As an antiquated Belieber whose girlhood was defined by listening to the latest Justin Bieber albums on CD, trips to Claire’s for the latest merch, and collages of him ripped from M Magazine plastered on my wall, I realized that, following the release of Swag and the expansion with Swag II, my inner Bieber Fever is dying. The only element clinging me to the fandom is the nostalgia of his earlier albums.
Justin Bieber rose to fame when he uploaded videos as “Kidrauhl” in 2009 on YouTube. He began singing covers and accumulated over 70k subscribers when it caught the attention of Scooter Braun, his now ex-manager, and Usher. Bieber later signed with Island Records, marking the beginning of his music career.
His first single, “One Time,” reached number 17 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The following year, he released “Baby,” surpassing 1.3 billion streams followed by other chart-breaking hits such as “Sorry,” “Despacito (Remix),” “Peaches,” and “Stay” with Kid Laroi. He’s also acquired two Grammys: one with Shrillex and Diplo for “Where Are Ü Now” and another with Dan + Shay for “10,000 Hours.” To say the least, Bieber is a hit-making machine.
Logistics and hits aside, I’m going to delve into the best albums of his discography, complete with controversial opinions and unpopular favorites.
1) Journals (2013)
Beginning with Journals, a series of songs inspired by his breakup with Selena Gomez, this album is by far his best and most underrated. It marks a pivotal moment in his career of rebranding both aesthetically—known as his “Bizzle era,” defined by snapback hats, shirtless pics flaunting his abs, and R&B inspiration—and vocally.
The songs themselves intertwine yearning and implicit sexualized references with standout features of Lil Wayne, Chance the Rapper, Future, and Big Sean. Several of my favorites include: “Confident,” “Flatline,” and “Hold Tight.” In truth, there is not one single skip.
2) Believe (2012)
Consistent with the genre of R&B, Believe is pre-Bizzle era and his second-best album. He worked with Rodney Jenkins, the producer of Michael Jackson’s “You Rock My World.” In an interview with MTV Live, Bieber said, ” [Jenkins] showed me never-before-seen Michael Jackson footage… it’s some really special stuff.” From the studio session, “Die in Your Arms” emerged. Additional favorites, aside from “Beauty and the Beast” with Nicki Minaj, are “Catching Feelings,” “Fall,” and “Right Here” with Drake. Once again, no skips, banger after banger.
3) Purpose (2015)
Furthermore, Purpose is another dominant album on his discography. The album intertwines a mix of EDM and R&B. It’s relatively similar to the soulful sound on Changes and Believe; the primary difference, however, is the inclusion of acoustics and downtempos. In an interview with USA Today, Bieber said the album is “about growing, being in touch with yourself, [my] life experiences, and knowing that you can get back up and keep going, as well as having hope and faith.” This is prevalent in the uplifting nature of each song. One moment your vibing to “Sorry,” then you’re hit with “Love Yourself.” The meticulous order of the songs is the most compelling aspect of this album. He takes the listener on an emotional journey with him. Other wonderful songs, include “Trust,” “Life is Worth Living,” and “Company.”
4) My World 2.0 (2009)
Following Purpose, probably one of the most iconic eras of Justin Bieber is during My World 2.0. With his signature swoosh haircut and charm expressed in interviews, I was swooning. I, like, many others wanted to be “One Less Lonely Girl.” The album, featuring hits like “Baby” and “One Time” defined him as a teen idol. While it’s more commercialized than his other albums, standouts include “Runaway Love,” “Eenie Meenie” with Sean Kingston, and “That Should be Me.”
5) Under the Mistletoe (2011)
Under the Mistletoe extends beyond the season of Christmas. The songs are a year-long listen as he takes his own R&B spin on classic Christmas athems. My favorites are—of course—”Drummer Boy,” in which he begins rapping with Busta Rhymes, “Pray,” and “Mistletoe.” Especially when it’s winter, this album isconstantly on repeat. I’d say it’s one the best Christmas albums ever.
6) Changes (2020)
In 2020, Bieber—at least for me—starts to lose appeal. His album Changes isn’t about the transformative journey that the title suggests, but rather about Hailey Bieber, his wife. While they’re lovely and reveal an intimate aspect of his life, it lacks a cohesiveness that other albums have. Additionally, much of the lyrics are surface-level, lacking the creative nuance previously demonstrated in “Confidence.” Some songs that are worthy of listening to are “Take it Out on Me,” “Get Me” with Summer Walker, and the title track “Changes.” Other than that, there are many skips, including the popular hits like “Yummy” and “Intentions.”
7) Swag & Swag II (2025)
Similarly, Swag and Swag II, Bieber’s double album consisting of 44 songs released this year, is one of his worst albums. Critic Vivian Medith for Fader Magazine captured my opinion the best. She said, “Most of these songs languish as hollow style exercises trafficking in generic romantic tropes.” Additionally, there isn’t a personalized element to the album; it’s disrupted by trivial interludes from Druski, and it attempts to reflect religious themes while lewdly singing of “Sweet Spot” with Sexyy Red. Though there are some standout songs, such as “Yukon,” “Go Baby,” and “Love Song,” that are trending on Spotify and TikTok, I’d rather listen to his former albums.
8) Justice (2021)
Lastly, Justice is by far my least favorite album, as it’s an attempt to be politically and socially aware with little relevance to politics. He thinks he can include an interlude of MLK and call the album Justice when he speaks of his own suffering of loneliness and healing. From this perspective, he comes across as privileged. While Purpose also uses a word of greater significance, the listener is sharing a journey with Bieber and not applying his life to the tumultuous state of the world. Off of the album, holistically, I’d only recommend “Off My Face,” “Holy,” and “Peaches. The others are skips.
Concluding thoughts
Among Justin Bieber’s albums, his best albums are pre-2020. After Purpose, the rating of his albums begins to descend. While he has more creative liberty on these tracks, their popularity is likely attributed to his antics on Instagram and fans posting videos to his audio on TikTok, not its musical beauty. At this rate, Bieber Fever is at an all-time cooldown rate, with no wide-spread infection again in sight.
