Top 5 Picks: Justin Bieber’s ‘Journals’

Ahead of the #JournalsLive session that Justin Bieber will be hosting tonight, it’s only right to give a breakdown of memorable songs from his highly acclaimed R&B album, Journals.

In no particular ranking order – because let’s be real, it’s so difficult to narrow down this body of work’s greatness – the following tracks are five unforgettable picks from Bieber’s Journals:

“Heartbreaker”

In the run-up to the album’s release, Heartbreaker was used for promotional purposes across social media to build up an unmatched buzz in the belieber fanbase. Serving as an amazing opening track to Journals, the instrumental is grazed by the glorious harp sounds, adlibs, and Bieber’s chilling vocals. After professing his love for the significant other in question, the production then takes a dark turn, bringing this song to an unexplainable, and chilling conclusion.

“One Life”

One Life brings the concept of intimacy and having one true love, to a different dimension. Re-enforced by the main chorus where the artist explicitly says “I wanna dream what you dream, go where you’re going, I only have one life, I only wanna live it with you,” those listening to these words will come to yearn for that same feeling JB is communicating through the compelling, auditory content of this track.

“Confident”

Un-cut, flawless, and well-polished; that’s everything we’d imagine somebody who owns their sense of confidence to be, and if there was a song that could define them, it would be this one. It goes without saying that Confident (featuring Chance The Rapper) brings seductive flair in a fun, upbeat kind of way – making this track one of the few that isn’t infiltrated by the slowed-down sonics and deep bass intended to evoke sadness. Instead, it acts as a key that can unlock your alter-ego, which the Biebs clearly portrayed through Confident’s music video.

“Memphis” ft Big Sean

A love story based on in a moment of time, and possibly titled after the location in which it was set in, Memphis (featuring Big Sean) signifies everything a person might experience during the height of what our generation now commonly refers to as the ‘honeymoon’ phase. This track is so well formulated, creating erratic beat variations that could in fact represent the extreme range of emotions the artist was going through during the time this song was written, and with Big Sean dropping heat in his own verse, this adds to Memphis’s dynamic nature.

“All That Matters”

“What’s a King Bee Without A Queen?” – a question continuously asked in the lovemaking, slow jam All That Matters. It can easily be agreed that it serves as a prequel to Confident based on how they mirror each other, visually; with the choice of shades for different scenes, and mystery girl appearing as JB’s counterpart in both. However, where the two differ is in terms of pace, as ATM presents passion in a way that is more sensual, as opposed to energetic.

The release of this raw composition highlights an array of emotions Bieber was experiencing during a breakup, whilst simultaneously taking on the pressure of being on tour, and following on from his previous projects; My World, My World 2.0 and Believe, Journals took his sound to a new level of maturity.

Listen to Journals below.

Tune into the #JournalsLive Stream Tonight – 2am (UK) | Re-run Monday 15th February – 7pm 

North America 6pm PT | 9pm ET