Purpose
by Justin Bieber
  • Record Label: Def Jam
  • Release Date: Nov 13, 2015
User Score
6.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1302 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 848 out of 1302
  2. Mixed: 104 out of 1302
  3. Negative: 350 out of 1302
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Szen
    Nov 18, 2015
    5
    Ambitious and with a clear turn to a more adult musical road, "Purpose" is certainly Justin Bieber's best album today but it lacks the catchiness that a pop album should have and many of the songs are extremely forgettable.
  2. ahmedimran
    Jan 28, 2016
    5
    Not a very big JB fan but this album was average. Sorry and Love Yourself are some good songs but the album overall did not satisfy me. Believe was much better. Maybe he should have had more relevant features?
    Probably a collab with Selena which got leaked? That song was good. Or another collab with Nicki Minaj, maybe Beauty and a Beat 2.0
    I think he should just stick with normal pop music.
  3. Jumpman
    Jan 16, 2016
    5
    Justin Bieber hitting rock bottom was something that has been predicted for a teen star who got exposed to great fame at an early age and could not keep up with the hype and thr hate. What was unpredictable was justin coming back with an album worth listening unlike his previous projects delivering a new sound without losing its pop appeal . Justin managed to almost erase his past personaJustin Bieber hitting rock bottom was something that has been predicted for a teen star who got exposed to great fame at an early age and could not keep up with the hype and thr hate. What was unpredictable was justin coming back with an album worth listening unlike his previous projects delivering a new sound without losing its pop appeal . Justin managed to almost erase his past persona without leaving his stellar fanbase hungry.… Expand
  4. nirvanafreak
    Nov 22, 2015
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Favourite Songs: Sorry, Where Are Ü Now, What Do You Mean?
    Least Favourite Songs: No Pressure (feat. Big Sean), Children, Purpose, Love Yourself
    I never thought I would listen to a whole Justin Bieber album but he seems to be getting more respected so even though the albums cover art is a pretentious bag of bollocks I felt like I should give the actual music a chance. Plus, I had enjoyed a few of the singles that had dropped prior to the album release so I wanted to see if he had anything else to offer me. So did he? Well the short answer is no. So first off, his voice is still whiney as **** and it really grinds down on me over the length of the album. You don't even have to get past track 1 before you hear some high-pitched oo-oo's. It's not even just his voice that annoys me it's the stupid swag present in his delivery- most notably on 'Where Are Ü Now' when he says the title of the song but puts an emphasis on each word. I don't really want to go into the lyrics, they haven't really changed much in any way, but I do want to talk about the production on this thing because it is very inviting. There's a lot of solid electronic beats on here and some very catchy beats as well but as a whole it's just too laid back. It becomes very boring and one dimensional extremely quickly. The features are **** and they were predictably **** (Big Sean, Halsey and Travis Scott who I actually like but one of the biggest reasons for me loving his music is the production he picks and his hooks but all he did on here was a verse which is literally the worst thing you could get him to do.) The singles off the album have catchy beats and choruses but overall it's just a really plain album.
    Better Than Previous Project?: Definitely
    Try This If You Like: Skrillex and Diplo present Jack Ü    … Expand
  5. pcopelosb
    Aug 25, 2016
    6
    The album is a "radio friendly" and a only single listen in my opinion. The best tracks on the CD in my opinion are:
    1 - The Feeling (ft. Halsey)
    2 - Sorry
    3 - Love Yourself
  6. CharlieBetterIs
    Jan 7, 2016
    6
    Purpose é, provavelmente, um dos piores álbuns que eu já ouvi. Mediano ao extremo. Existe apenas três músicas boas nesse álbum, o resto... excluo sem pena. Justin Bieber tem talento, mas o pop genérico dele não me agrada.

