Video Duel: Justin Bieber “Boyfriend” vs. NSYNC “Girlfriend”

This is what you see when you watch NSYNC “Girlfriend” on YouTube.

I never do music video duels, but I found it was fitting to do so with the aforementioned songs, Justin Bieber “Boyfriend” and NSYNC “Girlfriend”. Aside from the similar song titles, there are many similarities between the two in song structure and music video depiction. First off, let me state my grounds for this.

• My age: I am 25 going on 26
• I grew up in the boy band phenomenon, and was a huge NSYNC fan
• I watch and analyze tons of music videos

Sound

With that being said, upon the premiere of Bieber’s “Boyfriend” across many blogs, namely that of urban sites, I noticed the similarities in sound to another Justin–Timberlake. If we compare song structure, both tracks feature breathy vocals in the beginning and simple, almost down-tempo production. Bieber’s track, produced by Mike Posner, is being toted as a strong crossover contender as it has clear urban sensibility. This was similar for NSYNC’s “Girlfriend”, which featured rapper Nelly on the remix, and I believe was their first music video (aside from “Gone”) to be featured on BET’s 106 & Park.

Look

Now for the visuals. The music videos were released a little over ten years apart, but they capture the same feeling. This includes the industrial setting, vintage cars, coloring (yellow-tinted vintage feel), badass dancers/extras, and the plethora of gorgeous ethnically ambiguous female models. Both videos to me capture this essence of

I’m a cool cat. All my friends are amazingly good-looking, and this is what we do on weekends. Dance and flaunt our rides.

I can go on and on, but you can be the judge of that. Peep the videos below, and let me know what you think!