BIEBER BLOWS UP ON EURO TRIP
Justin Bieber is working it.
The Def Jam superstar, whose new full-length, Purpose, streets 11/13 and will battle for #1 against One Direction, has most recently been in Europe and the U.K., scooping up five MTV EMA trophies in Milan, performing on Italy’s X Factor, playing big shows in Spain and Norway, and sitting down with BBC Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw for a playful interview.
Insiders say he will also do an entire week on Ellen around release date, which could have a substantial impact on his retail debut.
His album is currently #4 in pre-order at iTunes, while new single “Sorry” is #2, trailing only Adele’s “Hello.” “Sorry” beat “Hello” for Most Added honors at Pop radio this week.
At U.K. radio, the first single from Purpose, previous chart-topper "What Do You Mean," has had 2,873 radio plays this past chart week and sits on the BBC Radio 1 A List. "Sorry" has had 838 and was last week added to Global's Capital FM playlist (Adele's "Hello" is tipping 3.5k U.K. radio plays since Friday). "Sorry" looks set to debut at #2 on the U.K. Official Singles Charts on Friday; it’s #2 on the U.K. iTunes chart, while Purpose is Top 10 on the albums side.
The rollout caps an extraordinary renaissance for the young artist’s career after an extremely rocky 18 months or so, as Biebs’ exceptional work ethic and the strategy of manager Scooter Braun and Steve Bartels’ Def Jam crew pays off bigtime. What’s next? Stay tuned.
