Justin Bieber has been on a roll recently. First there was the string of singles that helped him open up a new era in 2020, including “Holy,” “Lonely,” and “Anyone” all leading up to his early 2021 record, Justice. Although those songs might’ve been the early hits, I still love the late-comer, “Hold On” more, with its glitchy, hyperspeed chorus and heartfelt verses. But then there’s “Peaches,” featuring Giveon and Daniel Caesar, the breakout album track that blazed its way up the charts after the album came out.
For his big return to the Juno Awards stage this weekend, though, Bieber didn’t perform any of these. Instead he went for a deeper album cut, the yearning “Somebody,” which clearly has special significance to the pop star and his now-wife, Hailey. Like the bulk of the songs on Justice, the song is pretty clearly dedicated to her and their relationship. In a frenetic, high-energy performance, Bieber returned to the Junos for the first time in eleven years, dancing around while the lyrics flickered on screens behind him. Rocking a new short haircut after fans were a little perturbed by his loc’d hair, Justin looks the healthiest and happiest he has for a while. Looks like finding that special somebody suits him well. Watch the performance above.