alric embargo: Justin Bieber's 'Boyfriend' Video: All Grown-Up

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Justin Bieber's 'Boyfriend' Video: All Grown-Up

New clip, which debuted Thursday on MTV, sets Bieber up to launch the next phase of his career.
By James Montgomery

If you are reading this, then you are probably aware that <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/bieber_justin/artist.jhtml">Justin Bieber</a> turned <a href="/news/articles/1680195/justin-bieber-18th-birthday-top-moment.jhtml">18 back in March</a>. I only mention it now because it helps explain JB's brand-new "Boyfriend" video, which premiered Thursday night (May 3) on MTV and is pretty much an 18-year-old male's fantasy in every conceivable way (or at least most of them).Filled with cool clothes, <a href="/news/articles/1684418/justin-bieber-boyfriend-video-cars-girls.jhtml">hot cars and even hotter women</a>, "Boyfriend" — directed by the mysteriously named Director X (née <a href="http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/09/24/lil-x-director-x/">Lil X</a>) — is the stuff of every newly minted heterosexual adult's dreams ... only on overdrive. It's not enough to have a few cool cars; let's get 50! And some of them should be vintage! Why stop at one female love interest when we could get a baker's dozen? As if the icy, decidedly sophisticated strains of "Boyfriend" weren't enough to tip you off, with the video, Bieber very clearly serves notice: He's all grown-up.<center><object width="460" height="260" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id="embeddedPlayer" data="http://videoplayer.vevo.com/embed/embedded" style="visibility: visible;"><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="flashvars" value="playerType=embedded&videoId=USUV71200411&playlist=false&enableDomScan=true&siteSection=MTV_mtv.com&playerId=62FF0A5C-0D9E-4AC1-AF04-1D9E97EE3961&autoplay=0&endScreen=play&cc=US&cultureName=en-US&cultureIsRTL=False&sbId=14A00605-7DB5-4492-B67B-CB2093BD89DD"></object></center>And while that maturation was inevitable — Bieber's been saying for months now that his <a href="/news/articles/1666424/justin-bieber-new-album.jhtml">Believe album would push the boundaries</a> — it remains to be seen if his fanbase (which, speaking in the broadest of terms, is predominantly female, not to mention predominantly pre-teen) can handle his transformation. Not to mention that now, for the first time, he's not the only heartthrob on the block. Sure, the guys in <a href="/news/articles/1682685/one-direction-justin-bieber-collaboration-rumor.jhtml">One Direction may be his pals</a>, but they'd like nothing more than to eat his lunch. And those dudes in the Wanted? Well, let's just say we wouldn't take our eye off them, either.In short, Bieber's career is now at a crossroads. He cannot stop the advance of age, nor does it seem like he really cares to — he's making the kind of music his 18-year-old self wants to make. His fans will either embrace this new chapter or they won't. Maybe he'll lose some of them to the nefarious clutches of 1D. But the Biebs is moving on regardless. One can't sing "Baby" forever now, can they?Of course, watching the "Boyfriend" video, you can't help but think that Bieber couldn't care less about any of those things. It's a cool, confident clip, and, given where he's at right now, it's also an important one. He's itching to get on with the business of being an 18-year-old dude, like it or not. But you probably will — honestly, how can you deny the sheer grown-up-edness of the whole thing?What did you think of the "Boyfriend" video? Share your reviews in the comments!Stick with MTV News as we roll out more from our exclusive "MTV First" interview with Justin Bieber!<div class="player-placeholder right" title="MTV First: Justin Bieber" id="id:1684329" width="415" height="255"></div>

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