This 3 minute song creates a fleeting portrait of a man, not necessarily Bieber, who we cannot know. The song captures the mindset of a character who, one might infer, cynically knows what he’s trying to do. It’s possible he has no interest in a heartfelt, meaningful apology. In fact, this character - who lives only within the song and the liminal world it creates - may be operating exactly to his own moral preference. We don’t know enough to say more. It’s like asking if a singer of “happy birthday” truly wishes their subject to be happy.
In short, you Kant analyze pop music with confidence.
Of course one cannot in all sincerity know. Today, and even yesteryear, are composed to entertain others, not oneself. They are seldom personal or about the singer, with exceptions like the well known songs by Carly Simon and others. In any event songs today are often written by others, passed around till they find a “home.”
In a recent South Africa vs England rugby match, an accusation of racism was levied against an SA player because he directed the phrase "white cunt" to one of the English players.
If Afrikaans, the word "kant" (pronounced 'cunt') means "side". "Wit" is "white".
So when he said "wit kant" he really meant "white side". England traditionally wears white livery, South Africa wears green. So it was the "wit kant" vs the "groen kant".
Hilarity and much confusion ensued for a while after that accusation!
there was once a small radical artis gallery in Edinburgh (as a part of the The Forest, when it existed as a 4-floor social centre) called "Total Kunst"
In short, you Kant analyze pop music with confidence.