FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

Dammit, the Justin Bieber/Jack Ü Collab Video is Actually Pretty Rad

Diplo and Skrillex prove, yet again, that they can flip expectations about what defines pop, EDM, and dance music, all while seemingly just fucking about.

We are, as much as any self-respecting human should be, inclined to reject anything Justin Bieber is involved with, even if it involves two of stateside dance music's biggest characters, Skrillex and Diplo. So when we saw the trio's collaborative video for "Where Are Ü Now" and found out it was actually quite rad, we were forced to re-address pretty much every aspect of our identities.

When we heard the tune a few months ago, sure, we were a little impressed. The cheeseball-adjacent sapfest of a verse is all Bieber doing his thing, but when the deeper house beat kicks in with that copy-pasted strings sample wedged in, there's a definitely danceable quality to proceedings.

Advertisement

The video features Bieber making sadboy eyes at the camera at the offset, but much like the tune itself, the introduction of the house beat brings in an unexpected level of artistry.

Kids from all over were invited to take part in the video by making art on canvases that were then superimposed onto the video, creating a swirling, immersive effect that is somewhere between the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Jackson Pollock. Even Bieber's questionable dance moves somehow manage to work.

This all fits in like a glove with the Jack Ü ethos. Diplo and Skrillex prove, yet again, that they can flip expectations about what defines pop, EDM, and dance music as a whole, while toeing the line between making art and just totally fucking about. Credit where credit is due, this one's a win.

Jack Ü is on Facebook // SoundCloud