    Pontos Altos: Sorry, Love Yourself, Company
    Pontos Baixos: O resto
  7. mandalynsmusic
    May 5, 2016
    6
    As much as the next girl, I am part of the belief that Justin Biebers music has made a vast improvement. The sound is catchy, but not irritating. However, some of the lyrics in some of his new songs in the "Purpose" album have been some what questionable.I took passages from one of Justin Biebers old songs, “Baby”, and one of his newest, “Love Yourself”. I calculated the readability ofAs much as the next girl, I am part of the belief that Justin Biebers music has made a vast improvement. The sound is catchy, but not irritating. However, some of the lyrics in some of his new songs in the "Purpose" album have been some what questionable.I took passages from one of Justin Biebers old songs, “Baby”, and one of his newest, “Love Yourself”. I calculated the readability of each f these and concluded that “Baby” has a readability of ages 7-8, which is strange as it was apparently aimed at girls aged 10-15. But what’s more interesting is that is newer song, “Love Yourself”, which is supposed to be a more mature, deep meaning song, gave us a readability of 6-7! That’s right, the teen heartthrob is still very much a teen, even though Love Yourself was released five years after Biebers debut song when he was only fifteen. His so called growth into adulthood is mis-lead, unfortunately. I’m not saying his songs are of any less quality, but they certainly aren’t more sophisticated.… Expand
  8. Kerry-Paul
    Jan 29, 2017
    6
    When you think of Justin Bieber serious is not one of the words that comes to mind when describing him. Much like his work to be frank. While there are a few CUTE songs on the album targeting his pubescent fanbase who have affectionately dubbed themselves the 'Beliebers', listeners looking for a great listening experience will not find it here. However, for effect I'll give him a 6/10.When you think of Justin Bieber serious is not one of the words that comes to mind when describing him. Much like his work to be frank. While there are a few CUTE songs on the album targeting his pubescent fanbase who have affectionately dubbed themselves the 'Beliebers', listeners looking for a great listening experience will not find it here. However, for effect I'll give him a 6/10. Considering this is his best work when compared to his albums prior to 'Purpose'. Mark you I used the word 'best' very cautiously. I'm secretly rooting for him as he is still very young… Expand
  9. Sadblee
    Nov 13, 2015
    6
    Jamás escuché el disco con la intención de dar criticas negativas pero fue un poco decepcionante, esperaba más de Bieber. No es más que una buena colección de singles, es diferente y probablemente me empiece a gustar en un tiempo. Todas las canciones son bastante similares pero sus fans lo van a disfrutar, por ahora es un 6/10 para mí.

    Mis favoritas: 1 - What Do You Mean? 2 - Sorry    Jamás escuché el disco con la intención de dar criticas negativas pero fue un poco decepcionante, esperaba más de Bieber. No es más que una buena colección de singles, es diferente y probablemente me empiece a gustar en un tiempo. Todas las canciones son bastante similares pero sus fans lo van a disfrutar, por ahora es un 6/10 para mí.

    Mis favoritas:

    1 - What Do You Mean?
    2 - Sorry
    3 - The Feeling (feat. Halsey)
    4 - I'll Show You
    5 - Children    … Expand
  10. selenator
    Nov 14, 2015
    6
    I actually listened to this album hoping it would be really good because I liked Sorry, What Do You Mean?, Love Yourself and I'll Show You which were all released prior to the album. However, I was disappointed to find that most of all the other tracks were a little 'meh' - some of them I liked like Purpose, Children and some others but most of them all sounded too similar to each otherI actually listened to this album hoping it would be really good because I liked Sorry, What Do You Mean?, Love Yourself and I'll Show You which were all released prior to the album. However, I was disappointed to find that most of all the other tracks were a little 'meh' - some of them I liked like Purpose, Children and some others but most of them all sounded too similar to each other and you can sometimes not even here is voice due to the music being too loud over him. A disappointing album but it has some good songs on it.… Expand
  11. luizfilipe
    Nov 13, 2015
    6
    O álbum está bom, mas falta algo a mais, falta aquele "WOW", temos várias músicas boas mas também várias músicas chatas, ele tem que voltar com a mesma essência da era Believe ou melhor ainda pra conseguir se superar e garantir minha nota 10.
  12. AnalyDewa
    Jan 29, 2017
    6
    Anos depois de seu último disco, o “Believe”, Justin Bieber retorna com o seu “Purpose”, primeiro lançamento dentro de sua maioridade. O álbum tem o propósito (tradução do seu título) de apresentar um artista antes de um mero produto. Bieber que conheceu a fama muito cedo e teve o sucesso sempre aliado a falta de privacidade e dificuldade de crescer com ela, tem letras que relatam essaAnos depois de seu último disco, o “Believe”, Justin Bieber retorna com o seu “Purpose”, primeiro lançamento dentro de sua maioridade. O álbum tem o propósito (tradução do seu título) de apresentar um artista antes de um mero produto. Bieber que conheceu a fama muito cedo e teve o sucesso sempre aliado a falta de privacidade e dificuldade de crescer com ela, tem letras que relatam essa sua “tristeza” de ser rico, bem sucedido, mas sem oportunidades de ter crescido como um jovem comum. O que não faltam são ocasiões para se lembrar de quantas vezes Justin já se envolveu em confusões públicas, desde pichações, agressões e até cusparada em fãs.
    A primeira faixa apresentada ao público, um ano antes do álbum, “Where Are Ü Now” um trap house, já demonstrava o caminho e ambição que o Bieber tinha em seguir e apresentava uma reinvenção sonora e o primeiro momento, desde então, que ele apresentava um trabalho com uma proposta inovadora e longe do pop genérico e plástico. A confiança em Diplo e Skrillex, que transformaram e conduziram “Purpose” tanto na mudança sonora quanto na maturidade do artista não foi coloca à toa, em vista que o álbum foi um sucesso instantâneo: mais de 500 mil cópias vendidas na primeira semana, hits número #1 como “What Do You Mean?”, “Sorry” e “Love Yourself” e facilmente limparam qualquer nuvem negra passada do artista que já tinha chegado até em falar sobre se aposentar, ainda tão jovem.
    O comeback traz também sobre seus relacionados (leia-se Selena Gomez) e uma das faixas que mais chamaram atenção foi a co-escrita por Ed Sheeran (mestre em letras desse tipo), a já citada “Love Yourself”.
    “Purpose” sofre deslizes, mas é sem dúvidas um capítulo novo dentro da carreira do artista que agora consegue imprimir personalidade, lançar tendências sonoras (tropical house) e conquistar os ouvintes que sempre torceram o nariz para o seu repertório.    … Expand
  13. pietrzi
    Nov 18, 2015
    4
    This was my first Bieber album listened carefully and I'm really disappointed. Most songs are flat, monotonous and just boring. However, 'Sorry', 'What Do You Mean' and 'Company' (which I hope will be released as next single) are quite catchy and they improved my final score for this album. No, it's not too late to say sorry for not living up to my expectations with this album, Mr. Bieber.
  14. Kerrin
    Nov 25, 2015
    6
    Bieber delivers his best album yet. Purpose displays a new track of music for Justin, one that mirrors his song Where are U Now with Diplo an Skrillex that is also featured on the album. Justin seems to be far more comfortable with this style of music, and it shows through with his stage presence and lyricism. Some of the songs seem t blend into each other, however, and seem to be tooBieber delivers his best album yet. Purpose displays a new track of music for Justin, one that mirrors his song Where are U Now with Diplo an Skrillex that is also featured on the album. Justin seems to be far more comfortable with this style of music, and it shows through with his stage presence and lyricism. Some of the songs seem t blend into each other, however, and seem to be too similar. The deluxe tracks are the lows of the album, none of them seeming to be anything special. However, Justin proved himself worthy of staying in the music industry, and there is so much more potential waiting for him.

    Highlights: What Do You Mean, Love Yourself, Life is Worth Living, Purpose    … Expand
  15. Joel_Freecheck
    May 29, 2020
    6
    A great comeback effort with strong hit singles but little to listen to beyond them.
  16. MacsMusic
    Jun 19, 2018
    6
    Purpose is not downright awful. Unlike many pop records, it tries to say something profound, and it mostly works on "Show You" and the title track. "Life" and "Children" don't really hit the target; the earlier tries too hard and the latter just comes across as fake. The rest of the album has very little lyrical originality, but the music is fun. The only songs that really don't sound goodPurpose is not downright awful. Unlike many pop records, it tries to say something profound, and it mostly works on "Show You" and the title track. "Life" and "Children" don't really hit the target; the earlier tries too hard and the latter just comes across as fake. The rest of the album has very little lyrical originality, but the music is fun. The only songs that really don't sound good are "Pressure," "Sense," and "Feeling." There songs have terrible lyrics, boring and/or generic music, and extremely underwhelming guest performances.

