Photo courtesy of NME

On March 19, Justin Bieber gave us what we all needed during this pandemic: another hit album. “Justice,” being Bieber’s sixth studio album in his 12 years of fame, has once again left listeners in shock. Focusing on his faith and the love of his life, Hailey Baldwin, Bieber gives us yet another look into his life as a married man. This album will be Bieber’s eighth overall album to be number one on the Billboard 200 Chart, making him the youngest solo artist to achieve this milestone.

In September 2020, Bieber released the album’s leading single “Holy,” featuring Chance the Rapper. Following that was the release of the collaborative piece with Benny Blanco, “Lonely,” giving his fans an insight into his struggle with fame from an early age. He then gave us another single, before the official release on January 1, titled “Anyone.” His last single, “Hold On,” was released on March 5. All of these songs made their way onto the Billboard Top 40 chart.

Bieber tells Vogue that his album, “Justice,” was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. The name derives from the timing of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s featured sermon excerpt “But If Not.” Bieber explains how at the time of his speech, MLK was willing to give up his life to promote racial equality. Bieber believed “a lot of people are afraid to stand up for what is right, but if you’re not standing up for Justice – for what is right – what are you doing with your life?” Track 7, titled “MLK Interlude,” featured an excerpt from MLK’s sermon, “But If Not,” which was delivered in 1967 at a church in Atlanta, Georgia.

Bieber received both praise and backlash for using the sermon of a civil rights activist. Some of his fans commended Bieber for being socially conscious by spreading the message of a very well-known and heavily respected leader. In the interview with Vogue, Bieber expressed how the Civil Rights Movement was not taught to him growing up in Canada. He wanted to project MLK’s beliefs to this generation in a way that he did not see himself when he was younger. But some did not appreciate the placement of this dialogue. People were confused and felt disrespected that an excerpt of a sermon by a civil rights activist was placed in between two love songs about his wife.

Throughout the whole album, Bieber brings in other artists to relay and spread his message of love, faith and devotion. You can hear the artistry of Chance the Rapper, Khalid, The Kid Laroi, Dominic Fike, Daniel Caesar, Giveon, Beam and Burna Boy. In “Justice,” Bieber has achieved this popstar-esque persona, all the while adding a personal twist to it.