Diplo Dishes on Decision to Work with Justin Beiber

It is no secret that Jack Ü members Skrillex and Diplo think the world of Justin Beiber, no matter what all the critics have to say about the kid popular culture loves to hate. So much. He has had a rocky road since early stardom forced his career into overdrive, and for a while it seemed as though his career might fade away as a series of poor decisions overshadowed the very real and raw talent that is Justin Beiber. In an unlikely pairing, or trio I should say, Diplo and Skrillex found what was a broken Beibs, helping to nurse his career back to health and send him back on his way to super stardom.

The two dance music mega stars have taken the Beibs under their wing, seeing in him what the rest of the world was unable to, and showcasing his talents in a way that has revealed the true artistry of Justin Beiber. He has gained mad respect in the eyes of those that would have never even given him a glance or a listen. All because of these two very unlikely heroes.

Back in July, Skrillex had this to say about Justin Beiber in an interview with Billboard:

Justin is a f—ing virtuoso. He’ll school you at every-thing: Ping-Pong, basketball, freestyle rapping. The kid is so competitive. Whatever he does he’s super good at, so you don’t stand a chance. It’s not even fair.

Coming from a bonafide virtuoso, I’d say that is a pretty hefty compliment. It bears weight too. When Skrillex or Diplo have an opinion about something musically, it would behoove everyone to heed said opinions. Their word is bond.

Diplo recently, and very candidly, weighed in on how the project with Justin Beiber came into being, or beibing, if you will. Diplo opened up in a recent interview with the Fader, having this to say:

It was like a no-brainer. They had hit a place where nothing was working for them, and Justin had kinda hit rock bottom with things, like from the press, from jail, and from, like, taking his pants down at an awards show or something. I wasn’t even paying attention, but I know that he wasn’t very cool. And I was trying to really help Skrillex rebrand his own project, too. If nothing else, I thought working with Bieber would be the most noticeable thing we could do. It would be a great record, and it would make everyone really fucked up. It would make them really disappointed in themselves, and really confused, like, “How do I like this record?”
Even from day one, as I started to develop, I saw people’s perceptions of me as a producer, and they always want to put me in one box or another. Maybe that’s why I’m a target for things, because I don’t belong anywhere. If I make a record that makes people think that Justin Bieber is cool and makes them dance to it—which seems to be one of the most daunting tasks ever—then maybe people will rethink the way they think about music, you know? It’s not so dry and clear, what’s cool and what isn’t. Good music is going to be good music. He’s somebody you don’t want to like, but you like it.

What is most fascinating about this, is the common thread found between these three that helped make this record a reality. While Jack Ü is the most super supergroup in dance music, and arguably one of the most influential duos of all time, the pairing of Skrillex and Diplo was an unlikely one. Even more unlikely was their decision to work with Justin Beiber. Like Diplo says, they came together to make a record that ‘would make everyone fucked up.’ This whole ‘Where Are Ü Now,’ thing, the track, the project, the collaboration: it confuses us and disorients us, almost pisses us off when we come find we actually love this track. And by then, we are hooked and we don’t even know how we got there.

It is a track that unites three of pop music’s outlaws. Diplo also talked in this interview about being a counterculture kid, a true punk. Skrillex is also a true outlier. These two never fought their way into the mainstream. It is like they just ended up here one day, and there are still so many out there that question their abilities and hate on them so hard. It only fuels their fire, curates their art. It gives them reason and cause and purpose greater and deeper than most people will ever grasp.

That is the genius of Diplo and Skrillex, now imparted on Justin Beiber. We are watching sheer brilliance at work here.

Skrillex and Diplo – “Where Are Ü Now” with Justin Bieber

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Diplo Dishes on Decision to Work with Justin Beiber