Sorry

Sorry's harmony is deliberately minimal — a single four-chord natural minor loop that never deviates. The song's harmonic interest comes not from chord changes but from the interplay between the minor tonic and the bright major chords on ♭III and ♭VII, which gives the track an uplifting energy despite its minor key. This simplicity is central to the dancehall-pop aesthetic, allowing the dembow rhythm, synth textures, and vocal hooks to dominate the listener's attention. The ♭VI-♭III-♭VII progression creates a plagal-style motion that avoids dominant-function tension entirely, contributing to the song's smooth, looping feel.

The song originated from a studio session between producer BloodPop (Michael Tucker), songwriter Julia Michaels, and lyricist Justin Tranter. Tucker created the music and melody with Justin Bieber specifically in mind, while Michaels and Tranter worked on the lyrics in a vocal booth where the word 'sorry' spontaneously emerged as the song's central hook. BloodPop immediately felt the song was deeply relatable and subsequently had to convince Bieber's team that 'Sorry' was the standout track for the album.

Released as the second single from Purpose (2015), 'Sorry' fuses dancehall pop, tropical house, and moombahton into an irresistibly catchy plea for forgiveness. Produced by Skrillex and BloodPop, it topped charts in thirteen countries, spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and became one of the best-selling digital singles of the decade with Diamond certifications in six countries.