Justin Bieber’s latest single ‘Holy’ featuring Chance the Rapper is a sweet, serendipitous exploration of love at its most sacred and innocent.

The popstar has been immensely forthcoming about the reconnection with his faith and how that’s helped him discover love and partnership with wife Hailey. However,  rarely has that devotion been reflected in his tracks this year. In ‘Holy,’ Bieber doesn’t only pay homage to his marriage but also how it invokes positive associations of faith and religion for him. It helps that the feature is a lot less chaotic than his other tunes that have been released this year. 

The composition is powered by a steady chord on the piano, allowing it to create a thoughtful, impassionate mood for the duration of the song. It basically becomes the primary instrument, though the track does make room for some delightful little jangles of triangles and tambourines. Those little touches infuse a gospel feel to the proceedings, which pairs up with the themes fantastically well. Credit must be given to Justin Bieber’s vocals; he goes above and beyond this time around by soaring through the notes, singing his heart out, and infusing emotion into each and every verse. 

Bieber’s foray into hip-hop has been undoubtedly exhilarating and electrifying but it might be incredibly refreshing for his longtime fans to witness a back-to-basics from him. He actually gets to work his vocal chops and do wonders with a fairly standard melody. The second verse introduces some zippy basslines and synth progressions, so there’s some electropop energy in the mix. By the time the song moves into Chance The Rapper’s verses, the listener is in for a beautiful harmony of instruments, vocal overlaps, and powerful lyrics. But Chance’s verse is so brief that it feels a bit redundant. 

The song is aided by a cohesive music video that tells a story from start to finish. The message isn’t just communicated through the words or the melody but a narrative that truly exhalts the meaning of faith and hope.  The director has incorporated the tough circumstances of the current situation without hammering it in blatantly. Ultimately, the listener is in for a moving endeavour from Justin Bieber that is able to combine his musical stylings with his religious identity. 

Author: Shaoni Das

Shaoni Das is a writer/editor currently based in Edmonton, Canada. She remains eager to inspect how the changing culture of music impacts upon the greater world.