While Spotify paved the way for how it will expand its features for artists and fans at its first-ever Stream On event on Monday (Feb. 22), the streaming service had one surprise at the end: an exclusive performance from Justin Bieber.
Bieber, whose more than 63 million monthly Spotify listeners make him the second most-streamed artist in the world, brought the bravado that earned him that kind of career milestone to a dynamic stage. He found something “sacred” about a candlelit underground lounge for his first song with his band, before streaks of white light and embers lit up a “lonely” Bieber on what appeared to be a road through the middle of the desert.
Still, the second half of his performance turned Benny Blanco’s tender piano-driven melody into an electronic groove with trap overtones and automatically tuned vocals. As cooling waves marked the end of his red-hot performance, the pop superstar reappeared on a platform overlooking a sea of clouds swarming through mountains to end his set of “Anyone” before transforming into a flock of birds that fly away.