Justin Bieber recently performed “Everything Hallelujah” at the 2026 FIFA World Cup halftime show. With only an acoustic guitar and a headset microphone, Bieber walked the soccer pitch and delivered a pop hymn about the peace and joy of domestic life. He was introduced by Jason Sudeikis portraying Ted Lasso, giving the pop star a pep talk before he walked on the field to offer his gospel tune to the fans.
The Minor Fall, the Major Lift
In “Everything Hallelujah”, Bieber celebrates joy in his current domestic bliss with his wife Hailey and their son. Instead of leaving home to find excitement, adventure, and happiness, everything the Biebers need exists right where they live.
Good morning, curtains dancing in the sunrise,
Baby’s crawling on the floor.
And we don’t have to go to Mississippi,
Bring the river to your side.
Baby, we find love in these moments,
We don’t even have to try.
I could sing a song, but the words just wouldn’t do,
So I sing hallelujah, hallelujah, baby.
Bieber’s chorus feels like a secular prayer. Rather than sing to the clouds, to some invisible entity requiring blind faith, Bieber kisses, looks at, and loves the people he holds dear. It’s tangible, physical, corporeal. However, he is a religious man, so perhaps it’s also giving thanks to a higher power.
Let’s take a walk, hallelujah,
Sun is out, hallelujah,
I’m kissing you, hallelujah.
Dream of you, hallelujah,
Look at you, hallelujah,
I’m loving you, hallelujah.
Everything hallelujah.
Gratitude
Here, Bieber finds redemption in his current chapter with his family. He reflects on the past, the struggles, the despair. And when words fail to capture his emotions, Bieber returns with shouts of joy. Or as Leonard Cohen once wrote, “It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah.”
Remember times I was stranded all alone,
Feeling left out to dry.
Now we circle back with tears in our eyes,
Singing, hallelujah, hallelujah, baby.
If somehow I could reach across your mind,
I would pull out all the hurt.
I tried to write this song, but my words just wouldn’t do,
So I sing hallelujah, hallelujah, baby.
Photo by Hannah Peters – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images