Album Review: Purpose by Justin Bieber

The 21-year-old superstar, Justin Bieber, made a huge comeback since 2012 after releasing a new album this past Friday.

Bieber released his new album, “Purpose” on Fri., Nov. 13 that included two of his hit singles, “What Do You Mean” and “Sorry”. The Canadian singer and songwriter has come a long way in the music industry since his debut in 2009.

Currently, his album is on course to be named No. 1 on the top charts, according to Billboard’s industry forecasters on Billboard’s top 200 albums chart. According to Nielsen Music, if “Purpose” sells as expected, the album will earn Bieber his largest sales week yet.

Amanda Millon, a junior at URI and “ultimate Bieber fan,” said Bieber has made an awesome comeback. “I first heard his song ‘What Do You Mean’ at the VMAs,” Millon said. “And his performance was so great that I immediately fell in love with the song and bought it on iTunes.”

Millon added that she believes people have been really harsh on Bieber. She said that this album will really “turn things around” for Bieber, and those who may not have liked him prior will give it a listen.

In a poll by “Billboard”, they asked listeners to vote on their favorite song on Bieber’s new album. “Love Yourself” is currently the fan favorite, with a 22.14 percentage compared to “Where Are Ü Now?” with a 2.52 percentage in the polls.

As Millon said, Bieber’s new album is already changing Bieber’s haters’ minds. For URI sophomore, Trent Anderson, his opinion on Bieber’s music went from “just okay” to “just in love.”

“I never thought I’d be the one to say it, but I love Justin Bieber’s new album,” Anderson said. “He’s got a very different sound than before, which was quite a pleasant surprise.”

Anderson said his favorite song off the album is “Sorry” because it just “gets him going.” He added that “Sorry” will be one of his jams for this year, and is considering getting his friends together to go see him live.

Although it seems like most people have nothing but great things to say about Bieber’s new album, there are plenty of others who don’t feel the same way. In an article by “Vulture”, information was found that the cover of Bieber’s album has sparked some conversation in some Muslim countries. The cover displays Bieber shirtless, bowing his head down with his fingertips touching together. Over Bieber’s body is what appears to be a large cross tattoo on his chest, and is the reason why the album was banned in some Muslim countries. The U.K. website, “Daily Mail” says that overlapping his body carries a “Christian-theme” that is “too provocative.” According to “Daily Mail”, Bieber’s management team is said to be trying to devise some alternative images for the cover.

Bieber’s album has 18 songs on it, and according to Seventeen Magazine, Bieber released music videos for all 18 songs on Vevo. If interested in listening to his new album, “Purpose”, check it out on Spotify, iTunes and his YouTube channel via Vevo.