Justin Bieber - Believe

Justin Bieber's Believe is the 2012 album where the teen phenomenon started reaching for something bigger, a sleeker, more grown-up pop record on a single LP.

Arriving after the fever pitch of his early hits, it found Bieber working with a heavyweight crew of collaborators and stepping confidently into dance-pop and R&B. The guest list alone shows how seriously the record was taken, with Ludacris, Big Sean, Drake and Nicki Minaj all making appearances across its thirteen tracks.

Boyfriend set the new tone, a whispery, finger-snapping single that swapped bubblegum for swagger. As Long As You Love Me pairs his voice with booming electro-pop production and a verse from Big Sean, Beauty and a Beat is a giddy, club-ready burst of synths with Nicki Minaj, and Die in Your Arms glides along on a smooth, retro-soul groove.

There is still plenty of heart in the slower moments, but the energy throughout is that of an artist testing how far his voice, and his audience, would follow him into adulthood.

Longtime Beliebers will find a nostalgic trip back to the songs they grew up with, and pop fans can hear the bridge between his early hits and the reinventions still to come. It makes for a bright, fun spin.