The Curious Case of Justin Bieber continues.
The reluctant, scowling pop star has named Adele’s publicist, Benny Tarantini, in a kind of announcement apropos of nothing.
He’s also listed a set of affirmations, or “values,” as he calls them including “Rest as Worship” and “HEALTH and physical wellness as an act of stewardship.”
These are from a kid who is often red-eyed from smoking lots of pop.
The announcement, from his Bieber Family Office, cites his two upcoming performances next April at Coachella.
Also noted are reviews for his album, “Swag,” deliberately misquoting a New Yorker review omitting the word ‘messy’ from ‘messy improbably masterpiece’ and maybe misunderstanding the essay to be a send up of Bieber.
The reviewer summarizes Bieber succinctly, leaving out the time he wrote “Anne Frank would have been a Belieber” in the guest book at her museum in Amsterdam. “Controversy follows him, as does tabloid coverage of these controversies,” Brady Brickner-Wood wrote, “which often have a paternalistic bent: Is he back on drugs? Has his marriage to the model Hailey Bieber soured? Is he mentally ill? Is he spending enough time with his newborn son? He’s been charged with a D.U.I., acknowledged suicidal ideation, and berated paparazzi for bothering him at the beach.”
Bieber’s “Swag” album, which recently picked up a few Grammy nominations in the lightest year in ten, did not fly off the shelves. Total sales so far are 18,675 in paid downloads. But streaming brought it up to 730,900 largely pushed by sales of the singles, “Daisies” and “Yukon.” Now available as two vinyl discs — for $42.99 — “Swag” has finally entered the physical world, albeit not on CD.
If Coachella happens, there’s always the chance Bieber will announce a tour if not a residency in a place like Las Vegas, where Adele put down roots rather than go from city to city. For someone who is easily knocked off course, that would seem like the right idea for Bieber.
Here are the values of the Bieber Family Office which also includes his lawyer, his quasi-manager, and his wife, Hailey, now a cosmetics tycoon.
We value Rest as Worship.
We value Longevity and a sustainable pace of life.
We value Quality and excellence of production.
We value INNOVATION and moving the human experience forward.
We value HEALTH and physical wellness as an act of stewardship.
We value Sustainability and creating products that serve humanity.
We value Servanthood and making people feel like they can fly.
We value Generosity and graciously giving time, money, and respect to people on our path.
We value Life as a gift and practice daily gratitude for the day that has been given to us.
We value HUMAN beings and believe in their dignity and eternal worth.
