Justin Bieber's Romantic Song About Hailey Shows His Growth As An Artist
Justin Bieber recently released the finished version of his sixth album, “Justice.” One of the new tracks is “Hailey,” which is a beautiful song dedicated to his wife, Hailey Baldwin Bieber.
Unlike other popular love songs dedicated to the wives of singer-songwriters (think "All of Me" by John Legend and "Die A Happy Man" by Thomas Rhett), “Hailey” isn’t a ballad. However, this doesn’t mean the song isn’t as romantic as its predecessors.
Like most artists, Bieber has matured alongside his music, which is easy to see in this song and throughout his discography.
From Teeny-Bopper to Husband
Justin Bieber’s first EP My World and album My World 2.0 launched his career with teeny-bopper hits like “One Time,” “One Less Lonely Girl,” and “Baby.” These were fun tracks that you’d probably hear on Radio Disney or at an 8-year-old’s birthday party, and the lyrics weren’t deep. These songs were about young teens experiencing their first relationships, which made sense because they aligned with both Bieber’s age and audience.
The music video for his first single, “One Time,” perfectly illustrates how fun and carefree this era of Bieber’s career was. The video features a 15-year-old Bieber throwing a party while his mentor, R&B superstar Usher, is out of town. The video is about the party and how he tries to get one girl’s attention and ends with him getting a quick kiss goodnight and getting caught by Usher.
After the success of his 2011 Christmas album Under the Mistletoe, he released another round of hits from his third album, Believe, in 2012. The album featured hits like “Boyfriend,” “As Long As You Love Me,” and “Beauty and a Beat.” Many of these songs included rappers like Nicki Minaj and Big Sean, and also had a fun and carefree feel to them. Though they were more mature than the hits from his first album, these songs are still remembered as teeny-bopper songs you’d hear at a high school dance.
There weren’t any hits from Bieber’s 2013 EP, Journals, but he came back in 2015 with his fourth album, Purpose. This had hits like “What Do You Mean?” “Sorry,” and “Love Yourself,” which featured more adult themes by exploring hookup culture and his on-and-off relationship with Selena Gomez. This era is where Bieber made the transition from teen heartthrob to an adult, but it would still take time for his music to develop into what it is today.
Though Bieber had a few songs come out in the late 2010s, he didn’t release another album until 2020. Changes featured songs like “Yummy” and “Intentions,” which were both carefree and songs that you’d hear at a college party. The lyrics also had little to no meaning, which felt like a regression from Purpose, which showed Bieber’s more vulnerable side through lyrics about his personal life.
Bieber followed Changes with Justice in 2021, which includes some of his most heartfelt and mature songs like "Holy," “Anyone,” “Lonely,” "Ghost," and “Hailey.” Though many of these songs are as upbeat as his previous tracks, they show how much Bieber has grown since the start of his career through the lyrics.
“Hailey” Shows How Much He’s Grown
We know Bieber has matured from his early years through songs like "Holy" that detail his marriage to Hailey and his relationship with God. He released the music video for "Ghost" last week, which is about finding happiness again after losing a loved one.
“Hailey” is another addition to his collection of heartwarming new songs. In the chorus, Bieber sings, “This life is crazy / But it led me to your love / If you call on me forever I will come / No matter what, baby / The only thing I’m certain of / We’ll be diamond when our golden days are done / No matter what, no mattеr what / It’s only us.”
Justin Bieber has matured musically, while sticking to his roots.
We all know that Justin and Hailey Bieber tied the knot in 2018, and it’s not the first song he’s dedicated to her (think “Holy” and his duet with Dan + Shay, “10,000 Hours”), but it’s telling that he named this song after her. The song discusses how he’s grown and changed through the years and how he’s grateful that everything led to him marrying her, as well as his life-long dedication to her. It’s his most romantic song yet, and I can’t stop listening to it.
As someone who has been a fan from the start (and is the same age as him, and I find a lot of his music relatable), it’s fun to look back and see how much his music has changed through the years.
Closing Thoughts
Justin Bieber isn’t singing about teenage crushes and the trials of his previous relationships anymore. His latest era of music shows what he’s going through in his personal life with the upbeat sound we all know and love, proving that he can mature musically while sticking to his roots. Songs like “Hailey” and “Holy” show off his romantic side, and I can’t wait to hear more.
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