Justice (Justin Bieber Album)
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''Justice'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
. It was released on March 19, 2021, by
Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...
. The album features guest appearances from
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.
,
Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' in 2012. He ...
,
the Kid Laroi Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard (born 17 August 2003), known professionally as the Kid Laroi (stylised as the Kid LAROI), is an Australian rapper, singer and songwriter. He originally gained recognition from his association and friendship with A ...
,
Dominic Fike Dominic David Fike (born December 30, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Fike first received recognition after releasing several popular songs to the website SoundCloud. Following the release of his debut extended play, '' Don't ...
,
Daniel Caesar Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Daniel Caesar, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After independently building a following through the release of two critically acclaimed EPs, ''Praise Break'' (201 ...
,
Giveon Giveon Dezmann Evans (born February 21, 1995), better known by his mononym Giveon (stylized as GIVĒON), is an American singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence with his collaboration with Drake on their 2020 single, " Chicago Freestyle". That s ...
,
Beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
,
Burna Boy Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, '' L.I ...
, and
Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also ...
. The "Triple Chucks" deluxe edition of the album was released on March 26, 2021, exactly a week after the standard version. It features additional guest appearances from
Lil Uzi Vert Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. They are characterized by their face tattoo, facial tattoos, facial piercings, eccentric hairstyles and androgynous ...
, Jaden,
Quavo Quavious Keyate Marshall (born April 2, 1991), known professionally as Quavo (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He is best known as the co-founder and former frontman of hip hop group Migos. Quavo is the uncle of late fellow Migos m ...
,
DaBaby Jonathan Lyndale Kirk (born December 22, 1991), known professionally as DaBaby (formerly known as Baby Jesus), is an American rapper. After releasing several mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, he rose to mainstream prominence with his debut albu ...
, and
Tori Kelly Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, and voice actress. She first gained recognition after posting videos on YouTube as a teenager, and made it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''Americ ...
. The complete edition was released on October 8, 2021, and includes the tracks on store versions of the album that did not make the regular album. It features additional guest appearances from
TroyBoi Troy Henry (born 23 November 1987), known professionally as TroyBoi, is a British DJ, record producer, and musician. His music combines elements of trap, house, bass, future bass, vogue, and dubstep. His debut album ''Left is Right'' was rel ...
and
Poo Bear Jason Paul Douglas Boyd, better known by his stage name Poo Bear, is an American songwriter, singer, and music producer. He is best known for being one of Justin Bieber's main collaborators, having co-written many of Bieber's hits (including " ...
. The album serves as the follow-up to Bieber's previous album, ''
Changes Changes may refer to: Books * ''Changes'', the 12th novel in Jim Butcher's ''The Dresden Files'' Series * ''Changes'', a novel by Danielle Steel * ''Changes'', a trilogy of novels on which the BBC TV series was based, written by Peter Dickinson ...
'' (2020). The album includes production from Benny Blanco,
Virtual Riot Christian Valentin "Val" Brunn (born 20 July 1994), better known by his stage name Virtual Riot, is a German DJ and electronic music producer. He has released seventeen extended plays and two studio albums, most notably his 2016 extended play '' ...
, Andrew Watt,
Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead sing ...
,
Finneas Finneas Baird O'Connell (born July 30, 1997), known mononymously as Finneas ( stylized in all caps), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists, most notably his sister, ...
,
Jon Bellion Jonathan David Bellion (born December 26, 1990) is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. He was born and raised in Lake Grove, New York on Long Island. He is best known for his song "All Time Low," along with his writing and producing cred ...
,
the Monsters & Strangerz The Monsters & Strangerz are an American production and songwriting team from Miami, Florida. The team features The Monsters: Alexander "Eskeerdo" Izquierdo, Stefan Johnson, Jordan K. Johnson and Oliver "German" Peterhof and The Strangerz: Marcus ...
, and numerous others. The album was supported by six singles, all of which charted in the top-20 of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "
Holy Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
", which features Chance the Rapper, was released as the lead single on September 18, 2020. " Lonely", which is a joint track alongside Benny Blanco, was released as the second single on October 16, 2020. " Anyone" was released as the third single on January 1, 2021. "
Hold On Hold On may refer to: Music Albums and EPs * ''Hold On!'' (album), by Herman's Hermits, 1966 * ''Hold On'' (Trapeze album), or the title song, 1978 * ''Hold On'' (High Inergy album), 1980 * ''Hold On'' (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album), 1987 * ...
", was released as the fourth single on March 5, 2021. "
Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuz ...
", which features Daniel Caesar and Giveon, was released as the fifth single with the album on March 19, 2021. "
Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
" was released as the sixth single on September 10, 2021. ''Justice'' debuted atop the charts of ten countries, including the US ''Billboard'' 200 and the
Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocea ...
. Single "Peaches" simultaneously debuted atop the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the
Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
. In the United States, the peak of the album marked Bieber's eighth chart-topper, and made him the youngest solo artist to achieve as many number-one albums at 27 years old. ''Justice'' and "Peaches" both held the number-one spots on the respective charts simultaneously in the same week, making Bieber the first solo male artist and the third act overall to achieve this feat. The album was certified
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). Upon release, the album received generally favourable reviews from music critics, most of whom complimented its production and vocal delivery, but deprecated its lyrics and "confusing" concept surrounding
justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
. The album contains elements of
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
,
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
, and new wave. Bieber promoted the album with live performances on various television shows, such as ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'', ''
The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
'', ''
The Late Late Show with James Corden ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show on CBS. It is the fourth and current iteration of '' The Late Late Show''. Airing in the U.S. from Monday to Friday nights at 12:37:28am ...
'', and ''
Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
''. To further promote ''Justice'' and ''Changes'', Bieber will embark on his fourth concert tour, titled Justice World Tour, across North America in 2022. At the
64th Grammy Awards The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...
, the album and its singles received a total of eight nominations including
Album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
,
Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...
and
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
; the latter two for "Peaches".


