agree (possibly begrudgingly) that he will be around much much longer than his South Korean competitor. The era of the Bieber is far from over.
Source:
http://www.universitychronicle.net/index.php/2012/11/25/bieber-is-not-so-bad-after-all/