Song of the Week: 'Boyfriend,' Justin Bieber

Courtesy of Paramount PicturesJustin Bieber enters his blue period.

The problem with being Justin Bieber is that eventually youve got to grow up. All of those kids who went crazy for "Baby" and "U Smile" in 2010 are two years older and more discerning; eventually, theyll be down at the college radio station spinning Wild Flag and Beach House, aggressively disowning their preteen folly. How does an artist who specializes in anodyne professions of puppy love stay relevant as his fan base ages along with him? Has the time come for Justin Bieber to get sexy?

Bieber, who just turned 18, has decided that the answer is yes. "Boyfriend," the lead single from his upcoming "Believe," doesnt alter the lyrical formula too much, but the stars delivery much of the song is rapped in a hoarse whisper is far more suggestive than its ever been before. Bieber has always drawn from hip-hop, but for "Boyfriend," hes jumped into the deep end, affixing a woofer-shaking bass to the track and boasting about his swag and all the money hes got. (He also mentions eating fondue, which is a head-scratcher, but you cant expect him to turn into Soulja Boy overnight.) "Tell me what you like, tell me what you dont," he coos to the object of affection, sounding as lascivious as the randy emcees in the Ying-Yang Twins on the near-pornographic "Wait." Then, in the very same raspy breath, he compares himself to Buzz Lightyear. Yup, this awkward in-between stage could take a little getting used to.

Like other recently minted teen heartthrobs Joe of the Jonas Brothers, for instance Bieber has decided to model his first tentative moves on the grown-up market on those made by Justin Timberlake after his break with *NSYNC. As the last man to escape the boy band cellblock, Ti! mberlake is held in the highest esteem by all young pop stars looking to translate next-big-thing hysteria into a sustainable mainstream career. Its tough to remember now, but JT was once a "Star Search" hopeful and a charter member of the Mickey Mouse Club. He, like Bieber, was regularly dismissed as prefab lightweight; even in *NSYNC, he was often unfavorably compared to JC Chasez and Lance Bass. Timberlake beat long odds by jumping ship seconds before the boy band revival grew stale and by hiring hip-hop producers to toughen his sound and to make him sound more adult. The Neptunes worked on his first single; Timbaland and his protg Nate "Danga" Hills were responsible for most of his big hits. Timberlake let the producers run wild on "FutureSex/LoveSounds," his second disc; not everybody loved the aggressive pop experiments on the album, but it completed the stars transition from a tyro on puppet strings to an ambitious artist with a long future in the spotlight.

On "Boyfriend," Justin Bieber has turned to a rap-friendly producer, too: Hes hired Mike Posner, unctuous singer of the provocative club hits "Cooler Than Me" and "Looks Like Sex." Posner, too, has modeled his career on Timberlake, writing hip-hop inflected synthpop songs that emphasize his swagger and sexuality. Posner, who co-wrote "Boyfriend," keeps the opening to the track as spare as possible: Its just a repeating snare hit, some synthesized tom drums, a whistle and Justin Biebers rapping. Thirty seconds go by before Biebers trademark guitar and falsetto kick in, and even those are boldly chopped up by Posner, whose skill at digital manipulation has been demonstrated on his own records. Posner lacks the imagination of Timbaland, and the fundamentally goofy Bieber is miles removed from suave Justin Timberlake. But check the charts: "Boyfriend" is already No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. For the time being, his audience remains spellbound, and everything he does is going to get widespread attention. This means that his stumbles toward adultho! od will happen with the world watching, which is going to be painful at times. But hes still got a very good chance of making the brutal transition from kid star to real star with his artistry and his sanity intact.