The album features guest appearances from Big Sean, Travis Scott, Halsey, Jack Ü, and Ariana Grande.

Production was handled by Bieber and Jack Ü themselves, BloodPop, Benny Blanco, the Audibles, Soundz, Mike Dean, Ian Kirkpatrick, and Andre Harris, among others.

Purpose was described as a mix of EDM and dance-pop, with influences of tropical house in some tracks and live instruments such as acoustic guitars in some others, with the help of his friend and frequent musical collaborator, Poo Bear.

[15] In the same month, Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd, who previously worked on the majority of songs on Journals, started recording heavily with the singer as well.

[17] In March 2014, he posted on his Instagram a preview of a song called "Life Is Worth Living",[18] while in April, he promised on his Twitter about his new music and that it would be the "best" he had ever made, while working in the recording studio on the album.

[19] Over a few months in 2014, he continued to tease snippets of new songs on his social media,[20][21] – none of them were released, though some were later leaked online – as well as possible collaborators, such as Ariana Grande,[22] T-Pain,[23] Cody Simpson and others.

[35] In October 2015, his manager teased a possible collaboration with American singer Halsey,[36] while Bieber confirmed that British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran wrote a song for the album.

[37] In August 2015, Jason Lipshut of Billboard reported that the album was "apparently [going to be] a mix of EDM-pop, soul[6] following the downbeat acoustic-R&B of his 2013 project Journals.

"[35] Lipshut also noted that "sources say that the new album will include multiple piano ballads in which Bieber reflects upon his personal missteps, as well as spoken-word outros where he directly addresses his fans.

[43] "I'll Show You" was considered a "chilled-out EDM ballad,"[39] having atmospheric synthesizers, fat bass, snapping trap percussion, and sheets of cascading synths.

[44] "What Do You Mean" and "Sorry" were both considered tropical house songs,[45][46] with the former using "pan flute and piano"[44] while having "hints of dark electropop"[42] dance-pop[41] and the latter having dancehall influences.

[39] The album also features the Euro disco, synth-pop[47] and EDM[48] track "Children",[49] the funky disco-pop "Been You" and "Get Used to It",[45] the "airy, dubsteppy"[50] and dark pop "The Feeling"[51]—which Complex described as a "retread of the sad indie pop popularized by artists like Ellie Goulding and Tove Lo"[52]—, as well as "Where Are Ü Now", which initially was a slow piano ballad named "The Most", which is available in its original format on some editions of the album, and was transformed in an EDM track that both Skrillex and Diplo "took a lot of his vocals and [...] added natural harmonies," as well as "taking Justin's vocals as he's singing 'I need you the most' and distorting it," which made people believe it was a "dolphin sound.

[51] "We Are" and "Trust" also rely on hip-hop, with the first featuring a "heavy background looping" and the last "sharp production sounds and switches in flow," with a Drake-influence.

[42] "Hit the Ground", included on the Walmart and Japanese editions, features "organic shifts in tempo" and "Skrillex's imaginative drop," which was compared to "chip-tune bagpipes.

was described as "self-professed men's anthem for not being able to figure out the opposite sex,"[49] while "Sorry" asks "a sincere apology directed to what can be presumed is a former love"[40] in attempt at a course correction.

[49] "Company", the album's sixth track, "looks forward to getting to know someone attractive, but also sets some healthy boundaries for doing so,"[58] while "No Pressure" "invites an ex back into relationship, but insists, 'I don't wanna add to your pain at all',[58] while Big Sean references Yoko Ono, Street Fighter and TV series Empire.

"[16] "Where Are Ü Now" "talks about caring and praying for an ex who didn't return the favor,"[58] "Children" has a social consciousness message and "advocates for making the world a better place for its youngest residents"[58] and was unfavorably compared to Michael Jackson's tracks "Man In the Mirror and "Earth Song".

"[64] As noted by MTV News' Patrick Hosken, in the album's cover, "Bieber is shirtless and assuming a very dignified stance, hands meeting in a prayer-like pose, head looking down at what lies at his torso: the word 'Purpose,' written in the same script we first saw [the] week when he unveiled the title.

[66] Purpose was initially banned in various Middle Eastern countries and Indonesia due to the cover art's Christian references, most prominently Bieber's cross tattoo and his praying stance, which were deemed "too provocative".

The project was considered "a series of video vignettes to accompany the songs from the album" and "when they are played in sequence they form a 30-minute dance film.

[102] The song's music video features "shirtless Bieber in bed with a young woman" and "getting kidnapped and punching around some masked men", as well as appearance from actor John Leguizamo.

It shows Bieber "running through a lush green landscape in Iceland, as well as "tumbling down hills," "skateboarding on top of an abandoned plane" and "[braving] ice water in just his [underwear].

[122] Kenneth Partridge of Billboard magazine gave the album four out of five stars, praising it for "[boasting] a consistent palette of lush, low-key electro-dance sounds", also commending the use of "sun-warped synths, chipmunk accent vocals, rattling trap hi-hats, and loads of bass.

"[50] Similarly, Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph complimented the album for being "less of a mainstream crowd pleaser" but more of a "quirky, atmospheric electro R'n'B concoction with sci-fi sounds and offbeat vocal samples."

"[54] Bianca Gracie of Idolator agreed, claiming that the album "is no doubt Justin's best collective LP thus far and shows that he is finally confident in revealing his true artistry.

"[59] Al Horner of NME magazine gave the album three out of five stars commenting that Purpose "[is] certainly a start at reinvention" and that "plenty of good choices have been made here.

"[128] In his AllMusic review, Andy Kellman gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, and while calling it "a bumpy, oddly compelling restart," he observed that "'Purpose' should hook open-minded pop fans who previously paid him no mind, and it could even win back some of those who wrote Bieber off years ago.

"[51] Sam C. Mac of Slant Magazine was more mixed, opining that "[i]f Bieber wants to sell us on forgiveness and the self-improvement angle that lyrics like 'be a better me' seem to promote, maybe having the conviction to follow through on his intended musical reinvention would've been the best possible good faith gesture.

Skrillex and Diplo successfully serve up twitchy beats ready to incite anything with a pulse, but the sentiment at the album's core leans toward insufferable.

"[130] In the United States, the competition between Bieber and One Direction began when the British boy band announced the release date of Made in the A.M., set to be their last album before their hiatus in March 2016.