Background

After releasing his fifth studio album, ''
Changes Changes may refer to: Books * ''Changes'', the 12th novel in Jim Butcher's ''The Dresden Files'' Series * ''Changes'', a novel by Danielle Steel * ''Changes'', a trilogy of novels on which the BBC TV series was based, written by Peter Dickinson ...
'' (2020), Bieber was interviewed by
Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...
DJ
Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
. Bieber said he was looking forward to making music that would reflect the things that he had learned about commitment and building trust. On February 26, 2021, when Bieber announced the album, he stated: "There's so much deeper levels I'm excited to go to, which is fun. It gives me something to look forward to". Before the release of lead single "
Holy Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
", on September 18, 2020, Bieber and featured artist
Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' in 2012. He ...
discussed Bieber's follow-up to ''Changes'' on a
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
livestream, in which Chance said that it reminded him of
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's fifth studio album, ''
Off the Wall ''Off the Wall'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, the label he recorded under until his death in 2009, and t ...
'' (1979), and said that the album is "some of the best music I've ever heard" and that it is "groundbreaking music".


Recording

Early in the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, when the singer was in quarantine at his house in Toronto, Bieber was sent a plethora of demos submitted to his management team by songwriters, managers, publishers and producers. Bieber recorded the songs he liked in his home studio and sent them back to his inner circle. Bieber revealed on April 10, 2020, during an
Instagram Live Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can be ...
that he had recorded a song called "Anyone", which would later be released as the album's third single. On April 18, 2020, on
Instagram Stories Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
, Bieber remarked his new album was sounding "crazy-good" in his opinion. The recording of ''Justice'' intensified once Bieber got back to Los Angeles a couple of months later. While his latest record ''Changes'' was R&B oriented, for this record nothing was off limits. While hanging out at Andrew Watt's house with
Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes (; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian pop singer. He gained a following in 2013, when he posted song covers on the video sharing platform Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gert ...
, Bieber started to write the hook of the song "
Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuz ...
". Watt showed Bieber around his home studio and said to him to "go play the drums" and after having recorded a drum beat, Bieber sat down at the piano and played some chords which they also recorded and looped. Then Watt recorded some bass and guitar and Bieber started free-styling and "just talking words back and forth for fun". After this session, Bieber asked Watt to send him the demo so he could work on it some more by himself. Bieber posted a snippet of the song on his
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
account on September 7, 202

Record producer Shndo later listened to it and decided to further produce the song. He screen-recorded the Instagram video, recorded some drums over it in the music software
Ableton Ableton AG is a German music software company that produces and distributes the production and performance program Ableton Live and a collection of related instruments and sample libraries, as well as their own hardware controller Ableton Push. ...
and decided to speed up the song. Shndo collaborated with music producer
Harv Bernard Harvey (born August 17, 1985), known professionally as Harv, is an American record producer, musician and songwriter from Kansas City, Kansas and based in Los Angeles, who has produced acclaimed work for major recording artists such as ...
, who added some more instruments to the song. They presented the song to Bieber who loved it and later re-recorded the hook and wrote a verse before sending it back to them to work on it some more. On the same day, Bieber contacted Giveon who accepted to be a part of the song while Daniel Caesar was later also asked to be a part of the track. Initially, Bieber's team was not planning on releasing an album so soon and Bieber realised that they had an album's worth of material in December 2020. On January 22, 2021, Bieber shared an update on the new album on Instagram Stories. He wrote: "Finishing this album. Stay tuned." He also shared a picture of him singing in the studio. On January 26, 2021, Bieber wrote on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that he was going over the track listing for the album.


