The Real Meaning Behind Justin Bieber's 'Loved By You'

The wait is finally over. Justin Bieber has released his sixth studio album Justice — and his fans are ecstatic. "Yo Justin Bieber really snapped on this album," one fan wrote with a few fire emojis. Another pleased fan tweeted, "Justin Bieber should be protected at all costs we don't deserve him," along with a "Justice" hashtag. Justice comes just over one year after Bieber dropped his 2020 album Changes. He announced his new album in February 2021 after releasing a trail of singles in the latter half of 2020.

Bieber's hope when creating his new album was "to make music that will provide comfort, to make songs that people can relate to and connect to so they feel less alone," as he noted in his album announcement. Opening up to Vogue in an interview published on March 19, he revealed that he named his album Justice to bring attention to the injustices that occur in the world. "My name actually means justice, so there's that," he added. "I'm really honored to play a small part and be able to make music that inspires and can uplift people in this time."

In multiple singles from Justice, Bieber talks about everything from love to his troubled past. In honor of his new album, let's take a look into the real meaning behind Justin Bieber's "Loved By You."

Justin Bieber's "Loved By You" is the 14th song on his 16-track album. It features Nigerian singer Burna Boy, and Bieber is stoked to have African influence in the song. "That's my favorite style right now, I'm loving the African beats, it makes you want to move and people need to move," he told Vogue.

"Loved By You" speaks of a deep love that keeps Bieber inspired. Unfortunately, Bieber despises himself for wanting to be desired by this unnamed person. "I thought I painted a picture of heaven / But it turns out it's just your room / I'd run off the end of the earth just to see if you'd catch me / When I know you'd let me fall every time," Bieber sings in the first verse, per Genius. Clearly, Bieber's beloved companion is not as dedicated to him as he would prefer. The chorus expresses the "Lonely" singer's disappointment with himself for craving this attention. "(All I do) Is wait around and hate myself / Oh, I hate the way I need to be loved by you / I wish that I could change myself," he croons.

However, as USA Today noted, a closer look at the song's lyrics brings up the possibility that Bieber is speaking about a deeper need for approval from his fans and not just a love interest. Bieber has notoriously struggled in the spotlight, and often thanks his fans for continuously supporting him.