After a ten-day media blitz including appearances on “Ellen” and Ryan Seacrest’s radio show, Justin Bieber finally dropped his new single “Boyfriend.” Twitter went crazy. Hashtags for every minute of the countdown trended (#5minutestoboyfriend, for example). It shot to No. 1 on iTunes, where it has remained.

Reviews for the single are mixed so far, but some have compared it to a Chris Brown song, and the comparison is somewhat accurate—it’s catchy in the same way, but Bieber has never beat up a woman, so you won’t feel guilty listening to it. His rap lyrics, referencing “Toy Story” and fondue by the fireplace, may be cheesy, but I find them endearing. Bieber’s courage to move away from mindless dance music like the songs of the Black Eyed Peas and LMFAO is commendable and brilliant. The song is an appropriate bridge between his little boy YouTube-star persona and his future as a modern pop idol.

Perhaps he is the new Prince of Pop. Justin Timberlake is busy trying to be an “actor,” the aforementioned Brown is a woman beater who should be blacklisted from music stations, and no one knows where Usher disappeared to after a great run of radio domination. The future looks bright for young Bieber and his manager, Scooter Braun. Braun just signed Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call Me Maybe” songstress. He is also behind the massive U.S. success of British-Irish boy band The Wanted and their jam “Glad You Came.” Bieber’s single and his album “Believe” should continue that success.