After a five-year hiatus, Justin Bieber released the album Changes in February 2020. A little more than a year later on March 19th, he came out with his sixth studio album Justice. With much anticipation, four of the sixteen songs off Justice were released as singles first. “Holy” was the first song released as a single and the standout song of the entire album. The song is a shining example of Bieber’s faith as well as his love for his wife. Throughout the album, there were audio notes of Martin Luther King and snippets from some of his famous speeches, which Bieber found ways to connect to the theme of the album itself.
There are hints of many different genres throughout the entire collection. “Holy” has a sense of R&B with parts of Gospel sounding moments in the song. The second single “Lonely” has more of a somber piano feel to it. There are hints of more techno-pop songs that use heavy production. Bieber even teams with Skrillex with a new sound for songs like “2 Much’, “Somebody”, and “Loved by You”. This project also features many artists, including Chance the Rapper, the Kid Laroi, Benny Blanco, and many others.
The work on Bieber’s albums always show quality, but this year, he stepped up his songwriting as well. He worked with all-star writers of the industry and the talent is heard in the words. Being a songwriter on all the songs himself, Bieber is no slouch when it comes to the writing process, but he was able to work with big hit makers. The roster includes artists such as Finneas O’Connell (brother and writer of Billie Eilish), Ryan Tedder (lead singer of OneRepublic and songwriting coach on the TV Show Songland), and Jon Bellion, who has worked with many artists in the industry.
Bieber took some time off from releasing albums between 2016-2019, but came back strong with Changes and Justice, both of which debuted at No.1 on the U.S charts. Bieber isn’t only popular in the U.S though. Australia has been playing “Peaches” on repeat for three weeks, making it his fourth best selling song in the country, the first one since the success of his song “What Do You Mean?” in 2015.
It was no surprise that Bieber received another No. 1 album this time around, rocketing up to the top of the Billboard 200. This time, however, a legacy was formed from this album, taking Bieber on an upward trajectory to heights he may never have dreamed of before. Justin Bieber is now the youngest solo artist to reach eight No. 1 albums. Last year after the release of Changes, he became the youngest artist to have seven No.1 albums, beating Elvis Presley’s record who was 26 when he scored the title. This year, Bieber beat his own record with Justice.
It’s evident from his lyrics and the pain felt in his voice throughout many of the songs, that this arguably the most honest album he has ever made. Bieber has experienced many ups and downs in his life, both personally and career-wise, but both have contributed to the music he created. He has bounced back from the major hardships that infected his young adulthood and has come out stronger in the end.