Songs

According to Craig Jenkins from ''Vulture'', "the album zips through
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
, Soulection-esque
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
,
dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
-tinged electronic dance music, and
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
-infused
Afrobeats Afrobeats (not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing), or Afro-pop or Afro-fusion (or Afropop or Afrofusion), is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and ...
". According to allmusic "Justice is a decent addition to Bieber's catalog. It's distinguished by a variety of pop modes that includes vaporous Synth-rock and strumming acoustic ballads, Hip hop
Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
and bedroom
EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
, and sun-dazed R&B and contemporary
Afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting ...
." After Bieber ventured into a more R&B-oriented sound for ''Changes'', ''Justice'' sees him return to his pop roots. ''Justice'' starts with the minimal
dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
track "2 Much" which contains Bieber's favourite line: "I don't wanna fall asleep, I'd rather fall in love". The second track, "Deserve You", has been described by ''Billboard'' and Bieber himself as a song that sounds like
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...
' work, and "striking 1980s power-ballad gold"
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
and
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
. "Off My Face" has been described as an acoustic ode to love which is stylistically comparable to his 2015 song "
Love Yourself "Love Yourself" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his fourth studio album '' Purpose'' (2015). The song was released as a promotional single on November 9, 2015, and as the album's third official single on December 7, 2015. ...
". The song serving
soft-rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...
stylings and drunk-in-love double entendres. "Holy" was described as a "
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
-brunch rave-up". "Unstable" combines elements of piano ballads and 2000s
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
songs. The eighth track, "Die for You" featuring Dominic Fike, is an "
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
-friendly" new wave,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
,
dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
,
dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
,
glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...
and
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
song. And ventures into
pop-rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and ...
territory, a completely novel mode for Bieber. "Hold On" is a
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
song that was compared to
Kim Carnes Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a sess ...
' "
Bette Davis Eyes "Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written and composed by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon in 1974. It was originally recorded by DeShannon in that year for her album '' New Arrangement'' but it was made popular by American singer Kim Carnes in 1981 wh ...
". Also “Hold On” and “Somebody” revisit new wave’s metamorphosis into sophisticated adult contemporary pop. The sound of
Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead sing ...
-produced 80s rock "Somebody" was described as "a hyper-pop experiment" that is driven by a "snappy baseline". "
Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
", the eleventh track is a
pop-rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and ...
song with shimmering
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...
synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
s. The twelfth track, "Peaches" featuring
Daniel Caesar Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Daniel Caesar, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After independently building a following through the release of two critically acclaimed EPs, ''Praise Break'' (201 ...
and
Giveon Giveon Dezmann Evans (born February 21, 1995), better known by his mononym Giveon (stylized as GIVĒON), is an American singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence with his collaboration with Drake on their 2020 single, " Chicago Freestyle". That s ...
, is a pop- R&B song that has been compared to
Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical s ...
' work. And on the breathless
dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
track "Love You Different" featuring Beam, the thirteenth track, is influenced by
tropical house Tropical house, also known as trop house, is a subgenre of house music, and a derivation of tropical music, with elements of dancehall and Balearic house. Artists of the genre are often featured at various summer festivals such as Tomorrowland. T ...
and
Afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting ...
, and has been compared to Bieber's 2015 single " Sorry". the afropop-leaning and
dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
influenced "Loved by You", featuring the Nigerian singer Burna Boy.


Promotion


Singles

For ''Justice'', Bieber's management team tried out a new multi-single release strategy, which was to release multiple singles, which would later lead into a new album. Bieber's manager,
Scooter Braun Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun (born June 18, 1981) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and entertainment executive. Known as the manager for artists such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, J Balvin, Demi Lovato, The Kid Laroi and other artists ...
, came up with the idea in June 2020. The lead single of the album "
Holy Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
", which features American rapper
Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' in 2012. He ...
, was released on September 18, 2020. It debuted at number three on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 making it Bieber's 20th top 10 in the United States. Its music video was released on the same day and features Bieber as a laid-off oil worker and his partner being helped by a charitable soldier. It was directed by
Colin Tilley Colin Tilley (born June 27, 1988) is an American filmmaker, music video director, and television commercial director. Tilley is the CEO and owner of Boy in the Castle Productions. He has directed more than 300 music videos. Tilley directed, pro ...
and stars
Wilmer Valderrama Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama ( , ; born January 30, 1980) is an American actor, producer, and television personality. He is known for his role as Fez in the sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), Agustín Madrigal in ''Encanto'', and as Carlos ...
and
Ryan Destiny Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an elector ...
. The second single, " Lonely", a collaboration with American record producer
Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also ...
, was released on October 16, 2020. The track debuted at number 14 and peaked at number 12 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Its music video premiered alongside the single. It was directed by American music video director
Jake Schreier Jacob Stacey Schreier (born September 29, 1981) is an American commercial, music video and film director. He was a founding member of Waverly Films, a Brooklyn-based filmmaking collective, and joined Park Pictures in 2006, releasing his first f ...
and stars
Jacob Tremblay Jacob Tremblay ( ; born October 5, 2006) is a Canadian actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Canadian Screen Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, a Young Artist Award, and nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award, tw ...
, who plays a younger version of Bieber. Bieber praised Jacob Tremblay for his talent, adding that he became emotional when he saw Tremblay play himself, while he acts as a spectator "from the outside looking in". In a livestream on Bieber's YouTube channel after the song's release, both Bieber and Blanco called Tremblay one of the best child actors they have ever seen. "The first time I watched him go through the segment... I legitimately lost it," Bieber said of witnessing Tremblay on set. "I was tearing up, like completely." The third single, " Anyone", released on January 1, 2021. The track debuted and peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The music video premiered alongside the single. It was directed by Colin Tilley and stars American actress
Zoey Deutch Zoey Francis Chaya Thompson Deutch ( ; born November 10, 1994) is an American actress. She is daughter of director Howard Deutch and actress-director Lea Thompson. She gained recognition for her roles in the film '' Everybody Wants Some!!'', the ...
who plays Bieber's love interest in the video. Bieber portrays a 1960s boxer whose powerful love for his other half inspires him to train, fight, and eventually overcome a potential K.O. on his journey to becoming a champion. For the music video, Bieber covered up all of his tattoos. The fourth single, "
Hold On Hold On may refer to: Music Albums and EPs * ''Hold On!'' (album), by Herman's Hermits, 1966 * ''Hold On'' (Trapeze album), or the title song, 1978 * ''Hold On'' (High Inergy album), 1980 * ''Hold On'' (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album), 1987 * ...
", was released on March 5, 2021. The track debuted at number 26 and later peaked at number 20 on the Hot 100 chart. Its music video was released alongside the single and was directed by Colin Tilley. It stars Taiwanese actress
Christine Ko Christine Ko (born August 3, 1988) is a Taiwanese-American actress, known for her roles as Emma on the CBS sitcom '' The Great Indoors'', Mandy on ''Upload'' and Emma on ''Dave''. Before her success in America, she had a brief career in Taiwa ...
who plays Bieber's love interest in the video. The video opens with Bieber on the run from the police, before suffering a gunshot wound. However, as the video flashes back, the viewer learns why Bieber is running from the police in the first place. The fifth single, "
Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuz ...
", which features Canadian singer-songwriter
Daniel Caesar Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Daniel Caesar, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After independently building a following through the release of two critically acclaimed EPs, ''Praise Break'' (201 ...
and American singer-songwriter
Giveon Giveon Dezmann Evans (born February 21, 1995), better known by his mononym Giveon (stylized as GIVĒON), is an American singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence with his collaboration with Drake on their 2020 single, " Chicago Freestyle". That s ...
, was released alongside the album on March 19, 2021. The song debuted atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and became Bieber's seventh number one in the United States. Bieber also became the first solo male artist to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and ''Billboard'' 200 charts simultaneously. The song's music video premiered alongside the song and album. It was directed by Colin Tilley and sees the three artists cruising the Las Vegas Strip. The sixth single, "
Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
", was sent to French radio stations on September 10, 2021. The song debuted at number 66 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart following the release of ''Justice'' and later peaked at number five after being released as a single. The music video, directed by Colin Tilley, premiered on October 8, 2021. Actress
Diane Keaton Diane Keaton ('' née'' Hall, born January 5, 1946) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Gl ...
stars as Bieber's grandmother in the video. The video sees Bieber and Keaton mourn the death of his grandfather at an ocean-side funeral. After two years, Bieber sees that Keaton is still struggling from her husband's passing, so he buys her expensive things and the two partake in activities together. The video ends with Bieber finding Keaton a new man who resembles her widower on a dating app called Slide and taking her to meet him, setting her up on a date with him.


