A new Justin Bieber song is here — and it might just be 2017’s version of “Sorry.”
You remember “Sorry,” don’t you? The hit song from the singer’s album Purpose that was everywhere in 2015? Well, “Friends,” a collaboration with BloodPop, is absolutely in the same vein. It even features the same sort of synthesized high notes that were a hallmark of the Biebs’s biggest Purpose hits. But, you see, Justin has been “wondering about your mama / did she get that job she wanted / sold that car that gave her problems / I’m just curious about her, honest?”
And don’t worry: he knows that you know something might be up here. “Girl, you’re wondering why I’ve been calling / like I’ve got ulterior motives,” he croons, cutting you off at the chase. But while he admits that “we didn’t end this so good / but you know we had something so good.” So Justin Bieber has a proposition for you: “Can we still be friends? Doesn’t have to end / and if it ends, can we be friends?”
It’s a funny concept, being friends with an ex. Of course, if you can manage being friends after a breakup, more power to you — everyone needs friends, and friendship is often a core trait of great relationships. That said, the idea of staying in touch with your ex has been a strange fixation for many male pop stars as of late. Take Drake, who doesn’t seem to get why the girl in “Hotline Bling” stopped calling his cell phone despite the fact that they… uh, split and not calling your ex is pretty understandable. Or Ed Sheeran, who copped to Instagram-creeping an ex’s new boyfriend on his new album.
So should you stay friends with your ex? Eh, it’s debatable, and depends on where you are at in your own life and what your ex’s motives are. (If they really do want to hear about your mom, then by all means!) But will you hear “Friends” on every dance floor for the rest of 2017? It’s very, very likely. Listen below:
