I've made no secret of the fact that I was really turned off by Justin Bieber's immature behavior there for a second, so no one is more surprised than I am by how much I loved Bieber's "Company" music video, which shows off a personal side of the singer. It's not a great look for me, but, with the way everything was going down, I pretty much just assumed he'd always be that way for ever and ever. I thought I'd never like him again. Cut to me watching the "Company" video, and my whole entire world getting turned upside down because... I think I like him again? I mean, not that I ever liked him in the first place, or listened to My World 2.0 on repeat and thought he was cute or anything. Cough cough.
With "Company," Bieber does a seriously great job of showing that other side of himself that we maybe haven't seen in a while. There are peeks at his cockiness, sure, with shots that take place during Calvin Klein photoshoots or on his private jet, slapping palms with celebrities. But there are also very well-executed moments that give us a glimpse of his more private side. We see him standing alone onstage, or walking through a picturesque landscape, and we — or I, anyway — get reminded of how solitary and lonely his lifestyle must be. Just being a famous person in general is super isolating, but being one who's universally scorned? I really can't imagine.
And it all goes perfectly with the lyrics, too, because all the guy is asking for is a little company. "Can we, we keep / keep each other company? / Maybe we, can be / Be each other's company / Oh company." It's such a simple, universal thing to be looking for that my heart can't help but go out to him. I see what you're doing, and it's working. We skip all those gratuitous shots of women swarming him that you might expect from a Justin Bieber video, or a pop video in general, and just see his genuine emotions, stripped down and bare. Whether it's tearing up onstage in front of a crowd of thousands, or letting the camera catch him cracking a genuine smile under his hoodie, I feel like we're seeing the real Bieber, which is more compelling than any slickly-choreographed dance number.
Don't you feel like you know him now? At least a little better? Even the most cynical part of my icy cold heart melted a little bit, and I can recognize the person behind the persona that Bieber and his team have created. And you know what? I like what I see.
Image: JustinBieberVEVO/YouTube
