Holy (Justin Bieber song)

"Holy" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, featuring vocals from American rapper Chance the Rapper. It was released alongside the official music video on September 18, 2020.[1] 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).[2] "Holy" is a pop song with elements of gospel.[3][4] Billboard named it the 41st best song of 2020.[5] The acoustic version was released on November 6, 2020.

"Holy"
Single by Justin Bieber featuring Chance the Rapper
from the album Home for Christmas
ReleasedSeptember 18, 2020 (2020-09-18)
RecordedMarch - July 2020
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

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

Background

Bieber's fifth album was released in 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".[6] Lyrically, the song is about Bieber's love for his wife Hailey Bieber and his love of God.[7] "Holy" discusses themes of loyalty and faith, with The New York Times calling it "devotional R&B".[8]

Bieber and Chance had previously worked on several songs together, with "Holy" marking their fifth collaboration.[2] 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.[3]

Release and promotion

Bieber performed a live version of the song on Saturday Night Live on October 17, 2020.[9] 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.[10]

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.[11][12][13] 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.[14] As the new record was seen as just a remix,[15] "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.[16][17]

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.[2] The video follows Bieber, a recently laid off oil worker, and Destiny as a couple who meet a helpful soldier played by Valderrama.[18] The video has been interpreted as a commentary on the Just Transition.[19] As of January 14, 2021, the official music video has surpassed over 107 million views.

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."[3]

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]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[64] Platinum 70,000
Canada (Music Canada)[65] 2× Platinum 160,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[66] Gold 15,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[67] Gold 30,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[68] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[69] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Country Date Format Label Ref.
Various September 18, 2020
Def Jam [70][71]
Italy Contemporary hit radio Universal [72]
United Kingdom [73]
United States September 21, 2020 Adult contemporary radio Def Jam [74]
United Kingdom October 3, 2020 Universal [75]

References
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  2. Spray, Sara (September 18, 2020). "Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper get 'Holy' in a star-studded new video". CNN.
  3. Deville, Chris (September 21, 2020). "If Justin Bieber's Wife Is Really So Great Then She Deserves Better Songs Than This". Stereogum.
  4. McClellan, Jennifer (September 18, 2020). "Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper's new song 'Holy' draws on faith and hope". USA Today. Retrieved September 21, 2020. ... his new gospel-tinged song “Holy” featuring Chance the Rapper ...
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  8. Pareles, Jon (September 18, 2020). "Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper's Wholesome Team-Up, and 10 More New Songs". The New York Times.
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  13. https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/latest-news/nhs-charity-song-holy-out-now-2189/
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