The video comes to life with shots of Bieber driving a muscle car, snuggling with his beautiful co-star and getting his dance on alongside his pals, all while they chill out at a rooftop party somewhere in Los Angeles. It's a more mature look at the growing pop star, who in only a few short years has gone from strumming his guitar on the streets of his Canadian hometown to full-fledged international pop-star status, where he fills arenas all over the world.
"I kind of switched it up from all the teasers," Bieber told MTV News' Sway Calloway about what fans saw of the video before its premiere. "I switched up the whole video on them, and really, I think it's super cool. I wanted to do something a little bit more mature."
The video is full of swaggy images, ranging from his varsity jacket to his cool car, but what left one fan in the "MTV First" audience most intrigued were the gold sneakers he sports in the video. "I did pick out those swaggy gold shoes," he laughed. "They spray-painted them gold. That's what I'm going to do: I'm gonna start wearing gold shoes all the time."
With the video's focus on cars and friends, the 18-year-old chatted about his own personal car collection. "I have a Range Rover and a Fisker. And I have a Smart Car. It just helps me get from point A to point B. I call it my little 'swag car,' " he said.
While Bieber made it clear that his off-time doesn't look a lot like the party in the video, he did share what he does on the weekends: "I work. ... If I'm with my friends, we like to do regular stuff," he said, before opening up about what he does to unsuspecting pals in an elevator. "We have this game where basically we hit each other in the balls."
If you are reading this, then you are probably aware that Justin Bieber turned 18 back in March. 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, hot cars and even hotter women, "Boyfriend" — directed by the mysteriously named Director X (née Lil X) — 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.
And while that maturation was inevitable — Bieber's been saying for months now that his Believe album would push the boundaries — 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 One Direction may be his pals, 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?
In addition to opening up about the video and his unusual take on riding in an elevator, he also talked about working with pals Drake, Kanye West, Usher and Taylor Swift for his brand-new album, Believe, out June 19. "Boyfriend" is the lead single from the highly anticipated release.
But with the music world conquered, he also teased his forthcoming work in Hollywood. He gave an update on his in-the-works basketball movie with Mark Wahlberg, as well as his blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in "Men In Black 3." He noted, however, "Right now I'm focused on my album and Believe."
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