Justin Bieber’s Newest Leaked Song Sounds A Lot Like Drake Protégé The Weeknd

Yet another new Justin Bieber song has leaked, and it seems to continue his recent tactic of throwing every trendy style at the wall and seeing what sticks.

“Love Me Like You Do” is not taken from his upcoming album Believe. Which might be why it’s so different from the rest of what we’ve been hearing from him. Unlike the bombastic, dub-step-y, collaboration-heavy songs on the album, this track takes a simpler approach with a minimal, slightly bleak-sounding backing track foregrounding Justin’s plaintive voice, which is occasionally augmented(?) by Autotune.

While it doesn’t go anywhere near the dark places touched by minimal R&B act The Weeknd (a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye), it bears enough resemblance that it’s safe to say Justin is emulating him. The chilly production, subdued but yearning vocals, and incongruous use of Autotune all point back towards his fellow Canadian crooner. And how would Justin have discovered him? Well, The Weeknd has been blowing up like crazy as of late, but I’m thinking he was introduced by his longtime pal Drake, who’s been one of The Weeknd’s biggest champions from the beginning. He’s often spoken of The Weekend’s influence on him, and even collaborated with him on a few songs.

Listen to The Weeknd’s moody, atmospheric “What You Need” and see if you agree:

And because I love this whiny dude in spite of myself, here’s the ultra-depressing “Wicked Games”:

(Via Idolator)