Thanks to the video for his new single release Ghost, Justin Bieber has just become the most wanted grandson in the world. Why so? He goes shopping at Gucci for his grandmother. Who would not want a grandson like that? I do.
I do not know how the real-life Bieber is with his grand folks, but if the video directed by Colin Tilley is any indication, then he must be a sweet, loving, doting and most of all, generous grandson.
Ghost is a song about coping with the death of a loved one. I would have thought that an unlikely subject for a young star like Bieber. Too serious. But it comes off very well. Done in his simple laidback style but affecting just the same, Ghost effortlessly juggles grief and hope while depicting forever love.
Since the love that you left is all that I get
I want you to know that if I can’t be close to you
I settle for the ghost of you
I miss you more than life. (More than life)
The video is shot against the chicest of settings, the aspirational lifestyle of money coupled with good taste. Of course, Bieber takes the lead as the nice young man and in keeping with the stylish surroundings, he is the perfect fashion plate. But, note that even chicer is his co-star, the lovely actress and fashion icon Diane Keaton.
Remember her in Annie Hall? Keaton won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in that movie. At the same time, she also set a fashion trend. Hats, little vests, neckties, boots, the eyeglasses, etc. The plot of Annie Hall seems dated in retrospect but the fashion influence lingers and takes center stage from time to time.
And that is how Keaton comes across in the Ghost video. As Bieber’s grieving grandmother, she is so tres chic as far as her wardrobe is concerned. Comme des Garcon, Aime Leon Dore, which Bieber matches with St. Laurent, Vuitton and others. You can expect sales of hats and belts to perk up after seeing how Keaton looks in them. You can also add pearl necklaces in men’s clothing stores as Bieber sports one throughout the video.
Ghost is the latest in a series of strategic moves calculated to keep Bieber top of mind as today’s biggest music star. It is a fact that he has matured into an incredible artist with an uncanny knowledge of what will sell and how to sell it. He has the goods.
But even the most commercial music needs the right media push. Bieber gets that with everything he does. Whoever is behind this campaign is a genius. Beliebers respond by spending time and money on his music resulting in billions in sales.
Bieber now has 95 billion in streams and 70 million albums sold. And still streaming and selling. He leads Spotify Global with 75 million monthly listeners. The kid who once busked on the streets of Toronto is now a huge success.
Aside from Ghost, there are three more singles released out of his album Justice. These are Red Eye, Angels Speak and a song for his wife titled Hailey. With these, the album, which has been streamed nine billion times globally, is now titled Justice: The Complete Edition.
Then, there is the documentary Justin Bieber: Our World, directed by Michael Ratner. This takes viewers through a month in Bieber’s life while he is putting together his first live concert in three years and up to the actual show itself.
So it is backstage, onstage, at home with Hailey, working with his team until the culmination at the rooftop of the Beverly Hilton for the T-Mobile Presents New Year’s Eve with Justine Bieber concert last Dec. 31, 2020. Of course, it was done all with strict anti-COVID-19 protocols in place.
There were only 240 invited guests in the venue but the concert was streamed to millions all over the world. That audience just got bigger last week when Amazon made the concert available online. That was another shrewd but I must say right move for Bieber.
Am now keeping watch on what he will do next and on which guys around will be wearing pearl necklaces and also on grannies with a high fashion wardrobe.