If Justin Bieber wasn’t already blowing up newsfeeds with the release of his latest album “Purpose,” he sure is now. Earlier this month, the singer released one new music video on VEVO every hour to accompany each song from the album. The result: a thirty minute dance film titled “Purpose: The Movement.”
To understand Bieber’s bold project, it’s important to remember his life as the media’s notorious bad boy. In 2014 he had several run-ins with the law, including when cocaine was found in his home and the time he was arrested for drag racing a rented Lamborghini.
In Bieber’s opening speech, he reflects upon his damaged reputation and claims he got to a point in his life where he didn’t care anymore. The motivation for the movement seems to be proving his rebirth and inspiring his fans to do the same.
Although Bieber surprisingly only appears in the first and final video, the featured artists of “Purpose” — Travis Scott, Big Sean, Halsey, Skrillex and Diplo — are all in their respective videos.
The epic dance routines in “Purpose: The Movement” were choreographed by Parris Goebel, a 23 year old from New Zealand who founded the female, hip-hop dance group “Request” at the age of 15. Parris is known for working with other acclaimed artists, including Jennifer Lopez and Janet Jackson. “Request” appears in a majority of Bieber’s videos, with routines that are intricate and exciting, making the videos captivating for viewers.
The first video corresponds with the album’s first track, “Mark My Words.” Bieber dances to the slow song whilst standing on an abandoned piano in the middle of a desert — a metaphoric representation of Bieber, a musician who has lost a connection to his prior self.
The videos for “I’ll Show You” and “No Sense” incorporate JB-inspired hip-hop where the dance routines move in correspondence with the song’s beats. “No Sense” is a slower song on the album, and has less involved rhythms than the others. Despite the simpler pace, Goebel’s dance moves draw out the song’s underlying beats, and with the appearance of Travis Scott, this video becomes more captivating than the song itself.
Being a 90’s kid, Bieber also incorporates two bright-costumed videos inspired by the decade. “What Do You Mean” and “Sorry” star Goebel and “Request.” Like many of the others, the routines are high-speed hip-hop, but their colorful props and the innocent high school setting of “What Do You Mean” makes them fun and light-hearted.
Unfortunately, the video accompanying the acoustic track “Love Yourself” is a letdown. The song holds high hopes for fans, as esteemed artist Ed Sheeran is the author. However, the video presents a couple communicating solely through interpretive dance. The dancing is not only borderline painful to watch, but it also takes away from Bieber’s strong vocals.
Nevertheless, interpretive dancing does find its place in Bieber’s movement. In the video for “Life Is Worth Living,” a teenager dances as a figurative representation of overcoming the internal battle of depression and suicide. The dance routine incorporates aspects of ballet into the simplistic video, similar to that of Sia’s “Chandelier.”
The production comes full circle during Bieber’s final video for the song “Purpose.” Bieber dances in the same desert as in the album’s opener, but this time he makes a show of removing a jean jacket that represents the burdens that have been weighing him down.
“Purpose: The Movement” brings forward faith for a new and improved Bieber. Time will tell if this is just a performance, but for now, he is making Beliebers out of us all.