With Justin Bieber racking up his eighth #1 hit this week, we’re taking a look at the composition and evolution of the singer’s chart-toppers over the course of his career, which include: What Do You Mean? (2015), Sorry (2015), Love Yourself (2015), Despacito (2017) I’m The One (2017), Stuck With U (2020), Peaches (2021), and Stay (2021).
Collaborations
While his first three #1 hits were all solo releases, Bieber’s latter five have all been co-performed by stylistically diverse artists including Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee (Despacito); DJ Khaled, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne (I’m The One); Ariana Grande (Stuck With U); Daniel Caesar & Giveon (Peaches); and most recently, The Kid LAROI (Stay).
Primary Genres
Out of Bieber’s eight #1s, half are pop, two are R&B, one is dance/club, and one, which was his most successful with 16 weeks at #1, is Latin (Despacito).
Sub-Genres & Influences
Over the years, electropop/synthpop has been Bieber’s most prevalent genre influence, accounting for all but three of his #1 hits: Love Yourself, Stuck With U and Peaches.  Furthermore, while his earlier #1s leaned toward tropical and dance influences, his more recent hits have featured tinges of rock and R&B.
Lyrics & Title
Every single one of Bieber’s #1 hits has a love/relationships lyrical theme. In addition, all eight place the song title in their choruses and have the title appearing at least six times, with half featuring at least 16 appearances.
Instruments
Synths, synth bass and drums have been a hallmark of nearly all of Bieber’s #1 hits, with a notable exception being Love Yourself. Looking over time, however, Bieber has had a recent shift toward more traditional instruments, namely electric bass, electric guitar, acoustic piano and acoustic drums. Note that all of these instruments have been generally increasing in popularity in the overall Top 10 since 2018.
Key, Tempo & Song Length
With the exception of Despacito, every single one of Bieber’s #1s has been in a major key. Looking at tempo, while Bieber’s #1s got progressively slower from 2015 to 2020, his last two have picked up the pace, most notably with Stay at 170 BPM. Lastly, Bieber’s #1s have been getting shorter and shorter since 2017 and culminated with Stay at just 2:15, which jibes with the recent mainstream trend toward shorter song lengths.