Justin Bieber’s Journals album has stormed to No. 1 on iTunes US and 49 other charts around the world.
The collection also soared to Top Ten positions in 73 countries [including the #1’s].
Going by one of the teen star’s Twitter messages posted shortly after the midnight Sunday drop — “It’s all about the music. Complete the #Journals. This music means everything to me (sic),” somewhere in Canada, a possibly shirtless 19-year-old is very likely beaming.
At press time, Justin and Journals are sitting pretty at the top of iTunes.
At No. 2 is Queen Beyonce with her stealth-released, self-titled, record-breaking visual album.
Avicii’s True averages at No. 3 across iTunes charts, while Katy Perry holds at No. 4 with Prism , and One Direction rounds out the Top Five with Midnight Memories.
After a 10-week roll out of consistently high quality #MusicMondays singles — including gems such as “ Heartbreake r,” “ Hold Tight ,” “ PYD ” “ All Bad ” and “ Confident “- — the series has been packaged along with five more tracks and three videos: the trailer for the Believe concert-movie, the steamy “ All That Matters ,” and a Guatemala Pencils Of Promise Journal Video.
Justin also made good on his promise to deliver 16 songs. New track “Flatline” didn’t make the cut of Journals , but was offered as a free download on iTunes.
Strictly speaking it’s not part of the new five, but “ Confident ” — Bieber’s collaboration with Chance The Rapper — belongs to the bolder, bigger sounding second chapter that’s now arrived .
Of the dub party track, the pop prince told MTV News at last week’s Believe world premiere in Los Angeles that the [Tuesday] video shoot had been a blast.
“It went incredible,” Justin said of the Collin Tilley-directed visual . “[Tilley] is super talented.”.
He added, “There’s another surprise in the video I can’t really talk about it but it’s exciting.”
So to the music: Lil Wayne sounds suitably alien-like on “ Backpack “ and the concept of a rapping, visitor being carried around in the backpack of a tattooed, teenage superstar works because we’d like to imagine what Spielberg, or possibly Cronenberg, could do with that.
“ What’s Hatnin’ Ft. Future ” stomps hard and pops electro, while “ Swap It Out ” treads lush R&B ground.
But without doubt, the standouts from the five are Big Sean and Diplo’s thoroughly different team-up with the singer on big radio hit to come “ Memphis, ” and the gleaming that is the Drake-penned “ One Life ” which Bieber signs, seals, and delivers.
Read our overview of previous Music Mondays singles here .
Meanwhile, Journals’ is holding at 50 #1’s on iTunes charts around the globe.
With Believe touching down in select theaters worldwide on Christmas Day and the singer looking at a lengthy stretch of defragging from a farcical 15-month odyssey and a year of molten headlines, Justin recently told USA Today [via email] he intends to work on finding his musical signature as an adult artist in the interim.
“I’m going to take my time to really find my sound as an adult,” the young star wrote.
“That takes time and patience, and I’m grateful I have the ability to step back and focus on my creativity.”
Journals is available on iTunes now. For full lyrics and tracklisting visit here .