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After a three-year streak without a note from Justin Bieber’s solo music, 2020 has been comparatively full of activity from the Canadian singer. The arrival of their ‘R & Bieber’ comeback single ‘Yummy’ in January served as the first taste of their star-studded, but ultimately disappointing fifth album, ‘Changes,’ which followed a month later. The subsequent global shutdown spoiled Bieber’s summer plans to do a ‘Changes’ tour, though the pandemic inspired his May crew with Ariana Grande for their closing-and-nod benefit single ‘Stuck with U’ led to a strange fight with Tekashi 6ix9ine).
Nine months after this most ridiculous year, the 26-year-old is now ready to enter a “new era,” as his manager Scooter Braun recently put it. Released in the early hours of this morning, this new dawn is a ‘Saint’. Well, at first glance at least: The title of Bieber’s new collaborative single with Chance The Rapper would seem to be a clear nod to the former’s recent embrace of Kanye-backed gospel music, religion, and God. After all, Bieber told his fans in a video earlier this year that he thinks he’s “right where I’m supposed to be and God has me right where He wants me to be.”
But once you understand ‘Holy’, Bieber’s latest offer turns out to be less of a divine proclamation of his faith and more of a declaration of his love and, er, lust for his partner. “I don’t believe in nirvana”He sings over a walking bassline and bright drums, creating the feel of a church band-style accompaniment when uplifting piano chords are brought together.But the way we love in the night gave me life / Baby I can’t explain”. Oh, for the love of God, Justin.
An optimistic love song covered in Christian images (“Runnin ‘to the altar like a track star “) may not please the Puritans, but Bieber clearly admits in ‘Holy’ that it doesn’t “think i’ll be a saint”- and it would be difficult to find someone who disagrees with that. Most people will be too busy, anyway, trying to free their minds from the chorus that relies on repeating the track (“tThe way you hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me / It feels so holy, holy, holy, holy, holy”) Which, while not exactly suitable for church pews, is the perfect food for daytime radio playlists throughout the virus-ridden world.
Chance, himself an overtly religious mainstream artist, is a fairly obvious guest choice here, though he does inject his charismatic energy into ‘Holy’ once his verse begins, increasing the God-related lyrical content even more in the process: “I know that when the son takes the first steps, the father is proud / If you can get to the water, He will part the clouds.“He leaves some embarrassing lines -“When they get dirty, go lefty like Lionel Messi“It’s a terrible own goal, which is not an ideal tactic for someone who must be desperate to regain their credibility in the rap world after their widely derided album ‘The Big Day.’
While a guest spot on a Justin Bieber track won’t win back enemies overnight, it’s a solid enough feature of Chance that it offers little hope that he could get a second wind down the road.
Bieber, meanwhile, has started his second round in 2020 with ‘Holy’. Whether he’ll become Kanye West by thematically embracing religion in his next job remains to be seen, but, for now, you should at least applaud the ‘Holy’ moment. With all your plans for the future on hold, economies and industries in shambles, and a dreaded second wave looming, who wouldn’t want to be held back until it feels holy?
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