    "Mean," "Where?" "Children," "Show You," and even "Sorry" and "Love Yourself" have fun, fresh, enjoyable music. The music is fun; not terribly original, but still enjoyable. I really do like Justin's effort at sincerity on the title track; it comes across as honest and heartfelt.

    Purpose suffers from a few terrible songs and generally-bad lyrics, but it has some lyrical integrity and plenty of fun music. It is nowhere near close to great, but it's definitely not the worst pop album. It's a 6.5.    … Expand
  17. mimimili
    Oct 2, 2020
    5
    B-side is really boring and poorly done. The singles are really the best part of the album and still they aren't that good either. He got success because he is a white male -they can get away with mediocrity- and that's it.
  18. chidime
    Nov 15, 2015
    4
    The singles were actually good, getting better with each release (I'll Show You > Sorry > WDYM). However, from the singles and the sound that they comprised of, i could already tell what he was going for in the album, and could see that it wasn't going to be a good album mix. His entire album is basically Where R U Now Part 2. You can tell, right from the first single, that that was theThe singles were actually good, getting better with each release (I'll Show You > Sorry > WDYM). However, from the singles and the sound that they comprised of, i could already tell what he was going for in the album, and could see that it wasn't going to be a good album mix. His entire album is basically Where R U Now Part 2. You can tell, right from the first single, that that was the main inspiration for the album sound, and he stuck with that template for the entire album. Justin, making an album with all the same sound is a recipe for **** albums. Was it possible to make a good album using the Where R U Now template? Definitely (see Madonna: Confessions on the Dancefloor, where every song basically had the same template) but Beiber did a poor job of making an album that sounded cohesive, even when working with tracks that sounded the same. Overall, a zero for album quality/cohesiveness, but I will spare a 4 because a few songs are good.… Expand
  19. Felipe_Kohn
    Jun 26, 2020
    5
    Smart... I'm sure that this is the right word to describe this album. Harmonic work, satisfactory concept. Appropriate sonority, good vocals. The few negative aspects are: unstable artist's identity and the lyrics aren't mature enough.
  20. fakeSean
    Jun 16, 2017
    6
    A fairly good album. Justin Bieber is trying to transform to another image. I appreciate it.
    The only issue is that the album seems lack cohesion. The songs are great individually though.
  21. longjetty7
    Aug 14, 2016
    4
    I've never been a fan of Justin Bieber, but I figured I'd give this album a listen given all the hype it's been getting. It's actually not as horrible as I was expecting it to be, but it's still pretty disappointing. The good news is that Bieber's voice is very smooth and actually quite nice. He also captures the sound of pop music in 2015 quite well (or at least his producers do), but atI've never been a fan of Justin Bieber, but I figured I'd give this album a listen given all the hype it's been getting. It's actually not as horrible as I was expecting it to be, but it's still pretty disappointing. The good news is that Bieber's voice is very smooth and actually quite nice. He also captures the sound of pop music in 2015 quite well (or at least his producers do), but at times this also makes the music sound pretty generic. Even some of the better songs, like Sorry, get old really quickly because they're full of the same musical ideas that are constantly being played on the radio. Now, the thing that really bugs me about so many of these songs (or perhaps Bieber in general), is the squeaky-clean persona he tries to put forth. His lyrics are often so incredibly cheesy and ridiculous that they can turn a decent song into a cringeworthy nightmare. Case in point, the spoken word outro of the title track. It's the most incoherent, insipid nonsense I've heard in a while, and the fact that he throws religion into it to make himself seem wholesome or whatever makes it even more annoying. I'm not sure why he's so insistent on acting so goody-goody all the time. It's weird, and not convincing at all. Anyway, this album is overall pretty average, and thankfully there are a few good songs that save it from being completely awful. But it's definitely not enough to win me over as a Belieber.

