Friday was a glorious day for Directioners and Beliebers alike.
Teen sensations Justin Bieber and One Direction dropped new albums on the same day and are now vying for the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 200. Who will actually be on top of the charts at the end of the week is still up in the air.
While the two artists may have a similar fan base and history, their albums couldn't be more different. One is well put together and represents a new era. The other is rushed and incomplete, as usual.
In 2010, after the release of Bieber's debut studio album, “My World 2.0," the singer was on top of the world. The album would go on to become multi-platinum and produce the guilty-pleasure single "Baby." With a movie deal, a perfume line, a clothing line and millions of teen girls squealing at the sight of him, Bieber appeared to have it all.
This fame came at a huge price, and Bieber became the artist everyone loved to hate. In an attempt to appeal to an audience other than 12-year-old girls, Bieber released his second studio album “Believe” in 2012. While the album was successful commercially, he sounded a bit like a wannabe-Timberlake throughout the album — it all went downhill from there. During this time, he was becoming more famous for his crazy antics than his music.
"Purpose" could not have come at a more perfect moment because it serves as the comeback Bieber needed to save his career. The album is a real departure from the corny dance tracks of “My World” and the “trying too hard to be cool” feel of “Believe." "Purpose" is where Bieber starts to come into his own as an artist. Highlights of the album are the R&B style, the track "No Pressure" featuring Big Sean and the club banger "Conversations." With the success of the album’s lead single "What Do You Mean?" on the charts, Bieber proves he has an ability to stay relevant in the ever changing music industry.
Less controversial but equally as popular as Bieber is the London boy band One Direction. Love it or hate it, no one can deny the tremendous success One Direction has had. Since coming in third place on the X-Factor U.K in 2010, the boys have released four studio albums, all reaching number one in the U.S. charts. The group took a major blow when Zayn Malik (arguably the group's best singer) announced he would be leaving the group earlier this year. Despite this, the other four were determined to keep recording and eight months later, they released "Made In The A.M."
"Made in the A.M" is mediocre at best. It's a shame, because this group does have talent. Take, for instance, its cover of Rihanna's "FourFiveSeconds," which demonstrated serious vocal ability. However, its albums often sound like they were thrown together in two months, and its latest effort is no exception. While the highlights of the album are "Wolf" and "Drag Me Down," by the time the fifth track of the album "End of the Day" comes on, it becomes a bit boring.
One Direction has never been good at reinventing itself, and this album sounds so much like its previous record, "Four." It represents the typical boy band whose overall image far surpasses the quality of the music it releases.
How do these albums mesh up against each other? For starters these albums are really different from one another. Bieber's album represents the start of a new era, as he is experimenting with different sounds. One Direction's, on the other hand, represents an end of an era, as the boys announced they would be taking a much needed hiatus in March. While Bieber has the stronger album, I would not call his album exceptional, though it is not as bad as I thought it would be.
I believe that neither of these records will even be remembered twenty years from now. That may not be a bad thing because these albums were not made to be classics, but rather appeal to their fan bases — if that was the goal, then both artists can call their albums successful.
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Reach the reporter at obie.dieke@asu.edu, or follow @20crowndancer14 on Twitter.
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