His sixth album includes two MLK speeches, love songs to his wife, and missed opportunities 

By, Isabella Lopes

Taking samples from Martin Luther King Jr. and having a couple of features from Black artists doesn’t hide the fact that Justin Bieber’s album Justice is nowhere near the work of activism it was marketed to be, instead choosing to mainly be a compilation of love songs about his wife, Hailey Bieber. 

 Justice was released through Def Jam Recordings on March 19 as a continuation to his last album released in February 2020, Changes.  In a series of tweets in February, Bieber claimed this album would bring healing.

The album opener “2 Much” starts with words from Martin Luther King’s 1963 open letter “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. We hear King’s voice tell us that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” yet the sample feels entirely out of place, tone-deaf even, as the next two minutes of the track act as a soothing love song dedicated to Ms. Bieber. 

 With dreamy lyrics like “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,” Bieber sets the rest of the record’s romantic tone.

 The songs that follow stay on theme, as “Deserve You” could have been a continuation of “2 Much.” The diluted EDM feel adds to the track, but lyrically, feels nearly identical, “I need you don’t let me go … I can’t breathe without you.” 

 “As I Am” includes a well-done Khalid feature, but a lot of his background vocals are drowned out by the chorus’ beat-drop. Bieber’s lyrics are again dedicated to his wife, making a potentially stand-out track blend into the background.

 “Off My Face” is a pleasantly soft tune, between the instrumental guitar and Bieber’s complimentary falsetto. However,  if the lyrics had differed from the songs prior, I would have liked the song more. “I’m off my face, in love with you. I’m out my head, so into you,” repetitive, but romantic nonetheless.

 At this point of the album, I really expected something related to justice.

 “Holy” comes in next, which was released last year as a single featuring Chance The Rapper. The gospel-inspired instrumentals and background vocals work really well in the song, so it’s no surprise the music video currently has over 135 million views on Youtube. Though it’s not Chance’s strongest verse, the song is catchy and kid-friendly.

“MLK Interlude” is slapped in the middle of the album, tucked between “Unstable,” a song about Bieber’s personal difficulties in the past, and “Die For You.”

 “Die For You” sounds like it was inspired by 1980’s pop-rock, with exciting synths that suited both Bieber and featured artist Dominic Fike. Though, as another love song, it doesn’t tie into the interlude previous.

 It’s becoming pretty clear that the Dr. King samples on the album were tastelessly shaped to fit Bieber’s words and not at all used to share MLK’s conceptions of social or racial equality.

 The next few tracks feel like empty, positivity quotes recycled from Tumblr. “Hold On” includes lyrics like “I will be there for you,” while “Somebody” shares the same message with words like “I’ll be the shoulder you cry on.”

 Not all lyrics on the record are substanceless, as Bieber talks about hating himself and wanting change, but he doesn’t delve into the topic beyond a surface level. 

 “Ghost” redeems the two songs prior. The captivating beat is complemented by creative lyrics like, “If I can’t be close to you, I’ll settle for the ghost of you … If you can’t be next to me, your memory is ecstasy.” 

 Though Fans on TikTok speculate this song is about ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez as a response to her track “Ghost of You,” Bieber said in an interview with British Vogue that “Ghost” is about losing somebody you love. 

 “I know this has been a really challenging year where we’ve lost loved ones and relationships too … I hope this resonates and I hope it fills your heart up with joy or comfort in some sort of way,” he said. 

 “Peaches” featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon is a record highlight and easily one of the strongest tracks on the album. Strong vocal performances from the R&B singers on the soulful beat pair soundly with Bieber on the hook.

 This song is the tune that will be stuck in your head, “I took my chick up to the north, yeah. I get my light right from the source, yeah.” It’s a summer evening vibe and perfect for a driving-with-the-windows-down type of day.

 “Love You Different” goes back to the theme of love songs dedicated to Hailey Bieber. The BEAM feature is short and hidden at the end, likely because he dominates the track. Justin lacks lyrical substance in comparison and his “let’s make babies” background riff didn’t help.

 “Loved By You” is similar to the previous, as Justin’s vibe doesn’t really par with the beat and Burna Boy’s feature arguably outshines him. Just like BEAM, Burna Boy would have bodied the track if he wasn’t confined to a feature.

 In the final track, “Lonely,” Bieber reflects on the trials and tribulations of his upbringing into fame. The soft, almost ballad-like, song is another record highlight. It ends the album well, as the only song that offers genuinely personal lyrics.

 Bieber’s sixth album had a few stand-out songs, mainly attributed to strong features, but the decision to market the record to paint Bieber as an activist was in poor taste.

 I genuinely have no idea how the album helps “continue the conversation of what justice looks like,” as Bieber said it would. It’s unclear how the album’s name Justice is relevant to any of the compiled tracks, and it’s difficult to see past the use of Dr. King’s words on an album mainly written about the love life of a rich white couple. 

 From a musical perspective, the record is a better body of work than his last album. Changes was released as his first album in five years and was an attempt to introduce Bieber to the R&B scene. Yet, the album was still perceived as pop music by the Grammy’s Recording Academy, and though its single “Yummy” charted, it received terrible reviews.

 While Justice is a fun experimental pop album, it was reminiscent of fellow Canadian The Weeknd’s After Hours, which was a significantly better and more experimental project despite having no features. Between soft instrumentals, EDM sounds and 80’s synths, I hear a lot of similarities between the two. Listen to Bieber’s “Die For You” then The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” and tell me Abel Tesfaye didn’t inspire the comeback of the 80’s synth.

 On Justice’s debut weekend Bieber secured every top song spot, with 10 different songs on the album charting. As of April 3, Peaches has maintained its number one spot on global Spotify charts.