    Standout track: I'll Show You    … Expand
  22. FedericoBini
    Aug 20, 2017
    5
    Justin Bieber evolves into an EDM artist with songs like "Children", "Sorry", "What Do You Mean" and "Get Used To It", while still delivering songs like "Love Yourself", sharply written by Ed Sheeran. Despite its interesting promise, Purpose fails to deliver anything new, surprising or particularly entertaining.
    Bieber falls under the pressure of two major points: having a best-selling    Justin Bieber evolves into an EDM artist with songs like "Children", "Sorry", "What Do You Mean" and "Get Used To It", while still delivering songs like "Love Yourself", sharply written by Ed Sheeran. Despite its interesting promise, Purpose fails to deliver anything new, surprising or particularly entertaining.
    Bieber falls under the pressure of two major points: having a best-selling album and also an album filled with heart and passion, by accomplishing only the first.    … Expand
  23. M3LL155X
    Nov 16, 2015
    4
    The singles are freshest part of this album - the strengths of "What Do You Mean?", "Sorry" and "Where Are U Now" are never fully matched on this too long, too boring comeback. When Bieber isn't doing his best to imitate Drake (see "Company"), he is reliving his failed moments from his 2012 effort Believe (see "No Pressure"). It is sad when a lifeless force like Halsey (on the soon to beThe singles are freshest part of this album - the strengths of "What Do You Mean?", "Sorry" and "Where Are U Now" are never fully matched on this too long, too boring comeback. When Bieber isn't doing his best to imitate Drake (see "Company"), he is reliving his failed moments from his 2012 effort Believe (see "No Pressure"). It is sad when a lifeless force like Halsey (on the soon to be smash "The Feeling") actually brightens up the record and makes it interesting again. Although there are a few interesting production choices (the odd and somewhat incising "Children", the Ed Sheeran track "Love Yourself" which features a bitter trumpet solo), it is sad to say that Bieber chose whiny faux-vulnerable songs over the interesting and mature dance/EDM that made his singles such bangers.

    Download: the singles + "The Feeling" and "Love Yourself"    … Expand
  24. All_ButTrU4
    Aug 25, 2022
    6
    Justin's best album to date. Its consistent and is guded by a grand vision thsr despite faltering temporarily at times is stable enough throughout to warrant your attention. The opening short "mark my words" is a beautiful promise to get better,be transparent and reliable. Followed by the reflective "I'll show you" that covers themes almost every pop star is obligated to gauge once inJustin's best album to date. Its consistent and is guded by a grand vision thsr despite faltering temporarily at times is stable enough throughout to warrant your attention. The opening short "mark my words" is a beautiful promise to get better,be transparent and reliable. Followed by the reflective "I'll show you" that covers themes almost every pop star is obligated to gauge once in their career if not multiple times,which is the pressure of fame. But "I'll show you " isnt glum instead it seems to take it instride accepting it's a price to pay for the experiences he's entitled to because of it. The fun lead single "what do you mean ?" is a fun party banger equally as superficial as the next hit "sorry". The latter of which would rule the airwaves for most of the following year. Ed sheeran's "love yourself " is a barbed F U to a self centered lover that could easily be interpreted as a diss to his famous ex Selena Gomez,irrespective of who it's from its a fantastic pop classic. The latter three songs go for and achieve rnb success with the help of in demand features in the form if big sean,travis scott and halsey. The worst song on the standard edition has to ve "life is worth living "which just feels like an empty platitude bereft of the charater and sincerity the rest of the record had built up. But the worst song on the deluxe versions is without a doubt" children " which is a dubstep misfire tgat spoils an otherwise solid record. Nevertheless the deluxe still has really worthwhile, and perhaps essential songs such as the title track,been you and et used to this.

    Purpose is a document of a popstar at their creative peak turning past pain into classic anthems for heartbreak and love that still remain important more than five years later and prove he isn't likely to reach this level of consistency again.    … Expand
  25. alohaitssara
    Jan 10, 2020
    4
    Strong singles, but the rest is disappointing.
    Weak following for his previous album.

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Most Discussed Album of 2015
17
#17 Most Shared Album of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 20
  3. Negative: 1 out of 20
  1. HipHopDX
    Dec 2, 2015
    60
    It’s when Bieber’s honesty feels less-than-honest and the tracks feel less-than-groundbreaking that this album falls short of the heights it should by all means be capable of reaching.
    Read full review
  2. Rolling Stone
    Dec 2, 2015
    70
    It's full of motivational Bieb-talk about the realness of the Bieb-struggle.
    Read full review
  3. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Nov 19, 2015
    50
    You can’t hear The Feeling in his voice, which is still one of the most infectiously beautiful in the industry, because as his faith has saved him from his pain, his production team has saved his voice from Justin. It makes for a series of unbeatable mainstream and crossover singles, and a desensitized, unnerving album.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »