ONTD

Billboard:
He put out a 3D movie, a line of a "real hairstyle" dolls and a memoir. He released a remix album and a full-length Christmas effort. Yet Justin Bieber hasn't released a stitch of new music from the follow-up to his best-selling "My World 2.0"... until now. At midnight EST on Monday morning (Mar. 26), the Biebs released "Boyfriend," the highly anticipated first single from his forthcoming album, "Believe."




Produced by Mike Posner, "Boyfriend" combines an airy beat and jangly percussion with rather grown-up come-ons from the newly of-age Biebs. "If I was your boyfriend, never let you go/Keep you on my arm girl, you'd never be alone," Bieber sings on the hook as an acoustic guitar adds some substance to his soul-baring vocals.

The pop superstar previewed the song by letting his fans vote on the cover art earlier this month, releasing the lyrics in full on Wednesday and unveiling a 10-second snippet of the beat on "Ellen." He also posted the following "Behind The Scenes" clip on YouTube, in which fans can watch the Biebs and his crew assembling the single.



Bieber actively counted down the release of "Boyfriend" on his Twitter account before posting a link to the song on iTunes, and writing, "IM HERE." "#BOYFRIENDONITUNES" immediately began trending worldwide on Twitter.

"Believe," which follows his 2011 holiday album "Under The Mistletoe," still does not have a firm release date beyond "summer," but the singer has tapped artists like Lil Wayne, Drake and Timbaland for his latest full-length. His second book, "Just Bieber: Just Getting Started," will be released in September.
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Rolling Stone:

Justin Bieber has called "Boyfriend," the first single from his forthcoming album Believe, "hater-proof." But how can a song that begins with Bieber rapping, in his thickest patois, about his "swag" not be hater-bait? With a taut, funky beat by Mason D. Levy and Mike Posner, and a lyric that mixes kiddie-movie references ("I could be your Buzz Lightyear"), chivalry ("I can be a gentleman"), and hip-hop braggadocio ("Chillin' by the fire while we eatin' fondue"), the song is expertly calculated to ease The Biebs' transition from tweenpop dreamboat to... post-tweenpop dreamboat. The subtext is clear: Justin Has Actually Had Sexual Intercourse—But He Won't Harm Your Nine-Year-Old. "Hater-proof"? Try foolproof.

3/5

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Yahoo:

Is Justin Bieber feeling the pressure to abandon bubblegum pop now that he's 18?

Bieber's "Boyfriend" lyrics are more assertive than his past credits, and are sung more provocatively: "I'd like to be everything you want. Hey girl, let me talk to you."

Considering how smoothly Timberlake transitioned from being a teen idol to a successful adult star, the new direction is a smart move for Bieber.

"He's growing as well as his fans are growing. He's progressing so he has to make sure that his music fits where his fans are," he said in an exclusive interview with Yahoo! Music. "His fans from the 'Baby' days, they like 'Baby,' but they probably won't be people that listen to 'Baby,' next year."

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Huffington Post:

Mike Posner came in big on production for Bieber, and is credited as a co-writer on the track. Bieber recently told USA Today that he sees Believe as an opportunity to present a more mature version of himself to his fans. "I'm maturing, and my music's maturing, so I wanted to do something different," he said.

The song does sound like radio gold, and it's nice to see Bieber referencing his "swag" multiple times throughout the song (and prepping listeners for his falsetto before it hits their eardrums). The fact that the 18-year-old phenom is dating Selena Gomez in real life, however, adds a certain boyish charm to the track (see the lyrics at the bottom of this article).

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E! Online:

At midnight last night, the Biebs' new single "Boyfriend" was released. And while there were multiple mentions of swag and even a Buzz Lightyear reference, the track is more vocally mature than anything he's done so far.

"Baby take a chance or you'll never ever know/ I got money in my hands that I'd really like to blow," he raps, before breaking into falsetto à la Justin Timberlake for the hook.

When a technical glitch on iTunes prevented users from downloading the song when the clock struck midnight, the Biebs got on their case. "yo @itunesmsuic im trying to romance 19 million ladies with my music," he tweeted. "you are kinda screwing this up for me. LEGGO!"

Despite the delay—which was fixed within an hour—"Boyfriend" is already No. 1 on the iTunes singles chart.

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Entertainment Weekly:

The track is called “Boyfriend,” and it’s built around a woozy keyboard loop, some hollow kick drums, a nice little digi-coustic guitar snap, and Bieber’s newly evolved grown-up voice. Produced by Mike Posner, “Boyfriend” proves that Bieber’s role model is Justin Timberlake, as this is the sort of musical and attitude adjustment that helped JT transition from teen-scream inspiration to serious artist.

Bieber also learned the value of brevity: “Boyfriend” takes care of business in under three minutes, almost daring you not to hit the replay button to catch whether or not he raps about fondue (he does), compares himself to Buzz Lightyear (yep), uses the word “swaggy” (it certainly sounds like it), and anticipates the arrival of his own falsetto in the song (meta!).

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MTV:

Justin Bieber dropped his bumping new single "Boyfriend" on Monday (March 26), teasing his next album, Believe. It's a grinding, midtempo song that hears Bieber proclaiming all the ways he can make a girl happy (swag and fondue included!).

"I've known [Bieber's manager] Scooter [Braun] for a few years, so I actually ran into Scooter at a Clippers game and told him I would love to work with Justin," Posner said. "I got the opportunity to write with Justin. I didn't really know what to expect at first, but he's an incredible, incredible writer and amazing vocalist.

And Bieber said "Boyfriend" perfectly sets up what's coming next. "It's kind of classic," he said of the album. "The songs, I feel, won't get old. The music is very fresh, but it's also — I'm taking a lot from old-school music, a lot of Michael Jackson, a lot of old R&B, a lot of old pop. It's pretty special."

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NY Daily News:

Not that the song is all about its generic tune. Bieber raps as much as he sings on the song — and in a noticeably deeper voice than heard on his last CD, “My World 2.0,” released all the way back in the stone age of 2010. It’s a credible enough flow for what he’s after, which is nothing more than training-wheels pop.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. With “Boyfriend” the star has created a song that will satisfy his existing fans and add not one more.

In other words, despite any assertions of maturity or growth for his upcoming CD, the kid would still get carded in any state.
2/5

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US Weekly:

The wait is over!

On Monday, Justin Bieber, 18, released his new single "Boyfriend" from his forthcoming album, Believe. Co-written by Bieber, Mike Posner, Mason D. Levy and Mat Musto, the song reveals a more mature side of the Canadian pop star.

In a statement, Steve Bartels, President & COO, Island Def Jam Music Group, adds: "The momentum behind Justin's phenomenal success continues with 'Boyfriend,' destined to be one of this year's iconic single releases. What Justin and the IDJ team have achieved since 2010 has been etched into music history, but it's only the beginning."

Bieber is the first solo artist in Billboard history to have three No. 1 albums before turning 18. His new album, Believe, is due this summer.

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CBS:

(CBS News) Justin Bieber is no longer singing about his "Baby." Now, the 18-year-old heartthrob wants to be your "Boyfriend."

In his new single, "Boyfriend," released today, Bieber sings: "If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go, I can take you places you've never been before."

"I'm maturing, and my music's maturing, so I wanted to do something different," the Canadian singer told USA Today about the new song. "I've got a lot of great collaborators working with me, and we're thinking outside the box."

The song, with its R&B vibe and sing-songy rap, is already getting comparisons to Justin Timberlake's solo work.

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Washington Post:

Justin Bieber released his new single “Boyfriend” at midnight Monday to the level of Internet excitement that usually surrounds an announcement of this nature from the 18-year-old sensation.

That’s right: The Biebs is 18 now, and that’s reflected in the more grown-up sound of the single. And by grown-up I mean he raps — yes, raps — about eating fondue by a fire.

But there’s certainly still a hand-holding level of innocence to “Boyfriend.” As Bieber told V Magazine shortly before he turned the big 1-8, “I don’t want to start singing about things like sex, drugs and swearing.”

There are elements of solo artist-era Justin Timberlake in the song, like the falsetto singing and the acoustic guitar accompaniment. (Take a listen to Timberlake's “Senorita Girlfriend” to hear the similarities.)

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what do you think of the song?