Where Are Ü Now

"Where Are Ü Now" is a song produced by American EDM artists Skrillex and Diplo under their collaborative effort Jack Ü, with vocals from Canadian singer Justin Bieber. The song was released as the second single from the duo's debut studio album, ''Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü'' (2015), on their respective labels Owsla and Mad Decent, and is also included on Bieber's fourth studio album '' Purpose'' (2015). It was released simultaneously with the album on February 27, 2015, later sent to mainstream radio on April 21, 2015.

Initially, a demo was written by Bieber as a piano ballad titled "The Most"; however, Bieber decided to send the track to the duo, who transformed the track into electronic dance music, but maintained the original lyrics. The song main's instrumentation consists in sharp dancehall stabs and an Eastern melody. Lyrically, "Where Are Ü Now" talks about caring and praying for an ex who didn't return the favor, and longing for someone who could comfort him in his time of need.

The song was featured on several year-end list of best songs of 2015, being at the top of two publications. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. Commercially, the song peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving both Skrillex and Diplo their first top 10 single on the chart, also giving Bieber his sixth. Internationally, the song has peaked within the top-ten of the charts in eight countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Background and recording

While writing with Poo Bear for his upcoming album at the time, Justin Bieber heard a demo of an instrumental piano ballad Boyd did with Karl Rubin and enjoyed it, calling it "special". Later, he and Boyd, "bounced words and melodies back and forth over an instrumental track; when they had the lyrics, Bieber sang take after take so Poo Bear could edit together the best reading of every line and every syllable." The song was recorded as a piano ballad and it took an hour and a half to be recorded. According to Bieber, he didn't want it to be raw, he wanted it to be perfect." Later, in September 2014, during Fashion Week and at an Alexander Wang event, Skrillex and Diplo contacted Bieber's manager Scooter Braun claiming that they were looking for vocal tracks for the debut album by their dance duo Jack Ü and asked him if Bieber had new material. Braun responded positively, claiming that he had an amazing vocal from Bieber with only piano and sent it to Diplo, without Bieber's consent. They decided to collaborate with Bieber as it would be unexpected.

As ''The New York Times'' writer Jon Pareles tabla." "Where Are Ü Now" was released as the duo's second single from their debut album, ''Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü'' (2015) on February 27, 2015, and was later released as a bonus track on Bieber's fourth studio album, '' Purpose'' (2015). The original version, titled "The Most", was also released as a bonus track on the Japanese version of ''Purpose''.

Composition

"Where Are Ü Now" was written by Sonny "Skrillex" Moore and Thomas Wesley "Diplo" Pentz, Nick Kibler, Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd, Karl Rubin Brutus, and Jordan Ware, and produced by Skrillex and Diplo. The song was composed in G major with a moderately fast tempo of 140 beats per minute and a time signature of . Bieber's vocal range spans from the low note of E3 to the high note of B4. Its instrumentation consists in "fluterring synths", skipping tropical house beats and acres of space, as well as sharp dancehall stabs and an Eastern melody. It features a prominent sound effect that Skrillex has termed "The Dolphin": a chunk of Justin Bieber's vocals that has been worked over and processed into oblivion, turning into a high-pitched squealing sound during the drop. ''The New York Times'' released a video showing how the song was assembled using Ableton Live. As Pareles explained, "The song opens hushed and hovering, with a stereo panning whoosh, four somber piano chords and Bieber's electronically stuttered voice, leading into a mournful verse about a friend or lover he helped, who has now abandoned him. Eventually a dance beat kicks in and a mysterious, flutelike squiggle — hichSkrillex calls it the 'dolphin' — announces itself again and again as the vocals all but disappear, ithjust the occasional refrain, 'Where are you now that I need you?.'" He continued: "Halfway through, the track pauses, then offers another hymnlike verse; the dance beat returns, a little pushier with electronic handclaps, and the refrain and 'dolphin' carry the song to the end, with a final, echoing 'I need you the most.'"

Lyrically, "Where Are Ü Now" talks about caring and praying for an ex who didn't return the favor, with Bieber yearning for compassion amidst a sea of loneliness. He sings: "When you broke down I didn't leave you/ … I was on my knees when nobody else was praying, oh Lord." In another part, he complains: "I gave you the key when the door wasn't open, just admit it ..See, I gave you faith, turned your doubt into hoping, can't deny it, Now I'm all alone and my joys turned to moping." Some critics, such as ''Complex'' Khal, pointed out that it "finds him writing what could be a note to anyone—or, ahem, Selena Gomez—who might have left him during his turbulent 2014, longing for someone who could comfort him in his time of need." For Sam Corey of ''The Huffington Post'', during the song "Bieber has been posing quite a few existential questions about his love life," noting that lyrically the song "is a serpentine trip through the emotions of despair, codependence and anxious-ambivalence," as he recalls for his long lost love with Gomez. He also observed that the song "serves as a dark portrait of a man struggling to find himself outside of the confines of a woman's love." For Emily Yoshida of ''The Verge'', "'Where Are Ü Now' is about the priceless value of the personal relationship that is forged between a fan and a pop star."

Critical reception

"Where Are Ü Now" received universal critical acclaim. ''Billboard'' Jason Lipshutz included "Where Are Ü Now" in its "Top 10 Songs of 2015 (So Far)" list, stating that " is is the Justin Bieber we've been waiting for: emotive, vulnerable and smart enough to join forces with two of electronic music's most reliable maestros. The combination of Justin Bieber's moving falsetto and Skrillex and Diplo's tangled knot of beats makes 'Where Are U Now' a deserved (and much-needed) triumph." Ryan Dombal of ''Pitchfork'' wrote the track is "unexpected in all the best ways. It tones down everything you know about Skrillex while retaining his knack for dynamics. Diplo puts his own 10-ton-glowstick tendencies aside as the song combines sharp dancehall stabs and a gloriously sad Eastern melody in a way that recalls golden-age Timbaland. And Justin Bieber sings with something akin to actual human emotion." Markus Papadatos of Digital Journal called it "superb", noting that the song "marks one of Justin Bieber's best vocal performances to date: it is soothing, controlled, delicate and most importantly, extremely radio friendly." Khal of ''Complex'' noted that "the beauty is that instead of Bieber being the main dish, he's more the icing on the cake, setting a somber tone that leads into the hypnotic, emotive track." Jon Pareles

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