The formerly pre-pubescent boy known for crooning in his falsetto and making 14-year-old girls swoon, proves in his new album Justice that growing up in the spotlight is not always as glamorous as it seems.
Justin Bieber shares as much in his hit “Lonely” that detailed the dark place he inhabited as a result of his young fame.
However, the so-called “Beliebers” — fans who have been with him throughout his entire career — have recently seen him become a believer himself: In God and true love. Faith and marriage have become his new brand and are reflected in his newest album, titled Justice, with song lyrics that suggest remorse for his actions and thankfulness for forgiveness.
Throughout his new music, he credits his wife, formerly Hailey Baldwin, and God for giving him a new perspective and second chance. His once booming music career seems to be revived amid these dramatic life changes.
Though, along with success he has also met more controversy. Some have criticized his “inauthentic” references to social injustice within his album. “Rolling Stone” even referred to his use of Martin Luther King Jr., speech samples on his album as “a jarring musical misstep”.
In response to these criticisms Bieber responded: “I’m not trying to make a connection between me and Martin Luther King. That’s why I never try to talk about social injustice, or I didn’t want to be the one to talk about it.
“I just have so much more learning to do. But I have this man who was ready to die, and what he believed to be true. If I’m not willing to face some sort of ridicule or judgment of people wondering my motives or whatever that is, for me, it was a no brainer.”
Students at Lipscomb also had strong opinions on the topic. “His new music is sick and it’s a bop. His older stuff too,” said Lipscomb musician, Charles Cordell Bay.
“But I do feel pretty strongly against the use of the MLK quote in between songs about his wife. Felt like a cheap grab for diversity that didn’t feel consecutive to the rest of the album or even authentic.”
Since the release of his triple chucks deluxe album, the 27 year old pop artist has also crossed through the boundaries of pop and into the realm of gospel, mirroring other stars such as Kayne West and Carrie Underwood.
In addition to the album Justice, on Easter he released an EP, Freedom, and it consists of six songs furthering the details of his struggles with drug addiction and sin.
In the album, Bieber shares the way he feels he has been delivered from his past. This album has also been met with mixed reactions, with some condemning a gospel album having an “explicit” tag and others applauding the authenticity in the details of his faith walk.