The swine flu may be over, but the Justin Bieber Fever is a pandemic that is spreading like wildfire through teenage hearts all over the country. Girls scream at the very sight of his luscious, golden locks of hair that he casually flips every 20 seconds and buy his concert tickets the moment they go on sale. They listen to all of his artfully crafted music on repeat and wear his face on their shirts.
Really teenage America? Give me a break.
I’ll admit it. I once caught the Bieber fever for maybe 20 seconds. I watched him at his first concert at Red, White and Boom 13 in 2009 and thought to myself, “Awwww! What a cute little kid up there playing the guitar!” but I didn’t pay too much attention. To me, he was just another performer playing to waste time before David Cook came on the stage. His music was actually pretty decent, but he was playing acoustically without the computerized beats.
I’m one of those people who will find a song three months before it becomes popular and listen to it constantly. This happened with me and JB. My friend and I listened to “One Time” over and over, but when it became popular, I was done. It was deleted off my iPod and never put back on. The only time I listen to him anymore is when one of his songs comes on the radio and then I automatically change it to another station.
Don’t get me wrong, I can see why a lot of pre-teenage girls have a thing for him. I mean, to a 12-year-old girl, he’s Brad Pitt. But to me, he’s just another artist trying to make it big. Now people are saying that he is the next Michael Jackson? I don’t think that this 16-year-old Canadian will ever live up to the legacy that the King of Pop left behind. He could be the “duke of pop” or the “earl of pop,” but not the king.
I’m not the only one in the school that hasn’t caught the Bieber Fever.
“He’s very overrated,” senior Geoffrey Wright said. “Listen to his natural voice compared with his recorded voice, he’s not a very good natural singer.”
Nowadays, most pop musicians use what is known as AutoTune. This software allows them to sound in tune on the CD even if they are not singing in tune in the studio.
Believe it or not, Justin Bieber has actually already gone through puberty and is now working with vocal coaches to keep his voice from changing more. Not all artists can be like Justin Timberlake, who flawlessly transitioned vocally from his beginning in ‘NYSNC to his solo career. I don’t know how long a voice coach can keep nature from taking its course, but no amount of training is going to keep Bieber’s voice where it is now.
“So give me the night to show you, hold you. Don’t leave me dancin’ alone,” says his song “Eenie Meenie” … sorry Justin, but that’s where you belong.