Bigger (Justin Bieber song)
Encyclopedia
"Bigger" is a song by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber
, included as a track on his debut release, My World, released on November 17, 2009. It was written by Bieber, Dapo Torimiro
and Lonny Breaux (Frank Ocean
), Kevin Risto and Waynne Nugent of Midi Mafia
, with the latter duo and Torimiro producing the song. Musically, the song is a R&B
number which infuses elements of teen pop
and dance-pop
, while including influences of new jack swing
. The song's lyrics refer to one maturing in a relationship and working to reach goals. The song received generally positive reception from critics who reviewed the album, with a Billboard
reviewer commenting that Bieber had "genuine swagger" on the song. Some reviews however questioned the lyrical content. After the release of My World, due to digital sales, the song charted in the lower regions of charts in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan.
, as one of the two songs they worked with Bieber on, the other being the ballad "Down to Earth." Songwriters Lonny Breaux and Dapo Torimiro
also wrote the song, while Midi Mafia and Torimiro have production credits. It was recorded at Icon Studios in Atlanta, Georgia
, and it was mixed at Larrabee Studios in North Hollywood, California. The track was one of three songs on the standard edition of the album that Bieber co-wrote.
"Bigger", described as moderately fast, is a R&B
song with a length of three minutes and seventeen seconds, with inclinations toward teen pop
and dance-pop
. According to a review of My World by Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
, the song is influenced by new jack swing
, as well as the music of Guy
. The song is set in common time
, and has a tempo of 104 beats per minute. It is written in the key
of C minor
, and Bieber's vocals do not deviate far, only spanning from the low note of C4 to the high note of E5. It features the chord patterns Cm11 and Fm9. The song's lyrics see the protagonist professing to their love interest how they have matured, in lines such as "I was a player when I was little, but I'm bigger." Lyrically, the song also speaks of rebuffing anyone that comes in between his reaching goals, in lines like "And all the haters I swear they look so small from up here..."
reviewed the song positively, commenting," that Bieber has "genuine swagger on the nimble R&B track." Jon Caramanica complimented the song as one of the carefree tracks on the album, as he was skeptical of the lyrical content in "First Dance" but on "Bigger", the writer said, "earplugs back in, young ladies." Although Ashante Infantry of Toronto Star
said a turn-off of the song was the "Mafia" tag by the production team, Midi Mafia, at the beginning of the song, she called "Bigger" one of the best tracks on the album. In a review of My Worlds
Mike Diver of BBC Music Blog said that the phrase "I was a player when I was little," was one of the several "awkward lyrical moments" on the album and said that it left "one to hope he’s talking about Little League rather than chasing skirt."
and the Canadian Hot 100
. The song debuted at number forty-nine on the Hot Digital Songs
chart in the US, and therefore consecutively appeared at number ninety-four on the Hot 100. In Canada, it debuted at number seventy-eight. It dropped off both charts the following week. "Bigger" also appeared at number ninety-six on the Japan Hot 100
. In both territories it was also the second highest non-previously released song from My World to appear on the charts. In the United Kingdom, after the release of My World, "Bigger" appeared at number 162.
Source
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
, included as a track on his debut release, My World, released on November 17, 2009. It was written by Bieber, Dapo Torimiro
Dapo Torimiro
Dapo Torimiro is a multi-platinum songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he has worked in the music industry in the U.S...
and Lonny Breaux (Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean
Christopher Francis Ocean , better known by his stage name Frank Ocean, is an American singer-songwriter and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a member of OFWGKTA.-2005-2010: Career beginnings:...
), Kevin Risto and Waynne Nugent of Midi Mafia
Midi Mafia
Midi Mafia is a hip hop/R&B production duo consisting of American Bruce Waynne from Brooklyn, New York and Canadian Dirty Swift from Ottawa, Ontario...
, with the latter duo and Torimiro producing the song. Musically, the song is a R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
number which infuses elements of teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
and dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
, while including influences of new jack swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
. The song's lyrics refer to one maturing in a relationship and working to reach goals. The song received generally positive reception from critics who reviewed the album, with a Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
reviewer commenting that Bieber had "genuine swagger" on the song. Some reviews however questioned the lyrical content. After the release of My World, due to digital sales, the song charted in the lower regions of charts in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan.
