By Kelsey Purcell, staff writer
Popular singer and songwriter Justin Bieber released his new album “Justice” on March 19. It includes hit songs “Holy,” featuring Chance The Rapper, and “Lonely” with Benny Blanco. Artists BEAM, Burna Boy, Daniel Caesar, Giveon, Dominic Fike, Khalid and The Kid LAROI also make appearances on the album.
When Bieber announced “Justice” on Instagram, he wrote, “In a time when there’s so much wrong with this broken planet we all crave healing and justice for humanity. In creating this album my goal is to make music that will provide comfort, to make songs that people can relate to and connect to so they feel less alone.”
There are 16 tracks on the album, one of which is called “MLK Interlude.”
The entire track is an audio clip from Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermon from 1967, “But If Not.” The interlude ends with King saying, “you died when you refused to stand up for right, you died when you refused to stand up for truth, you die when you refused to stand up for justice.”
The album starts with “2 Much, ” which features Martin Luther King Jr. saying, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” in its intro.
The song begins with gentle piano chords that continue throughout the entirety of the track and has a soft and soothing tone.
The chorus goes, “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.” “2 Much” is a reflection of Bieber’s love for his wife, Hailey Bieber.
Though the album is titled “Justice,” it seems to be mostly about his relationship with Hailey.
The third song, “As I Am” features R&B singer Khalid. It is one of the more energetic and upbeat songs on the album.
The beat drops during the chorus, “Take me as I am, swear I’ll do the best I can.” The beginning lines of the bridge are “You were there for me when I was acting selfish and you prayed for me when I was out of faith.” It is a pop ballad about the commitments Bieber and his wife made to each other.
“Unstable” is a collaboration with The Kid LAROI. The chorus goes, “Yeah you loved, you loved, yeah you loved me when I was unstable.” Bieber is thanking his wife for sticking with him through difficult situations.
The Kid LAROI continues to sing, “Oh, I know God was listening every night when I would pray/ you’re an angel watching over me.” In this song, Bieber refers to his Christian faith and how his wife helped him through dark days.
The ninth song, “Hold On” has a positive message.
In the catchy pop song Bieber sings, “I need you to hold on/ Heaven is a place not too far away” which gives listeners a hopeful vibe. He acknowledges the mistakes he has made in the past in the line, “ ’cause I know how it feels to be the one who loses their way.”
“Hold On” shares the message of fighting through tough times instead of giving up.
Bieber wrote on Instagram, “I know that I cannot simply solve injustice by making music, but I do know that if we all do our part by using our gifts to serve this planet and each other that we are that much closer to being united. This is me doing a small part. My part. I want to continue the conversation of what justice looks like so we can continue to heal.”
While promoting the album, Bieber tweeted in support of some organizations such as Equal Justice Initiative, The King Center and Poor People’s Campaign that are dedicated to fighting for justice, although the album seems to be more about Bieber’s relationship with his wife rather than about making a statement about the injustices in the world.
purcelkr20@bonaventure.edu
