Mark My Words
Purpose is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released on November 13, 2015 by Def Jam Recordings and School Boy Records. It serves as the follow-up to Bieber's third studio album Believe (2012), and it was developed after the release of his compilation Journals (2013), which saw him musically in a more R&B direction. The album was created over a period of two years, in which Bieber struggled to find a musical direction for recording, scrapping each of the tracks on the album many times. Bieber has stated that the sound and the lyrical content of the album were heavily inspired by Chris Brown's 2012 album Fortune.
The album features guest vocals from Travis Scott, Big Sean, Halsey and Nas, with production help from the likes of Skrillex and Diplo. With the help of his personal friend and frequent musical collaborator Jason Boyd, Bieber started writing and recording with the idea of making an inspirational album that could encourage people through uplifting messages during a period of media scrutiny on him due to his involvement in various misdemeanours and his relationship with his former girlfriend, American actress and singer Selena Gomez.
While working with producers Skrillex and Diplo on their album Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü (2015), Bieber released the US top 10 single "Where Are Ü Now" (2015). Bieber then found what would be his record's sonic direction and worked with Skrillex on a handful of the album's songs. Purpose was described as a mix of dance-pop and EDM, with influences of tropical house in some tracks and live instruments such as acoustic guitars in some others, while lyrically addressing subjects such as apologies and faith. The album received generally favorable reviews from most music critics, who praised its sound and deemed it Bieber's best album to date. Other critics, however, criticized its lyrical content, feeling that the album focused excessively on Bieber's requests for forgiveness.
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 522,000 copies in its first week of release, giving Bieber the largest first-week sales of his career and his sixth number-one album in the United States. Elsewhere, it reached the top of the charts in other eleven countries. Four singles were released from the album: "What Do You Mean?", "Sorry", "Love Yourself" and "Company". The first three singles reached number one on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, where the singer broke chart records, and in other countries. To promote the album, Bieber gave several televised interviews and performances, as well as releasing "dance videos" for all of the album's tracks in a project called Purpose: The Movement (2015). Furthermore, Bieber embarked on his Purpose World Tour in 2016, which was his first concert tour to perform in major stadiums worldwide. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Purpose was the fourth best-selling album of 2015, with worldwide sales of 3.1 million copies, and the 11th best-selling album of 2016, selling one million copies that year.Purpose was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 59th Grammy Awards, while "Love Yourself" was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards the previous year, Bieber won in the Best Dance Recording category together with Skrillex and Diplo as the collective production duo Jack Ü for "Where Are Ü Now".
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