# Journals (album)
*Journals* is a compilation album by the Canadian singer [Justin Bieber](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-bieber), released on December 23, 2013, through [Def Jam Recordings](https://www.edgepedia.org/def-jam-recordings) and Raymond Braun Media Group. It collects the ten R&B-oriented songs Bieber released weekly through his "Music Mondays" series between October and mid-December 2013 and adds five previously unreleased tracks, and it was sold exclusively as a digital download through the iTunes Store at launch.[1](https://record.club/releases/albums/justin-bieber-journals) • [2](https://www.pluggedin.com/album-reviews/justin-bieber-journals/) • [3](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2016/01/05/33505/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Released | December 23, 2013, digitally through the iTunes Store only[1](https://record.club/releases/albums/justin-bieber-journals) • [4](https://radiox.cms.socastsrm.com/2026/04/20/justin-biebers-12-year-old-journals-album-debuts-on-billboard-200-after-coachella/) |
| Content | Ten "Music Mondays" singles plus five previously unreleased songs recorded on the Believe tour (2012–2013)[2](https://www.pluggedin.com/album-reviews/justin-bieber-journals/) • [3](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2016/01/05/33505/) |
| Genres | Contemporary R&B, pop, pop rap, trap[1](https://record.club/releases/albums/justin-bieber-journals) |
| Chart history | Did not chart on the Billboard 200 at release because iTunes sales went unreported; debuted at No. 111 in April 2026 with nearly 13,000 equivalent album units[4](https://radiox.cms.socastsrm.com/2026/04/20/justin-biebers-12-year-old-journals-album-debuts-on-billboard-200-after-coachella/) |
| Singles | Nine tracks reached the Canadian Top 40, including "Heartbreaker," "All That Matters," and "Confident"[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/journals-mw0002609148) |
| Certification | Platinum (RIAA)[1](https://record.club/releases/albums/justin-bieber-journals) |
| Streaming | About 3.04 billion Spotify streams across 16 tracks, with "Confident" the most-streamed at over 1.42 billion[6](https://streamclout.io/album/journals/1rknZw4cyL9NInAqSwc8AA) |
## Background and release
Through the ten weeks from October to mid-December 2013, Bieber released a new track each Monday via iTunes under the banner Music Mondays, with songs including "Heartbreaker," "Hold Tight," and "PYD" featuring [R. Kelly](https://www.edgepedia.org/r-kelly).[2](https://www.pluggedin.com/album-reviews/justin-bieber-journals/) • [7](https://www.capitalfm.com/artists/justin-bieber/news/new-album-journals/) On December 10, 2013, he announced a limited release called *Journals* that would collect all of the Music Mondays songs together with five previously unheard tracks.[7](https://www.capitalfm.com/artists/justin-bieber/news/new-album-journals/) The album went on sale on December 23, 2013, and fans who had already bought individual singles could use a "complete my journal" option to pay only for the tracks they were missing.[8](https://www.universal-music.de/justinbieber/news/alle-music-monday-songs-und-fuenf-neue-tracks-justin-bieber-hat-journals-veroeffentlicht-225949)
The five new songs were recorded while Bieber was on his Believe tour between 2012 and 2013.[3](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2016/01/05/33505/) The release was framed as a limited-edition collection rather than a studio album, and it was available only digitally.[2](https://www.pluggedin.com/album-reviews/justin-bieber-journals/) The AllMusic critic Andy Kellman, a staff reviewer for the site, described the timing as awkward: the digital-only release was somewhat lost amid Bieber's retirement announcement, which was later retracted, and the theatrical release of the film *Justin Bieber's Believe*.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/journals-mw0002609148)
## Music and guests
Bieber steered toward mature R&B on the album, working with producers including Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd, Maejor, Andre Harris, D.K. the Punisher, Soundz, T-Minus, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and Sir Nolan, alongside returning collaborator Diplo.[3](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2016/01/05/33505/) • [9](https://lyricsweb.com/album/justin-bieber/journals) Bieber served as executive producer and had creative control over certain tracks, such as the piano ballad "Change Me".[10](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/61573/Justin-Bieber-Journals/)
