Songfacts®:

• This is the title track of Justin Bieber's fourth studio album. The record's release follows a two-year period where Bieber courted controversy with his wildchild behavior, which resulted in several run-ins with the law. The title reflects the Canadian star moving forward with his life again.
  
  "The reason I named it Purpose was because for a while there I feel like I lost my purpose, and I feel like I found my purpose again," Bieber revealed to BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw. "Maybe that message is to say that, no matter how far you feel like you are away from yourself or you feel like you don't have your purpose, or you don't know what your purpose is, or you feel like you lost your purpose - there's always room to find that purpose again."
• The album's cover art contains a number of Christian references. They reflect Bieber's relationship with God, which gives him his 'purpose.' "At this point, my faith has gotten me to where I am. My faith has brought me to a whole other level. I love talking about my faith," he told Complex.
  
  "I'm not religious. I, personally, love Jesus and that was my salvation. I want to share what I'm going through and what I'm feeling and I think it shouldn't be ostracized," Bieber continued. "I think that everybody should get their chance to share what they're doing or where their journey is headed... I actually feel better and more free now that I know what I can do and what I can't do. My voice, I'm not gonna let it not be heard anymore. I'm gonna use my voice for a reason."
• The song was co-produced by Bieber's regular collaborator Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd, who has also written for 112, Usher and Chris Brown.
  
  The other credited producer was 17-year-old Pittsburgh native Stephen "Steve James" Philibin. Manager Jay Cao told Billboard magazine that when asked to create a chord progression that would resonate with the record, "Steve whipped up the chords in five seconds."
• Purpose set new worldwide and US records for the most streams for an album in its first week of release, with 205 million global streams and 77 million US streams. Spotify's worldwide streaming record was previously held by The Weeknd's Beauty Behind The Madness with 90 million global streams in its opening seven days.