Justin Bieber was spotted in Greece over the weekend, putting finishing touches on his anticipated new album. Iceland was next on the globe-trotting superstar’s “To-Do List.”
The news comes amid the singer’s smash single “What Do You Mean?” retaining its top spot on Australia’s national sales chart for a third week — which is its longest stay in that position on the ARIA chart — and returning to No. 1 in the U.K., where it is now certified silver.
Congratulations to @justinbieber , who is back in the Official Chart No.1 spot with ‘What Do You Mean’. pic.twitter.com/pYLG7JjN6W
— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) September 18, 2015
What Do You Mean? by @JustinBieber notches up its third week at #1 on the #ARIACharts ! http://t.co/fuGHXhyNUj
— ARIA (@ARIA_Official) September 19, 2015
JUSTIN BIEBER’s ‘What Do You Mean’ is certified Silver in the UK. http://t.co/fcH6G6Be36 #MusicNews pic.twitter.com/UbYTuOOsgN
— Pressparty (@Pressparty) September 18, 2015
Justin’s visit to Greece adds another country to the list of places where he has worked on the record, and comes after the 21-year-old promoted “Mean” in Europe last week. He also made a stopover in Iceland on Monday.
The Canadian was spotted on the Greek island of Santorini by a fan on Sunday. Confirmation came from social media posts by Black Rock Studios , which is where the singer was recording .
Bieber and his videographer, Rory Kramer, also mentioned Greece in Instagram photo captions before subsequently changing them.
Kramer also posted a Snapchat video from Iceland with Chris Burkard, a self-taught photographer and artist who is famed for his landscape-centric work. Bieber reportedly told an employee at the restaurant Lemon Keflavik that the group are filming a video.
But it was Justin’s studio engineer, Josh Gudwin, and the singer’s manager, Scooter Braun, who revealed the heartthrob is at the end stage with his new album. Yesterday, Gudwin tweeted , “In a far away place picking up the final final pieces.”
In a far away place picking up the final final pieces ?
— Josh Gudwin (@YeshuaTheGudwin) September 20, 2015
Braun added , “@justinbieber @YeshuaTheGudwin the finish line ).”
@justinbieber @YeshuaTheGudwin the finish line ?
— Scooter Braun (@scooterbraun) September 21, 2015
Black Rock Studios engineer Kalimeris tweeted a shot ahead of Bieber’s session.
Getting ready for a morning session @Black_Rock_GR pic.twitter.com/zDsGX7N87G
— Kostas Kalimeris (@KalimerisK) September 20, 2015
Instagram for me isn’t always instant.. But in this case I made an exception. 10 seconds ago in Iceland. pic.twitter.com/MLRAPFc1tu
— Chris Burkard (@chrisburkard) September 21, 2015
“Mean” is the first cut from what will be Justin’s fourth studio album, which arrives November 13. The lead single was released August 28 and soared to No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes Singles Sales chart within a record-breaking five minutes, eventually topping iTunes charts around the world in 90 countries.
It also set a new record on Spotify , generating over 21 million streams in its first five days after its release and beating One Direction’s previous 20 million record when the band dropped “Drag Me Down.”
He’s an Official Chart record-breaker &now he’s back at Number 1! Bow down to @justinbieber http://t.co/2eq7k1tJiF pic.twitter.com/cRTwkd3TY7
— Official Charts (@officialcharts) September 19, 2015
#News @justinbieber ‘s What Do You Mean is this week’s most-streamed track… http://t.co/2eq7k1tJiF pic.twitter.com/nhyGlwl7Ph
— Official Charts (@officialcharts) September 20, 2015
US Single Sales: @justinbieber ‘s “What Do You Mean?” is Again #1 on Digital Songs | 128.0K in week 3 | 624.7K total | http://t.co/dDTMZDfqRM
— HeadlinePlanet.com (@headlineplanet) September 21, 2015
. @justinbieber ‘s “What Do You Mean?” + @Nelly_Mo & @Jeremih ‘s “The Fix” go Top 20 at rhythmic radio. http://t.co/ARxuUqiZPt
— HeadlinePlanet.com (@headlineplanet) September 21, 2015
. @justinbieber ‘s “What Do you Mean?” + @taylorswift13 ‘s “Wildest Dreams” surge into the Top 10 at pop radio. http://t.co/4focbGX13o
— HeadlinePlanet.com (@headlineplanet) September 20, 2015
Since then, “Mean” has topped numerous national charts, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 , and has now entered the top 10 at pop radio . It held onto the No. 1 spot on iTunes for 24 days, and has only just slipped to No. 2 on the digital download chart , conceding to Drake’s “Hotline Bling.”
In addition to sharing several picturesque shots of Greece on Instagram, Justin also posted a Kramer-directed time-lapse video, which found its way onto YouTube. The singer alluded to his Christian faith with a caption that reads, “His grace is sufficient.” [sic]
After returning to the spotlight with a new sound, and undeniable hits “Where Are Ü Now?” and “Mean,” expectation for Justin to deliver something special on his upcoming full length is sky-high, especially after right-hand songwriting partner, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, recently told Rolling Stone that the album will be Justin’s Thriller in terms of its impact.
For his part, the Biebs has said the mostly Skrillex-produced album is “very personal” and “uplifting,” and will address his tumultuous past two years and things he feels he cannot say in the press, but is intended to inspire others to overcome difficulties.
VIDEO. Justin Bieber : « Je voulais dire pardon » http://t.co/DSY32tRJ6F
— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) September 19, 2015
In a more recent in-depth interview with France’s Le Parisien newspaper, the young star described the album as his “most intimate” yet. This is definitely a watershed period for Bieber, as he moves definitively from his teen era and later troubles into adult music making and an evidently maturer outlook .
Despite the media recently overplaying Bieber’s briefly expressed frustration with a cameraman on the Today Show , and Jimmy Fallon’s reveal that the singer backed out of a sketch at the last minute , Bieber’s successful comeback and new music renaissance continues.
[Images via TF1]