Holy (Justin Bieber song)

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"Holy"
Holy - Justin Bieber.png
Single by Justin Bieber featuring Chance the Rapper
from the album Justice
ReleasedSeptember 18, 2020 (2020-09-18)
GenrePop
Length3:32
LabelDef Jam
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Bellion
  • Odegard
  • Pollack
  • Franks
  • Brown
Justin Bieber singles chronology
"Stuck with U"
(2020) 		"Holy"
(2020) 		"Lonely"
(2020)
Chance the Rapper singles chronology
"Found You"
(2020) 		"Holy"
(2020) 		"BET Uncut"
(2020)
Music video
"Holy" on YouTube

"Holy" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, featuring vocals from American rapper Chance the Rapper.[1] It was released alongside the official music video on September 18, 2020, as the lead single off Bieber's sixth studio album, Justice.[2] The single marks the pair's fifth collaboration following "Confident" (2013), "Juke Jam" (2016) and featured appearances on "I'm the One" (2017) and "No Brainer" (2018).[3] "Holy" is a pop song with elements of gospel.[4][5] Billboard named it the 41st best song of 2020.[6] The acoustic version was released on November 6, 2020.

The official video was released on September 18, 2020, and features Bieber as a laid-off oil worker and his partner being helped by a charitable soldier.

Background[]

Bieber's fifth studio album Changes was released on Valentine's day, the 14th of February 2020. On September 15, 2020, Bieber tweeted that his new single "Holy" would be released in a few days to signify his next musical "era".[7] Lyrically, the song is about Bieber's love for his wife Hailey Bieber and his love of God.[8] "Holy" discusses themes of loyalty and faith, with The New York Times calling it "devotional R&B".[9]

Bieber and Chance had previously worked on several songs together, with "Holy" marking their fifth collaboration.[3] In terms of the lyrical content, both Bieber and Chance are Christians as well as songwriter Jon Bellion.

Jon Bellion earlier performed it at a VIP concert event saying that it will be released later in the year. Bellion's fans would begin to beg for it and eventually get it released by Bieber and Chance The Rapper, whom Jon would work with knowing they would reach a broader audience and more ears overall.[4][failed verification]

Composition[]

"Holy" is a pop song, composed in G-flat major with a tempo of 88 beats per minute.[10]

Release and promotion[]

Bieber performed a live version of the song on Saturday Night Live on October 17, 2020.[11] He performed the song again at the 2020 People's Choice Awards in November.[1]

The acoustic version of the song was released on November 6.[12]

A charity version of the song was released on December 18. This version featured the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir, who had got to the top of the UK Christmas singles chart in 2015 with their charity release "A Bridge over You", a chart which saw Bieber at number two with "Love Yourself". "Holy" was an early contender for the 2020 UK Christmas number one in the UK.[13][14][15] However, when the new version was released on 18 December 2020, it still had a credit for Chance the Rapper, like the original version which first entered the UK chart on 25 September 2020.[16] As the new record was seen as just a remix,[17] "Holy" ended up at Number 41 in the Christmas chart with 17,594 sales, after being classed as per the original release with a lower chart ratio.[18][19]

Critical reception[]

NME rated the song 3/5 stars, and drew similarities to Kanye West's gospel music.[20] Stereogum criticized the song's bland lyrics and execution, writing, "Being madly in love with your spouse is good; it’s just that the Justin Bieber songs about being madly in love with your spouse are bad."[4]

Year-end lists[]

Publication List Rank Ref.
Billboard The 100 Best Songs of 2020 41 [21]
Glamour The 63 Best Songs of 2020 Placed [22]

Chart performance[]

