Beliebers, look away.
In his continuing effort to be viewed as an adult artist, 18-year-old Justin Bieber has debuted a gritty new music video to compliment his dubstep-heavy radio single, “As Long As You Love Me.”
In addition to a cameo from Big Sean, who appears only briefly to deliver his verse, Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill actor Michael Madsen stars in the clip as the overprotective father of Bieber’s love interest (who is not Selena Gomez).
The dark clip begins with about a minute of dialogue between Bieber and Madsen, in which the young Romeo proclaims his love, but is told to hit the road and never look back. Bieber obliges, but with a catch: he brings his lady with him.
A car chase ensues, interspersed with dance clips, smooching and an enraged papa. In the end, the Biebs gets what’s coming to him: a violent fight for the girl.
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The short film — and the dance scene in particular — is slightly reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s “Bad,” while images of a bloodied Bieber draw obvious parallels to the pop star’s recent photo shoot with Complex Magazine.
What do you think of Bieber’s new image? Is he all grown up to you, or still the heartwarming young kid crooning “Baby” in a bowling alley? Tell us in the comments below.
Email: Sophie.Schillaci@thr.com; Twitter: @SophieSchillaci