Guest verses came from R. Kelly on "PYD," [Chance the Rapper](https://www.edgepedia.org/chance-the-rapper) on "Confident," [Lil Wayne](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-wayne) on "Backpack," Future on "What's Hatnin'", and [Big Sean](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-sean) and Diplo on "Memphis"; "Confident" marked Bieber's first collaboration with Chance the Rapper.[9](https://lyricsweb.com/album/justin-bieber/journals) • [11](https://www.complex.com/music/a/jaelaniturnerwilliams/how-to-buy-justin-biebers-journals-vinyl-version) The Los Angeles Times noted that the music was slower and more restrained than Bieber's earlier pop, with clean-toned electric guitar and gently stuttering R&B grooves, and that "Recovery" is built on a sample of "Fill Me In" by the English soul singer Craig David.[12](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-xpm-2013-dec-24-la-et-ms-justin-bieber-album-journals-20131224-story.html) The standard 15-track edition runs 55:03.[9](https://lyricsweb.com/album/justin-bieber/journals) Later editions differ: Apple Music's version carries 18 songs and 58 minutes by adding the "All That Matters" video, a theatrical trailer for *Believe*, and a journal video, while the streaming edition carries 16 audio tracks, adding "Flatline".[13](https://music.apple.com/us/album/journals/1440861853) • [6](https://streamclout.io/album/journals/1rknZw4cyL9NInAqSwc8AA)
## Commercial performance
Because *Journals* was sold exclusively through the iTunes Store, and it was not submitted for sales tracking to SoundScan, the album did not debut on the Billboard 200.[4](https://radiox.cms.socastsrm.com/2026/04/20/justin-biebers-12-year-old-journals-album-debuts-on-billboard-200-after-coachella/) • [19](https://www.showbiz411.com/2014/01/08/justin-biebers-current-album-never-submitted-to-soundscan-sales-a-secret) It reached the top forty in some countries and debuted in the top ten only in Denmark and Norway, and it was later certified platinum by the RIAA.[1](https://record.club/releases/albums/justin-bieber-journals) Nine of the singles hit the Canadian Top 40.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/journals-mw0002609148)
**Physical and expanded editions.** The album remained digital-only at first and was issued on vinyl LP for the first time on February 12, 2016, through [Universal Music Canada](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-music-canada), alongside Bieber's first three releases.[1](https://record.club/releases/albums/justin-bieber-journals) • [3](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2016/01/05/33505/) A *Journals [Expanded Edition] [Platinum 2 LP]* followed on October 27, 2023, on Columbia/Def Jam.[14](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/journals-expanded-edition-platinum-2-lp--mr0006789595)
**The 2026 chart debut.** After Bieber headlined the first weekend of the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 11, and the second weekend on April 18, *Journals* debuted on the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) 200 at No. 111, more than 12 years after release, with nearly 13,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 16, a gain of 192 percent over the previous week.[4](https://radiox.cms.socastsrm.com/2026/04/20/justin-biebers-12-year-old-journals-album-debuts-on-billboard-200-after-coachella/) That week Bieber placed seven albums on the chart, including five re-entries, the most he had ever held concurrently; his previous best was four, last achieved in January 2012.[4](https://radiox.cms.socastsrm.com/2026/04/20/justin-biebers-12-year-old-journals-album-debuts-on-billboard-200-after-coachella/)
## Reception and reassessment
Contemporary reviews were lukewarm. Some critics praised the album's mature direction and called it Bieber's best material, while others dismissed its similar themes and "unfinished" production.[1](https://record.club/releases/albums/justin-bieber-journals) The Washington Post's review of the related *Complete My Journals* collection argued the songs were divided between Auto-Tuned R&B jams and livelier hip-hop pop tracks, with the slower songs mournful and full of regret.[15](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/with-complete-my-journals-justin-bieber-ends-a-bad-year-with-a-bad-album/2013/12/23/956f18fc-6be0-11e3-a523-fe73f0ff6b8d_story.html) A Sputnikmusic review called it a solid collection of downtempo R&B songs and, at that date, Bieber's best record.[10](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/61573/Justin-Bieber-Journals/) Pitchfork later described the record as "the 2013 R&B experiment *Journals*", noting that Bieber's 2015 album *[Purpose](https://www.edgepedia.org/purpose-justin-bieber-album)* did not follow up on the advances it suggested.[16](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21248-purpose/)