"Holy" debuted at number one on the Canadian Hot 100 issued for October 3, 2020.[23] Music Canada certified the song 2× Platinum.[24] On the US Billboard Hot 100, it debuted and peaked at number three;[25] it earned a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which denotes one million units based on sales and track-equivalent on-demand streams.[26] "Holy" reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart, and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified it Gold.[27][28] In Australia, the song charted at number four and went 2× Platinum.[29][30] It peaked at number two in New Zealand and received a Platinum certification.[31][32] "Holy" reached the top 10 of national record charts, at number two in Ireland,[33] number three in the Netherlands,[34] Norway,[35] number five in Singapore,[36] Sweden,[37] number six in the Czech Republic,[38] Malaysia,[39] number seven in Denmark,[40] number eight in Poland,[41] number nine in Scotland,[42] and number 10 in Austria,[43] Hungary,[44] Switzerland.[45] The song received a Gold certification in Belgium,[46] Norway.[47]

Music video[]

The music video for "Holy" was released the same day as the song, September 18, 2020. It was directed by Colin Tilley and stars Wilmer Valderrama and Ryan Destiny.[3] The video follows Bieber, a recently laid off oil worker, and Destiny as a couple who meet a helpful soldier played by Valderrama.[48] The video has been interpreted as a commentary on the Just Transition.[49] As of January 14, 2021, the official music video has surpassed over 107 million views.

Credits and personnel[]

Credits adapted from Jaxsta.[50]

  • Justin Bieber – lead vocals, songwriting
  • Chance the Rapper – featured artist, lead vocals, songwriting
  • Jon Bellion – production, songwriting, background vocals, percussion
  • Jorgen Odegard – production, songwriting, background vocals, drums, engineering, programming, synthesizer
  • Michael Pollack – production, songwriting, background vocals, piano
  • Steven Franks – production, songwriting
  • Tommy Lee Brown – production, songwriting, bass
  • Anthony M. Jones – songwriting
  • Elijah Marrett-Hitch – assistant mixing
  • Darian Elliot – background vocals
  • Melodie Pace – background vocals
  • Michael Bethany – background vocals
  • Kirk Franklin – choir arranging
  • Scooter Braun – choir arranging
  • Chris O'Ryan – engineering
  • Devin Nakao – engineering
  • John Arbuckle – engineering
  • Josh Gudwin – engineering, mix engineering
  • Colin Leonard – mastering engineering
  • Michael Havens – recording engineering
  • Candice Mills – vocals
  • Carla Williams – vocals
  • Christeyun Morgan – vocals
  • Demarcus Williams – vocals
  • Denae Daugherty – vocals
  • Drea Randle Matthews – vocals
  • Eboni Ellerson – vocals
  • Eric Birdine – vocals
  • James McKissic – vocals
  • Ja'Quoi Griffin – vocals
  • Mariann Shaw – vocals
  • Marshari Williams – vocals
  • Myron Williams – vocals
  • Tameka Sanford – vocals
  • Zahrea Clayton – vocals

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] 2× Platinum 140,000double-dagger
Belgium (BEA)[46] Gold 20,000double-dagger
Canada (Music Canada)[24] 2× Platinum 160,000double-dagger
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[83] Platinum 90,000double-dagger
Italy (FIMI)[84] Gold 35,000double-dagger
New Zealand (RMNZ)[32] Platinum 30,000double-dagger
Norway (IFPI Norway)[47] Gold 30,000double-dagger
Poland (ZPAV)[85] Platinum 20,000double-dagger
Portugal (AFP)[86] Gold 5,000double-dagger
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Gold 400,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[26] 2× Platinum 2,000,000double-dagger

double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

Country Date Format Label Ref.
Various September 18, 2020
Def Jam [87][88]
Italy Contemporary hit radio Universal [89]
United Kingdom [90]
United States September 21, 2020 Adult contemporary radio Def Jam [91]
United Kingdom October 3, 2020 Universal [92]
Brazil December 18, 2020 CD single [93]

References[]

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  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Deville, Chris (September 21, 2020). "If Justin Bieber's Wife Is Really So Great Then She Deserves Better Songs Than This". Stereogum. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
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