贾斯汀·比伯的成人礼

Just how fast is Justin Bieber allowed to grow up? And how much? Mr. Bieber, the defining teen star of recent years, turned 18 in March and has been in the public eye for almost four years, long enough to begin chafing. His desire to move in the world as an adult is palpable, but the very scale of his celebrity exacts its own sort of toll. Mr. Bieber can be his own man, sure, so long as he continues to belong to everyone else too.

贾斯汀·比伯(Justin Bieber)究竟能获准以多快的速度长大?他又究竟该长到多大?比伯无疑是近年来最具有代表性的青春偶像。今年三月满18岁的他几乎有四年的时间都在公众的注视之下，时间长得足以让他心烦。他想以成年人的姿态进入世界的渴望显而易见，只是，他那巨大的知名度也导致他将为此付出相应的代价。比伯当然能够成为自己的主宰，只要与此同时，他还继续属于所有人。

As much as Mr. Bieber is pop music’s teen prince, he is also one of its victims. Mr. Bieber is in the difficult position of having a tremendous amount of capital to spend and only a few acceptable ways to spend it. He’s an R&B aspirant trapped in a pop universe, and subject to its whims.

尽管比伯是当今流行乐坛的小王子，他也同样深受其害。比伯的困境在于：他具备太多资本，但利用其资本的可行方法却太少。他心怀R&B梦想，但又被囚禁在流行乐坛，并且甘受摆布。

A pop star at his level has fewer options than you’d think. To make an album somehow out of lock step with the sounds of the day, and potentially come off as misdirected — or maybe worse, too forward thinking — would be to risk leaving food on the table. By that measure “Believe” (RBMG/Island) — his second full-length album, which is to be released on Tuesday — is gluttonous, full of savvy compromises: between Mr. Bieber’s natural gifts and the exigencies of radio; between warm, intimate vocals and music designed for arenas and nightclubs and arena-size nightclubs; between Mr. Bieber’s beloved R&B and the dance-oriented pop that’s currently in vogue.

像他这样级别的流行歌星拥有的选择权比你想象得少。某种程度上来说，制作一张不跟风的音乐专辑，方向不对，或者更糟糕的是想法太超前，这些都有可能让你白忙活一场。按这样的衡量标准，比伯的第二张大碟《Believe》(RBMG/Island唱片公司，6月12日发行)很贪心，充斥着各种识时务的妥协：在比伯的天赋与电台的需求之间;在温暖亲密的声线与为舞台、大小夜店设计的音乐之间;在比伯热爱的R&B与时尚的舞曲风流行乐之间。

His first full-length album, “My World 2.0,” was R&B at its core, only occasionally deviating from theme. But the rise of pummeling dance music as a mainstream aesthetic leaves Mr. Bieber, whose voice is sweet but not rickety, in an awkward position. Suddenly he has to find a way to mesh his delicate voice with music that’s designed for subwoofers and Red Bull cravers.

他的首张大碟《My World 2.0》以R&B为核心，仅偶有背离他的理想。但节奏强劲的舞曲越来越受欢迎，逐渐成为审美主流，这让音质甜美、不够摇摆的比伯陷入尴尬境地。突然间，他要被迫摸索出一个方法，让自己精致的音色去适应为低音炮和红牛爱好者们设计的音乐。