Live performances

To promote the album and its singles, Bieber performed on several TV shows including ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'', ''
The Late Late Show with James Corden ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show on CBS. It is the fourth and current iteration of '' The Late Late Show''. Airing in the U.S. from Monday to Friday nights at 12:37:28am ...
'', and ''
Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
''. Bieber debuted his singles "
Holy Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
" and " Lonely" during the third episode of the 46th season of ''Saturday Night Live'', on October 18, 2020. The single " Anyone" was performed live for the first time during Bieber's New Year's Eve concert on January 1, 2021. On March 13, 2021, Bieber performed "
Hold On Hold On may refer to: Music Albums and EPs * ''Hold On!'' (album), by Herman's Hermits, 1966 * ''Hold On'' (Trapeze album), or the title song, 1978 * ''Hold On'' (High Inergy album), 1980 * ''Hold On'' (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album), 1987 * ...
" for the first time on the 2021' Kids Choice Awards. The fifth single "
Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuz ...
" was performed live for the first time two days before its official release, on March 17, 2021, during Bieber's first
Tiny Desk Tiny Desk Concerts is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of ''All Songs Considered'' host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C. The first Tiny Desk Concert came about in 2008 after Boilen and NPR Music editor Stephen Thom ...
concert. Bieber performed a 15-minute livestream concert from the rooftop of a Paris hotel. The concert premiered on Bieber's YouTube channel on April 13, 2021. Directed by David Ctiborsky, the concert revealed Bieber and his live band performing on a roof at sunset, with landmarks like the Eiffel Tower visible in the background, and later in the halls of the hotel. During the concert the singer played several tracks from his ''Justice'' album, including "Hold On," "Somebody" and "Off My Face." The final track, "2 Much," brought Bieber back to the roof after night falls, with the Eiffel Tower glowing behind him.


''Justin Bieber: Next Chapter''

The documentary ''Next Chapter'', directed by Michael D. Ratner, premiered on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
on October 30, 2020. It provided an intimate look at Bieber's life in quarantine and while recording ''Justice''. While talking about the documentary, Bieber said: "I'm excited to catch up with
he fans He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
and to share the progress I'm making, the new music I'm working on, and what I'm excited about for the future."


