My World 2.0

Background and composition

In 2009, in an interview with Billboard at the Z100 Jingle Ball, Bieber explained the reasoning behind splitting his debut release into two parts, My World and My World 2.0. Bieber said that people do not want to wait "over a year and half" for new music, and it was decided best to give it in parts. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Bieber stated, "I wanted to do something that was a little bit more R&B and that could reach out to everyone. I just wanted to be able to show my vocal abilities." In a piece with The New York Times Bieber stated that most of the production took place in Atlanta, and confirmed collaborating again with Tricky Stewart and The-Dream. Bieber said, that he was hoping that the album would be much better, considering that My World was his first time in a studio, calling himself "a rookie last album because it was during my first year."

The album has been described as "edgier and more mature" than its predecessor, and also has a more prominent R&B feel to it. Bieber stated, "I wanted to do something that was a little bit more R&B and that could reach out to everyone. I just wanted to be able to show my vocal abilities." Sara Anderson of AOL Music commented that "his sophomore release also showcases pop-y and hip-hop fused tracks". The record has also been said to mine "vintage teen-pop themes" but play as "2010-model bubblegum". It has also been called "catchy, upbeat and dreamy", bringing to mind "smash dance hits". The lyrical content consists of "necessary us-against-the-world teen-love dramatics." Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone commented that, "As long as there has been rock & roll, there have been pretty-boy singers like Bieber, offering a gentle introduction to the mysteries and heartaches of adolescence: songs flushed with romance but notably free of sex itself."

The album's lead single, "Baby", coined by Rolling Stone as a "consciously crafted throwback" draws from fifties music and doo-wop while incorporating a hip-hop influence. The lyrical contents refer to the departure of a first love in lines such as, "And I wanna play it cool/But I'm losin' you…/I'm in pieces/Baby fix me…." Monica Herrera of Billboard said that "Somebody to Love" and "Eenie Meenie" were "hardwired for Top 40". "Somebody to Love" contains influences of European music, notably dance and disco, and is a "straightforward plea for a soul mate". "Eenie Meenie" has been described as "sultry reggaton", and references childhood rhymes. Two of the album's tracks, "Runaway Love" and "U Smile" echo Motown, and critics claimed the tracks go beyond Bieber's demographic. The first has been compared to the work of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, influenced by funk and disco. The song has been described as "lush" and "sauntering", giving off a summer vibe. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times said "Runaway Love" was a "winning amalgam" of New Edition and Depeche Mode's "Policy of Truth." However, the song's "breezy groove" has been said to reminisce Janet Jackson's "Runaway" and Justin Timberlake's "Rock Your Body." The latter, "U Smile", compared to Hall & Oates, has a "bluesy" feel, and makes use of metaphors such as, "You are my ends and my means/With you there's no in between."

Andy Kellman of Allmusic commented that the album's ballads could be considered adult contemporary "if the singer happened to be of age". The album's ballads, such as "Never Let You Go" and "Stuck in the Moment" mix "love-struck lyrics with big, lovable, choruses". The previous has been noted to have distinct similarities to Chris Brown's "Forever", while the latter makes references to doomed couples such as Romeo & Juliet, Bonnie & Clyde and Sonny & Cher. In "That Should Be Me", a "sobbing ballad", Bieber "plays the scorned ex", with lyrics like, "Did you forget all the plans that you made with me?". "Up"'s lyrics have Bieber realize love makes him invulnerable as he sings about how a relationship can only get better, with exaggerated lines such as, "We'll take it to the sky/Past the moon/Through the galaxies." A Wal-Mart bonus track, "Where Are You Now", an extension of sorts of My World 's "Down To Earth", focuses on Bieber's feelings after his parents' splitting up.

Singles

"Baby" featuring Ludacris, was released as the album's lead single on January 18, 2010, and it went on to impacted the mainstream and rhythmic radio formats. The song had held Bieber's highest peaks, reaching number three and five, respectively in Canada and the United States, and it charted in the top ten of five other countries.

"Somebody to Love" was sent to mainstream and rhythmic radio as the album's second single on April 20, 2010. It has reached and released into the top twenty in most of the countries.

"U Smile", which was originally released as the second digital single, was played on the mainstream radio as the album's third single on August 24, 2010, and in on September 6, 2010. It has already peaked at numbers 17 and 21 in Canada and the United States, respectively. It also peaked at number 98 in the United Kingdom due to strong digital downloads.

"Never Let You Go" was released as the first digital-only single from the album on March 2, 2010. It debuted at numbers 14 and 21 in Canada and the United States, respectively. The song has an accompanying video, which was shot at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. It was thought to be the album's second single, but is unknown since "Somebody to Love" was sent to radio as the second single.

Promotion

As he did with My World, Bieber went on a radio promotion spree in addition to other appearances. Bieber performed in Berlin for the The Dome 53 on March 5, 2010. In the United Kingdom he appeared on British talk show Alan Carr: Chatty Man,on breakfast television show GMTV, and on Live from Studio Five. Bieber performed several songs from My World and My World 2.0 on QVC's "Q Sessions" on March 9, when his album was up for pre-sale on the network. He and Selena Gomez performed at a concert at the Houston Rodeo on March 21. Bieber also appeared on ABC's Nightline and in a CBS News segment interview with Katie Couric. on He also performed on The View on March 23, and returned on the show for the March 24, episode, during which he also performed on BET's 106 & Park and the Late Show with David Letterman. Bieber followed up the album with performances at the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards on March 27, 2010 and as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live in April. Bieber also promoted the album on The Oprah Winfrey Show on May 11, 2010, and performed on this season's American Idol. Bieber continued the album's promotion by performing on The Today Show on June 4, 2010 and on June 19 at the "MuchMusic Awards".

Critical reception

My World 2.0 received an average score of 68 of 100 at music review aggregator Metacritic. Andy Kellman of Allmusic has the album at a rating of four out of five stars, praising the album for its "upbeat R&B-flavored pop songs" along with Bieber's ballads that "might be termed adult contemporary if the singer happened to be of age". He also complimented the dance-pop songs, calling them, "light on the ears yet memorable; and that "the unrequited material sounds deeply felt; the ballads have all the necessary us-against-the-world teen-love dramatics." Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B rating, stating that it "won't likely affect any adults not in the direct blast radius of Bieber's target range", however she praised his "R&B swagger" which reminded her " of early-days Usher and Justin Timberlake", along with commending the song "U Smile" as a "shimmery slice of Hall & Oates-style blue-eyed souland", and finally stating "there's real talent, it seems, under all that hair."

However, Sputnikmusic's Rudy Klapper found that his producers "do him little favors" and commented on its substance, "Nearly every song requires some sort of suspension of belief thanks to the lyrics, but if one ignores just what bull*** Bieber is spewing at any given time, My World 2.0 reveals itself as a largely unobjectionable slice of harmless pop music." Luke O'Neil of The Boston Globe criticized the music's "recycling" of different styles and wrote in conclusion, "will anyone care about this record of au courant R&B, soul, and junior high pop five minutes into the future? Give it some time." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called the album "an amiable collection of age-appropriate panting with intermittent bursts of misplaced precociousness", but added that "Bieber's fumbles are easily muffled by his production — more technology — which, while less ambitious here than on his debut EP, is still brutally effective." Rolling Stone gave it three out of five stars and called it "a seriously good pop record, one that mines vintage teen-pop themes but plays like a primer on 2010-model bubblegum."

Track listing

The track listing was confirmed on Bieber's official website on February 26, 2010.

Release history