Are we seeing a new era of Bieber?

Since the release of Justin Bieber’s Changes album at the beginning of this year, which reached number one in multiple countries including the UK and the USA, it seems a new era is already on the way. In October, Justin tweeted two mystery words: ‘ONE WEEK’. An indication of something to come? 

Soon after, his manager Scooter Braun tweeted the hashtag ‘#newerabegins’ in response. This bluntness is novel, considering Justin is known for telling fans new music is coming ‘soon’ and then disappearing for months, leaving them craving more. In 2020, however, Beliebers may be truly getting fed.

Gone are the days of waiting five years for new music, with only a short seven months since the release of his last album. After the R&B style of Changes, what exactly can we expect from Justin’s sixth studio album?

It’s been hinted that he’s returning to his pop roots, and many fans, including myself, are excited for this return: after all, it’s pop that made him famous. Could his recent appearance in DJ Khaled’s ‘POPSTAR’ music video be predicting the era to come? Fans want something similar to Purpose – hits they can sing and dance to – and it looks like their wishes may come true. 

Dubbed the ‘Prince of Pop’, a pop album release is what he knows best

After these mysterious tweets, the first single from JB6, ‘Holy ft. Chance the Rapper’ was released on September 18th and has received mainly positive reviews, as can be seen on multiple YouTube videos to the song (such as ZMOOVEY’s brilliant reaction). It has a gospel feel to it, and along with the video brings a message of hope in hard times, touching particularly on those facing redundancy. There’s obvious religious undertones, which adds to the positive message. 

If the quality of the track’s music video reflects what the rest of the era will be like, then we can expect amazing stories with top-notch cinematography. Team Bieber cut no corners on this one: he’s written many songs in the past conveying important messages (‘Pray’, ‘Intentions’ and ‘Life is Worth Living’ amongst others) and ‘Holy’ is no exception to this. If, as predicted, this era follows more along the lines of Purpose, which featured several emotional tracks, then we can expect things to get even deeper on his next offering.

Whilst it’s been hinted that JB6 will be a pop album, there’s a strong indication that it’s going to be different to anything done before. After the global situation halted the Changes era before it could get going – the world tour is now rescheduled to June 2021 – it seems it ended too soon. Now there’s the potential for something even bigger. Dubbed the ‘Prince of Pop’, a pop album release is what he knows best. However, he’s also previously ventured into R&B, rap, and country music, so we might see some versatility. 

Justin’s reputation as a teen heartthrob have had people swooning over him since the start, so it’ll be interesting to see how being a married man will change things

From the release of ‘One Time’ in 2009 to the recent Changes album, Justin’s matured a lot, both in his music and personal life. So far, the Purpose era has been his most successful: a sold out stadium tour, multiple number one singles, countless award nominations, including four Grammy nominations. Yet, in the five years since, Justin’s personal life has changed significantly.

For starters, his marriage to Hailey Baldwin has been a massive influence on his music. This is reflected on Changes, where he details not only the difficulties of relationships but also professes his love to his wife in multiple heart-warming R&B tracks. 

The album contains a clear variety of upbeat songs (e.g. ‘Running Over’, ‘Yummy’) and slower, heartfelt ones (e.g. ‘Available’, ‘Get Me’), but this doesn’t take away from the overall beauty of the album and its vocals. Along with his voice, Justin’s reputation as a teen heartthrob have had people swooning over him since the start, so it’ll be interesting to see how being a married man will change things. 

Whilst we don’t have more details on when the rest of this sixth studio album is going to hit the charts, one thing’s certain: it’s coming soon, and it’s going to be iconic.