Touring

After the release of his lead single " Yummy" from his fifth studio album ''
Changes Changes may refer to: Books * ''Changes'', the 12th novel in Jim Butcher's ''The Dresden Files'' Series * ''Changes'', a novel by Danielle Steel * ''Changes'', a trilogy of novels on which the BBC TV series was based, written by Peter Dickinson ...
'' on January 3, 2020, Bieber announced the first round of dates for his new tour titled Changes Tour, on January 13, 2020. The tour was scheduled to begin on May 14, 2020, in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
at
CenturyLink Field Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in S ...
, but on April 1, 2020, it was announced that the tour would be postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. On July 23, 2020, Bieber announced rescheduled dates for the then called " Justin Bieber World Tour" slated for 2021, starting on June 2, 2021, in
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
at
Pechanga Arena Pechanga Arena (historically known as the San Diego Sports Arena) is an indoor arena built in 1966 and located in the Midway area of San Diego, California. The arena seats 12,000 for indoor football, 12,920 for ice hockey, indoor soccer and ...
. On May 6, 2021, Bieber announced rescheduled dates for the tour, now called " Justice World Tour". Bieber will hit the road on February 18, 2022 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego and the tour will run through Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Denver, Atlanta, Montreal, Tampa, Austin and more. The 52-date trek will close out June 24 at
American Family Insurance Amphitheater The American Family Insurance Amphitheater (formerly known as the Marcus Amphitheater) is an amphitheater on the south end of the Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The amphitheater serves as the venue for headlining acts perfor ...
in
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
. Bieber said this about the tour in a press release: “We’re working hard to make this tour the best one yet. I'm excited to get out there and engage with my fans again.”


Artwork

On January 14, 2021,
Rory Kramer Rory Kramer is an American photographer and filmmaker best known for directing music videos and his MTV show ''Dare to Live''. Early life Kramer was raised in Tell City, Indiana. His family owns a home in Clear Lake, Indiana. Career When he w ...
snapped 3,500 photos of Bieber across three Los Angeles locations. The cover was taken within the night's final 100 frames. In the definitive photo, Bieber is crouched in Downtown Los Angeles' 2nd Street Tunnel. His hand covers his left eye, while his right eye is introspectively closed. Bieber chose the picture to be the album cover in mid-January at his home in Los Angeles. In an interview with ''
The Indianapolis Star ''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, when the ''Indianap ...
'', Kramer stated: "You saw how certain he was, he saw that vision. It was cool to witness, someone so excited about his project. It's cool to have the artist be super passionate about your photo. It's the ultimate compliment". On February 26, 2021, when the album cover was revealed, the team of the French group
Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
reacted to the album logo. According to
Pedro Winter Pedro Winter (born Pierre Winter; 21 April 1975), also known by the stage name Busy P, is a French record producer, DJ, record label owner, and former artist manager. After being the manager of Daft Punk from 1996 to 2008,Ed Banger Records Ed Banger Records (sometimes referred to as Ed Rec) is a French electronic music record label founded by Pedro Winter in 2003 as a division of Headbangers Entertainment. It focuses on house music, particularly French house, as well as alternati ...
, the logo of the album, conceived by Bieber himself, is similar to the logo of Justice, who is signed to the label. On March 1, 2021, Winter reacted on
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
by taking a screenshot of the logo drawn by Bieber and saying, ironically; "Ed Banger Records appoints Mr Justin Drew Bieber as Art Director. We would like to thank Mr
So Me Bertrand Lagros de Langeron, known professionally as So Me, is a French graphic designer, animator, director and music producer. He is the art director for Ed Banger Records and also releases his own tracks on that label. He has created videos fo ...
he current artistic director of Ed Bangerfor all his work since 2003". On March 18, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' reported that Justice sent a
cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...
letter to Bieber over the album, citing willful trademark infringement over the Cross logo.


Release

Bieber announced the release of the album on February 26, 2021. Along with the announcement, an EP titled ''
JB6 ''Justice'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released on March 19, 2021, by Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from Khalid (singer), Khalid, Chance the Rapper, the Kid Laroi, Dominic Fike, ...
'' was released for digital download and
streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
. The EP includes the original versions of three of the already-released singles "
Holy Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
" (featuring Chance the Rapper), " Lonely" (with
Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also ...
) and " Anyone", as well as acoustic versions of the former two.
Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
and
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
-exclusive CD versions of ''Justice'' were released alongside the original on March 19, 2021, and both include one additional song. Bieber revealed the track listing of the album on March 10, 2021. On March 16, 2021, ''
Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'' announced that Bieber would debut a new music video on March 19. On March 19, 2021, ''Justice'' was released alongside a music video for the fifth single, "
Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuz ...
", which was directed by
Colin Tilley Colin Tilley (born June 27, 1988) is an American filmmaker, music video director, and television commercial director. Tilley is the CEO and owner of Boy in the Castle Productions. He has directed more than 300 music videos. Tilley directed, pro ...
. The video sees Bieber,
Daniel Caesar Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Daniel Caesar, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After independently building a following through the release of two critically acclaimed EPs, ''Praise Break'' (201 ...
and
Giveon Giveon Dezmann Evans (born February 21, 1995), better known by his mononym Giveon (stylized as GIVĒON), is an American singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence with his collaboration with Drake on their 2020 single, " Chicago Freestyle". That s ...
cruising the
Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of ...
. ''Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)'' with six new tracks was released on March 26, 2021 and features guest appearances from Jaden,
Tori Kelly Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, and voice actress. She first gained recognition after posting videos on YouTube as a teenager, and made it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''Americ ...
,
Lil Uzi Vert Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. They are characterized by their face tattoo, facial tattoos, facial piercings, eccentric hairstyles and androgynous ...
and
DaBaby Jonathan Lyndale Kirk (born December 22, 1991), known professionally as DaBaby (formerly known as Baby Jesus), is an American rapper. After releasing several mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, he rose to mainstream prominence with his debut albu ...
.


