Justin Bieber’s newest album, Justice, has finally arrived. The 16-track pop album includes appearances by Khalid, The Kid LAROI, Dominic Fike, Daniel Caesar, GIVĒON, BEAM and Burna Boy; alongside the previously released features with Chance the Rapper in ‘Holy’ and Benny Blanco in ‘Lonely.’
The Start of a New Era
Justin first teased the new album in February of last year, when he sat down to do an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. During the interview, he told him that he already had a title for the next album, which would be deeper and more of a sequel to his fourth studio album, Purpose, which came out in November 2015.
Last September, Justin released “Holy” featuring Chance the Rapper, as the lead single of the album. Kicking off the new era, the song focuses on their love for their respective significant others. It draws a parallel between relationships and prescriptions. Chance focuses on both maintaining faith and enjoying life. About the music video, Justin shared via Billboard, “Colin and I, both of our hearts behind wanting to make this video, both from the fact that we know that there’s a lot going on in the world right now. A lot of pain, a lot of heartache, a lot of frustration, a lot of people losing jobs. It basically shows how an act of compassion can really change the trajectory of someone’s life or day. And just having empathy for people. That’s our goal with this project, is just to inspire, to bring hope in this kind of uncertain, fragile time.”
Justin Got Personal on Justice
“Holy” was followed by the emotional “Lonely.” On the song, Justin teams up with celebrated producers Benny Blanco and FINNEAS. He describes how becoming an international superstar at such a young age affected him, reflecting on how he sacrificed his privacy and adolescence for fame and wealth, without always having a positive pay-off.
To kick off the new year, the third single, “Anyone,” was released on January 1, 2021, during his NYE concert partnering with T-Mobile. Finally, “Hold On” was released as the fourth and last single prior to Justice’s release on March 5.
Justice Explores Justin’s Love for his Wife
Justice opens up with “2 Much.” In this ballad, the lyrics capture the idea that Justin loves his partner so deeply that he wishes to cherish every single moment they get to spend together, for the fear of a time when they have to be apart. “Don’t wanna close my eyes, I’m scared I’ll miss too much. Don’t wanna fall asleep, I’d rather fall in love. When I can’t feel you, I feel out of touch. Two seconds without you’s like two months.” The song really sets the tone for the album, as the main theme that Justice explores is love.
On “Unstable’” Justin recruits seventeen-year-old Australian rapper and singer The Kid LAROI to reminisce the memories of successful and trusting relationships. The track comes as the two artists’ first official collaboration – notably around a year after LAROI likened himself to Bieber in the aptly-titled snippet ‘Trap J Bieber.”
Exploring a Different Sound
“Peaches” is the last single off Justice, as the music video for the song was released the same night as the album. It features Long Beach singer GIVĒON and R&B singer Daniel Caesar. The song is an ode to different regions of the US. Georgia and its famous peaches serve as the central image. Atlanta, Georgia is also the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr., who features prominently on Justice. It also has a very different sound than the rest of the song in the album, as “Peaches” falls more into hip-hop and trap, and doesn’t touch on the theme of love. Regardless, it’s very catchy and it’s already made its way to the top of the charts.
