BIEBER RE-LAUNCHES

Justin Bieber is back.

The RBMG/Def Jam superstar, having cracked the Top 10 with his Diplo collabo, “Where Are U Now” clearly now has a new hit all his own with “What Do You Mean?” He performed the track to great fanfare on Sunday night’s VMAs, and he’s having a huge week at radio, with the song going everywhere (it’s already #23 on the Building Mediabase Pop chart and earned a remarkable 165 adds on impact). The song is #1 at iTunes in the U.S. and has topped the download dispensary’s singles chart in 87 countries.

It’s also become a streaming phenomenon. According to Def Jam, “What Do You Mean?” had its biggest day at Spotify on Monday, with just south of 1.5m plays. In its four days of availability, the track has registered 1.2m Friday, 1.3m Saturday, 1.2m Sunday before jumping to 1.48m Monday following the VMAs. Only One Direction’s “Drag Me Down” has exceeded these daily totals in 2015.

This is an extraordinary turn of events for an artist whose career had been the subject of much hand-wringing in the past couple of years. Tabloid exploits and a seemingly diminished commercial impact suggested that perhaps the Bieber reign was over. But the one-two punch of his Diplo hit and “What Do You Mean?” demonstrate that the young star is starting a strong new chapter, with updated sounds and a new creative energy.

How big will this hit—and his new album, due on 11/13—become? Stay tuned.