While Spotify set the scene for the expansion of its features for artists and fans during the first Stream On event on Monday (February 22), the streaming service had one surprise at the end: an exclusive performance by Justin Bieber.
Bieber, whose more than 63 million monthly Spotify listeners make him the second most streamed artist in the world, has brought the bravado that brings him the career milestone to a dynamic stage. He found something sacred in an underground lounge by candlelight for his first song with his group, before streaks of white light and glow illuminated a “Lonely” Bieber on what looked like a path through the middle of the desert.
Yet the second half of his performance distorted Benny Blanco’s delicate piano – driven melody in an electronic groove with falstone and Auto-Tuned chorus. As cool waves mark the end of his red-hot performance, the pop superstar reappears on a platform overlooking a sea of clouds teeming with mountains to end his set with ‘Anyone’ before shifting into a flock of birds that fly away.