Background and composition
"Bigger" was co-written by Bieber, Kevin Risto and Waynne Nugent of Midi MafiaMidi Mafia
Midi Mafia is a hip hop/R&B production duo consisting of American Bruce Waynne from Brooklyn, New York and Canadian Dirty Swift from Ottawa, Ontario...
, as one of the two songs they worked with Bieber on, the other being the ballad "Down to Earth." Songwriters Lonny Breaux and Dapo Torimiro
Dapo Torimiro
Dapo Torimiro is a multi-platinum songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he has worked in the music industry in the U.S...
also wrote the song, while Midi Mafia and Torimiro have production credits. It was recorded at Icon Studios in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and it was mixed at Larrabee Studios in North Hollywood, California. The track was one of three songs on the standard edition of the album that Bieber co-wrote.
"Bigger", described as moderately fast, is a R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
song with a length of three minutes and seventeen seconds, with inclinations toward teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
and dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
. According to a review of My World by Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, the song is influenced by new jack swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
, as well as the music of Guy
Guy (band)
Guy are a hip hop, R&B and soul band most closely associated with the new jack swing style of the 1980s and 1990s.-Origins :Guy was formed in Harlem, New York in 1987 by R&B singer-songwriters Aaron Hall, young musician/record producer Teddy Riley and Timmy Gatling...
. The song is set in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
, and has a tempo of 104 beats per minute. It is written in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of C minor
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The harmonic minor raises the B to B. Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with naturals and accidentals as necessary.Its key signature consists of three flats...
, and Bieber's vocals do not deviate far, only spanning from the low note of C4 to the high note of E5. It features the chord patterns Cm11 and Fm9. The song's lyrics see the protagonist professing to their love interest how they have matured, in lines such as "I was a player when I was little, but I'm bigger." Lyrically, the song also speaks of rebuffing anyone that comes in between his reaching goals, in lines like "And all the haters I swear they look so small from up here..."
Reception
Critical reception
In calling Bieber's vocals "boyish as they are disarmingly mature", Monica Herrerra of BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
reviewed the song positively, commenting," that Bieber has "genuine swagger on the nimble R&B track." Jon Caramanica complimented the song as one of the carefree tracks on the album, as he was skeptical of the lyrical content in "First Dance" but on "Bigger", the writer said, "earplugs back in, young ladies." Although Ashante Infantry of Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
said a turn-off of the song was the "Mafia" tag by the production team, Midi Mafia, at the beginning of the song, she called "Bigger" one of the best tracks on the album. In a review of My Worlds
My World 2.0
My World 2.0 is the latter of two-part debut studio album from Canadian singer Justin Bieber, and is his first full studio release. The album is the follow-up to the first platinum certified half of the album, which was released on November 17, 2009, via Island Records, and 2.0 was first released...
Mike Diver of BBC Music Blog said that the phrase "I was a player when I was little," was one of the several "awkward lyrical moments" on the album and said that it left "one to hope he’s talking about Little League rather than chasing skirt."
Chart performance
On the week ending December 5, 2009, due to digital sales after the release of My World, "Bigger" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. The song debuted at number forty-nine on the Hot Digital Songs
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
chart in the US, and therefore consecutively appeared at number ninety-four on the Hot 100. In Canada, it debuted at number seventy-eight. It dropped off both charts the following week. "Bigger" also appeared at number ninety-six on the Japan Hot 100
Japan Hot 100
The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com ....
. In both territories it was also the second highest non-previously released song from My World to appear on the charts. In the United Kingdom, after the release of My World, "Bigger" appeared at number 162.
Credits and personnel
- Songwriting - Justin BieberJustin BieberJustin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
, Dapo TorimiroDapo TorimiroDapo Torimiro is a multi-platinum songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he has worked in the music industry in the U.S...
, Kevin Risto, Waynne NugentMidi MafiaMidi Mafia is a hip hop/R&B production duo consisting of American Bruce Waynne from Brooklyn, New York and Canadian Dirty Swift from Ottawa, Ontario...
, Lonny BreauxFrank OceanChristopher Francis Ocean , better known by his stage name Frank Ocean, is an American singer-songwriter and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a member of OFWGKTA.-2005-2010: Career beginnings:... - ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- Dapo Torimiro, Midi Mafia - Vocal recordingSound recording and reproductionSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
- Chris Krauss - Vocal productionSound recording and reproductionSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
- Kevin Risto - MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Jaycen-Joshua Fowler and Dave Pensado, assisted by Giancarlo Lino.
Source
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japan (Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... ) |
96 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... ) |
162 |