Critical reception

''Justice'' received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 62, based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Louise Bruton from ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' described ''Justice'' as "undeniably good" and the singer's "poppiest yet", having Bieber "loosen up" musically. Roisin O'Connor, writing for ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', dubbed ''Justice'' the best album of Bieber's career, praised the evolution from his fifth studio album, ''
Changes Changes may refer to: Books * ''Changes'', the 12th novel in Jim Butcher's ''The Dresden Files'' Series * ''Changes'', a novel by Danielle Steel * ''Changes'', a trilogy of novels on which the BBC TV series was based, written by Peter Dickinson ...
'', and adored the musicianship of its tracks. In agreement, Will Lavin of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' felt that the album is an improvement from ''Changes''. He asserted ''Justice'' is not a protest album, but contains "messages of hope, morality and standing for truth" nevertheless, where Bieber produces "powerful results" via personal experiences. ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' writer Jason Lipshutz felt that Bieber "gains more artistic clarity" on ''Justice'', as he attempts to "express a complex emotional state over the course of an album instead of jamming it into three minutes". He named it Bieber's "strongest front-to-back listen to date". ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' writer Ana Clara Ribeiro wrote that ''Justice'' evinces Bieber as a "pop music force", and contains traces of its predecessors, especially ''Purpose'' (2015). Other reviews were more mixed. Leah Greenblatt of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' felt that none of the tracks "have touched the heady heights" of ''Purpose'' singles like " Sorry" and "
Where Are Ü Now "Where Are Ü Now" is a song produced by American EDM artists Skrillex and Diplo under their collaborative effort Jack Ü, with vocals from Canadian singer Justin Bieber. The song was released as the second single from the duo's debut studio alb ...
", but thought ''Justice'' is full of "Husband Bops" and "respectable numbers". ''
Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
''s David Smyth complimented the musical direction of the album but noted that Bieber "still doesn't have a great deal to say" lyrically. Reviewing for '' Clash'', Robin Murray stated that ''Justice'' explores " hip hop to slick ''Billboard'' pop and beyond", however, its 16 tracks "can become a repetitive experience". Branding it "an earnest pop album", ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
''s Rawiya Kameir complimented Bieber's smooth and controlled vocals but deprecated the "rote" production and "spiritless" songwriting. She saw ''Justice'' exuding the same "charisma and agility" that drove Bieber to stardom, however, denounced
justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
as the album's theme, expressing uncertainty about "whether Bieber is singing about his wife or his god". Rosemary Akpan of ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' dubbed ''Justice'' a "decent" album about his "wholesome" marital life, nonetheless regarded the album title "reeking
performative activism Performative activism is activism done to increase one's social capital rather than because of one's devotion to a cause. It is often associated with surface-level activism, referred to as slacktivism. The term gained an increased usage on soci ...
". Craig Jenkins of ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'' wrote that "Bieber sounds better adjusted than ever, but the music he's made this time feels a little reserved". Jenkins opined that "the more chances ''Justice'' takes, the better the payoffs," but dismissed the collaborations with
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.
and
The Kid Laroi Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard (born 17 August 2003), known professionally as the Kid Laroi (stylised as the Kid LAROI), is an Australian rapper, singer and songwriter. He originally gained recognition from his association and friendship with A ...
.
Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, Caramanica received his ba ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' named the album one that is "disorganized, only sporadically strong" but complimented the collaborations "Unstable" and "Peaches". Writing for The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', Mikael Wood opined that the album "feels out of sync with the rest of modern pop". He highlighted "Peaches," "Ghost," and "Die For You" as the record's best tracks, but felt that, the album. as a whole, "short-changes the hard-won storytelling talent that Bieber has cultivated." Many critics found the placement of speeches by
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
in the album irrelevant in context. ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''s Chris Willman appreciated the album's production and Bieber's vocals, calling it an "unabashed, good pop album", but wondered "why anyone thought it was a good idea to conflate civil-right martyrdom with the thought of succumbing to a hot woman". ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' critic
Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...
described the album as a set of
love song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...
s about Bieber's wife, contradicting the singer's description of the album—"justice for humanity". Questioning the lack of relation between the album's songs and King's speeches, Ali Shutler of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' opined that the "loved-up" lyricism "almost exclusively" focuses on Bieber himself. Shutler dismissed the guest appearances from Khalid and Chance the Rapper as unexciting. Keith Harris of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' termed ''Justice'' as "professionally crafted pop" with many "chart-validated" tracks. He compared the inclusion of King's speeches to the "hollow, non-committal feel of a brand-sponsored
Black History Month Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently ...
tweet, a gesture best left unmade", and remarked that they "co-opt and trivialize the message of the man they profess to honor". In a negative review,
Kitty Empire Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''. Early life Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britai ...
of ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' criticized Bieber for "putting one of the greatest orators who ever lived on healbum as a tone-deaf wheeze", and deemed the album "a new low" for the singer.