The album has since come to be regarded as a cult favorite among Bieber's fans.[1](https://record.club/releases/albums/justin-bieber-journals) Its streaming totals reflect that standing: about 3.04 billion Spotify streams across 16 tracks, with "Confident" accounting for over 1.42 billion, and ChartMasters ranks it No. 7 among the most-streamed albums of Bieber's catalog on Spotify.[6](https://streamclout.io/album/journals/1rknZw4cyL9NInAqSwc8AA) • [17](https://chartmasters.org/album/justin-bieber/journals/) In a 2026 interview, [Hailey Bieber](https://www.edgepedia.org/hailey-bieber) named *Journals* her favorite of her husband's albums, placing the singer's most R&B-leaning project above more commercially successful work such as *Purpose*.[18](https://los40.com/2026/02/20/hailey-baldwin-y-su-bebe-eligen-su-musica-favorita-de-justin-bieber/)
## References
1. [Journals (2013) by Justin Bieber, Record Club](https://record.club/releases/albums/justin-bieber-journals)
2. ["Journals" album review, Plugged In](https://www.pluggedin.com/album-reviews/justin-bieber-journals/)
3. [Justin Bieber's first four releases on vinyl, Universal Music Canada (January 5, 2016)](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2016/01/05/33505/)
4. [Justin Bieber's 12-Year-Old 'Journals' Album Debuts on Billboard 200 After Coachella, by Keith Caulfield, April 20, 2026](https://radiox.cms.socastsrm.com/2026/04/20/justin-biebers-12-year-old-journals-album-debuts-on-billboard-200-after-coachella/)
5. [Justin Bieber: Journals Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic, review by Andy Kellman](https://www.allmusic.com/album/journals-mw0002609148)
6. [Journals by Justin Bieber, Spotify Streams & Stats, StreamClout](https://streamclout.io/album/journals/1rknZw4cyL9NInAqSwc8AA)
7. [Justin Bieber Announces New Digital Album 'Journals' To Mark End Of New Music Campaign, Capital (December 10, 2013)](https://www.capitalfm.com/artists/justin-bieber/news/new-album-journals/)
8. [Alle Music Monday Songs und fünf neue Tracks: Justin Bieber hat "Journals" veröffentlicht, Universal Music Deutschland (December 23, 2013)](https://www.universal-music.de/justinbieber/news/alle-music-monday-songs-und-fuenf-neue-tracks-justin-bieber-hat-journals-veroeffentlicht-225949)
9. [Journals Album by Justin Bieber: Tracklist, Credits & Story, LyricsWeb](https://lyricsweb.com/album/justin-bieber/journals)
10. [Justin Bieber - Journals album review, Sputnikmusic (March 24, 2014)](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/61573/Justin-Bieber-Journals/)
11. [How to Buy Justin Bieber's 'Journals' Vinyl Version, by Jaelani Turner-Williams, Complex (July 22, 2025)](https://www.complex.com/music/a/jaelaniturnerwilliams/how-to-buy-justin-biebers-journals-vinyl-version)
12. [Review: Justin Bieber comes of age in 'Journals', Los Angeles Times (December 24, 2013)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-xpm-2013-dec-24-la-et-ms-justin-bieber-album-journals-20131224-story.html)
13. [Journals - Album by Justin Bieber, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/journals/1440861853)
14. [Journals [Expanded Edition] [Platinum 2 LP], AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/journals-expanded-edition-platinum-2-lp--mr0006789595)
15. [With 'Complete My Journals,' Justin Bieber ends a bad year with a bad album, by Allison Stewart, The Washington Post (December 23, 2013)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/with-complete-my-journals-justin-bieber-ends-a-bad-year-with-a-bad-album/2013/12/23/956f18fc-6be0-11e3-a523-fe73f0ff6b8d_story.html)
16. [Justin Bieber: Purpose Album Review, Pitchfork (2015)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21248-purpose/)
17. [Journals by Justin Bieber - Sales & Streaming Stats, ChartMasters](https://chartmasters.org/album/justin-bieber/journals/)
18. [Hailey Baldwin y su bebé eligen su música favorita de Justin Bieber, LOS40 (February 20, 2026)](https://los40.com/2026/02/20/hailey-baldwin-y-su-bebe-eligen-su-musica-favorita-de-justin-bieber/)
19. [UPDATE: Justin Bieber's Current Album Never Submitted to SoundScan, Sales a Secret - Showbiz411](https://www.showbiz411.com/2014/01/08/justin-biebers-current-album-never-submitted-to-soundscan-sales-a-secret)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Compilation and greatest-hits albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license