No one expected Skrillex and Justin Bieber to cross musical paths any time soon, but the two artists now have six collaborative songs to their discographies. The two linked up for the Jack Ü hit track “Where Are Ü Now,” and recently it was revealed Skrillex contributed his production talents to five songs from Bieber’s new album Purpose, including the pop anthem “Sorry.” It could be assumed Skrillex respected Bieber’s artistry up to this point, and a recent interview NME conducted with Skrillex reveals that the two artists forged a close relationship while working on Purpose.
Skrillex told NME that originally Major Lazer was slated to help produce some of Bieber’s new songs, but the singer’s camp contacted Skrillex while he was in Los Angeles to work on some material. Bieber had been writing songs with OWSLA-associated producer Blood Diamonds, and Skrillex jumped in to help create those songs’ productions. Interestingly, their collaborative process only began two months ago, with Skrillex using free time during gigs in Asia to fine-tune the production for Bieber’s tracks.
Skrillex divulged that during his time in L.A., Bieber would freestyle over the producer’s newly created beats. This lead the two to forge a close relationship, with Skrillex arguing Purpose largely represents who Bieber presently is as a person and that it marks the singer’s path to adulthood. Skrillex also admitted “Children” was his favorite track from Purpose. 
While the bulk of the interview focused upon Skrillex and Bieber, the producer did open up about some ideas for new music. He said he would “like to do something rocky next” and that he has “never done something that sounds like The Doors before,” a clear callback to his The Doors collaboration “Breakn’ a Sweat.” When asked about a new album, Skrillex revealed the following:
“No, at the moment there are no plans to do an album. Even though some of the stuff I came up with was good, it wasn’t really enough for a full album. We see what happens. I’ve got some great features, but I’m keeping it a surprise unless something gets leaked. We’ll see what happens.”
Head over to NME to read the full interview.