Year-end lists


Commercial performance

The album debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 154,000 equivalent album units in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in its first week and becoming Bieber's eight number one album on the chart. 27-year-old at that time, Bieber became the youngest soloist with eight number one albums in the United States. On March 29, 2021, ''Justice'' was certified gold by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. The fifth single "Peaches", also debuted at number one in the same week, making Bieber the first solo male artist to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and ''Billboard'' 200 charts simultaneously. The album returned to the top on its third week, becoming his second album to spend multiple weeks at number one. The
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
(IFPI) reported that Bieber was the world's eighth best-selling artist of 2021, bolstered by ''Justice''.


Track listing

Notes * signifies a co-producer. * signifies an additional producer. * "Angels Speak" was a part of the Target exclusive edition of the album before the complete version was officially released. * "Red Eye" and "Hailey" were a part of the Walmart exclusive edition of the album before the complete version was officially released.


Personnel

Adapted from
Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...
.


Musicians

*
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
– lead vocals , backing vocals , songwriting *
Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname.
– featured artist , vocals , songwriting *
Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' in 2012. He ...
– featured artist , vocals , songwriting *
The Kid Laroi Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard (born 17 August 2003), known professionally as the Kid Laroi (stylised as the Kid LAROI), is an Australian rapper, singer and songwriter. He originally gained recognition from his association and friendship with A ...
– featured artist , vocals , songwriting *
Dominic Fike Dominic David Fike (born December 30, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Fike first received recognition after releasing several popular songs to the website SoundCloud. Following the release of his debut extended play, '' Don't ...
– featured artist , vocals , songwriting *
Daniel Caesar Ashton Dumar Norwill Simmonds (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Daniel Caesar, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After independently building a following through the release of two critically acclaimed EPs, ''Praise Break'' (201 ...
– featured artist , vocals , songwriting *
Giveon Giveon Dezmann Evans (born February 21, 1995), better known by his mononym Giveon (stylized as GIVĒON), is an American singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence with his collaboration with Drake on their 2020 single, " Chicago Freestyle". That s ...
– featured artist , vocals , songwriting *
Beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
– featured artist , vocals , backing vocals , songwriting *
Burna Boy Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, '' L.I ...
– featured artist , vocals , songwriting *
Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also ...
– co-lead artist , songwriting , production , engineering , keyboards , programming *
Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead sing ...
– songwriting , production , drums , keyboards , programming * Andrew Watt – songwriting , production , backing vocals , bass , guitar , drums , keyboards , adaptation *
Louis Bell Louis Russell Bell (born May 27, 1982) is an American record producer, vocal producer, songwriter, and mixing engineer. Bell's work includes production for Post Malone, Camila Cabello, Halsey, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, 5 Seconds of Summer, T ...
– songwriting , production , backing vocals , drums , keyboards , programming *
Jon Bellion Jonathan David Bellion (born December 26, 1990) is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. He was born and raised in Lake Grove, New York on Long Island. He is best known for his song "All Time Low," along with his writing and producing cred ...
– songwriting , production , backing vocals , percussion , programming , bass , drums , vocal production * Michael Pollack – songwriting , backing vocals , piano , keyboards * German – production , bass , programming , drums * Ido Zmishlany – songwriting , production , co-production , piano * Josh Gudwin – songwriting , production , mixing , vocal production , recording , engineering , vocal engineering *
The Monsters & Strangerz The Monsters & Strangerz are an American production and songwriting team from Miami, Florida. The team features The Monsters: Alexander "Eskeerdo" Izquierdo, Stefan Johnson, Jordan K. Johnson and Oliver "German" Peterhof and The Strangerz: Marcus ...
– production , drums , programming , bass , keyboards **
Alexander Izquierdo Alexander Izquierdo, better known by the stage name Eskeerdo, is a Cuban-American rapper and songwriter from Hialeah, Florida. He released his first EP, ''Eskeerdo'', in 2015. He is known for being a member of the production team The Monsters & ...
– songwriting , backing vocals ** Jordan K. Johnson – songwriting , backing vocals ** Stefan Johnson – songwriting , vocal production , backing vocals ** Marcus Lomax – songwriting , backing vocals , keyboards ** Oliver Peterhof – songwriting * Dreamlab – production , recording ** Daniel James – songwriting , recording **
Leah Haywood Leah Jacqueline Cooney, known professionally as Haywood (formerly Leah Haywood), is an Australian record producer, songwriter and singer. Born in New Zealand, she grew up in Perth, Western Australia, and recorded a top 40 album, ''Leah'', re ...
– songwriting * Jake Torrey – songwriting , production , guitar * Jorgen Odegard – songwriting , production , backing vocals , drums , engineering , programming , synthesizer * Steven Franks – songwriting , production * Tommy Brown – songwriting , production , bass * Aldae – production , assistant production * Jimmie Gutch – songwriting , production *
Ilya Ilya, Iliya, Ilia, Ilja, or Ilija (russian: Илья́, Il'ja, , or russian: Илия́, Ilija, ; uk, Ілля́, Illia, ; be, Ілья́, Iĺja ) is the East Slavic form of the male Hebrew name Eliyahu (Eliahu), meaning "My God is Yahu/Jah." ...
– songwriting , production , backing vocals , co-production , keyboards , percussion , programming *
Harv Bernard Harvey (born August 17, 1985), known professionally as Harv, is an American record producer, musician and songwriter from Kansas City, Kansas and based in Los Angeles, who has produced acclaimed work for major recording artists such as ...
– songwriting , production , bass , guitar , keyboards , piano * Shndo – production , co-production *
Jason Evigan Jason Gregory Evigan (born June 10, 1983) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His songwriting credits include co-writing and production of Maroon 5's "Girls Like You" and "What Lovers Do", Madonna's " Ghosttown", ...
– songwriting , production , backing vocals , bass , drums , guitar , keyboards , programming * LeriQ – production , additional production *
Finneas Finneas Baird O'Connell (born July 30, 1997), known mononymously as Finneas ( stylized in all caps), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists, most notably his sister, ...
– songwriting , production , engineering , keyboards , programming * Freddy Wexler – songwriting * Gian Stone – songwriting * Gregory Eric Hein – songwriting , backing vocals *
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
– songwriting * Valentin Brunn – songwriting *
Ali Tamposi Alexandra Tamposi (born November 17, 1989) is an American songwriter from West Palm Beach, Florida. She is best known for co-writing Kelly Clarkson's song "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," 5 Seconds of Summer's song "Youngblood (5 Seconds of S ...
– songwriting , backing vocals * Scott Harris – songwriting * Tia Scola – songwriting * Anthony M. Jones – songwriting * Brittany Amaradio – songwriting *
Rami Yacoub Rami Yacoub (born 17 January 1975), also known by the mononym Rami, is a Swedish record producer and songwriter and former member of the songwriting/production houses Cheiron Studios and Maratone. Yacoub collaborated extensively with Max Martin ...
– songwriting * Luiz Bonfa – songwriting * Walter De Backer – songwriting *
Ryan Tedder Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...
– songwriting , backing vocals * Luis Manuel Martinez Jr. – songwriting * Jordan Douglas – songwriting * Whitney Phillips – songwriting *
Amy Allen Amy Allen (born October 24, 1976) is an American actress and film crew member who portrayed the Jedi Master Aayla Secura in ''Star Wars'' films released in 2002 and 2005. She worked behind the scenes on many different movies, including ''A.I. ...
– songwriting * Raul Cubina – songwriting , percussion * Candice Mills – backing vocals * Carla Williams – backing vocals * Christeyun Morgan – backing vocals * Darian Elliot – backing vocals * Demarcus Williams – backing vocals * Denae Daughtery – backing vocals * Drea Randle Matthews – backing vocals * Eboni Ellerson – backing vocals * Eric Birdine – backing vocals * James McKissic – backing vocals * Ja'Quoi Griffin – backing vocals * Mariann Shaw – backing vocals * Marshari Williams – backing vocals * Melodie Pace – backing vocals * Michael Bethany – backing vocals * Myron Williams – backing vocals * Tameka Sanford – backing vocals * Zahrea Clayton – backing vocals * Virtual Riot – piano * Pierre-Luc Rioux – guitar * Max Grahn – drums *
Charlie Puth Charles Otto Puth Jr. (; born December 2, 1991) is an American singer and songwriter. His initial exposure came through the viral success of his song videos uploaded to YouTube. Puth initially signed with the record label eleveneleven after pe ...
– piano


