Beliebable Bieber

This week in class we all kind of experienced an overdose on Justin Bieber. I must say I never took the time of day to listen to a JB song or watch a single video he’s made as I just decided that he wasn’t worth my time. As someone who never likes to give too much attention to popular trends seen in media, I just steered clear of anything Bieber related. This class really forced me to look at just how big of an icon Justin has become and the kind of effect he has on a part of the world population.  To dub him as a sort of “miracle child” would be a far stretch in my opinion but I guess I have to admit that he does have talent for such a young age.

At first when watching the video for his song “Pray”, I thought “what a corny video to show himself off as an angelic role model”, but after reflecting and listening to everyone else’s hate on the video, it made me start to really think about his age and how even at 16 he’s giving back to the community. These kids who are stuck in a hospital for most of their lives don’t have much to look forward to and if they get enjoyment, pleasure or any other type of euphoric emotion from Justin’s visits then who are any of us to judge his intentions? How many of us can say that at 16 we were active in giving back to the community. If he’s making a difference with his music and his messages about God to his audience then there really isn’t any room for us to judge.  

He may not be categorized under the Christian musician category but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t having a bigger effect on youth than bands and singers that fall under the three Christian music categories stated in Schill’s article which include: Separationist, Integrationist and Transformationist.  

The irony of it all can come from the fact that a singer like Justin can attract more attention to religion by not being a typical “Christian” singer than a band like Petra or Switchfoot simply because the second a band falls under a certain religious type, they also carry along a stigma with it. People don’t want to be told to be better “Christians”, they want to enjoy their music without judgement. Justin Bieber managed to incorporate God and religion without segregation of religions and because of that he is able to reach out to more of the mass population and to people who come from all different religious backgrounds.

Take a minute to think about all the different singers and bands you listen to. Do you find any hidden or subliminal religious messages in their lyrics?

Xo,
Y