Technical

* Josh Gudwin – mixing * Colin Leonard – mastering * Paul LaMalfa – engineering * Elijah Marrett-Hitch – assistant mixing * Heidi Wang – assistant mixing , recording , engineering , assistant record engineering * Chris O'Ryan – engineering , vocal engineering , vocal production * Devin Nakao – engineering , recording * John Arbuckle – engineering * Cory Brice – engineering * Drew Gold – engineering * Jeremy Lertola – engineering * Sam Holland – engineering * Denis Kosiak – recording , vocal production * Michael Havens – recording * Kevin Carbo – recording * Lionel Crasta – recording * Rafael Fadul – recording * Ryan Lytle – assistant record engineering * James Keeley – assistant record engineering * Chenao Wang – assistant record engineering * Kirk Franklin – choir arranging *
Scooter Braun Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun (born June 18, 1981) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and entertainment executive. Known as the manager for artists such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, J Balvin, Demi Lovato, The Kid Laroi and other artists ...
– choir arranging , production coordination * Andrew Luftman – production coordination * Sarah Shelton – production coordination


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


References

{{Authority control 2021 albums Justin Bieber albums Albums produced by Andrew Watt (record producer) Albums produced by Benny Blanco Albums produced by Finneas O'Connell Albums produced by Ido Zmishlany Albums produced by Jon Bellion Albums produced by Louis Bell Albums produced by Skrillex Albums produced by the Monsters & Strangerz Albums produced by Tommy Brown (record producer) Albums produced by Virtual Riot Def Jam Recordings albums EMI Records albums RBMG Records albums Schoolboy Records albums Universal Music Group albums Albums produced by Poo Bear Albums produced by Harv