Since its release on March 19, 2021, as part of Justin Bieber’s Justice album, the hauntingly beautiful track “Ghost” has sparked endless speculation among fans about its true meaning. With lyrics like “I miss your touch on nights when I’m hollow” and “If I can’t be close to you, I’ll settle for the ghost of you,” the song’s emotional weight has led many to wonder: Is this about Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber, or someone else entirely? Bieber himself has offered insight, stating that “Ghost” is about “losing somebody you love,” but the ambiguity has kept the debate alive, especially as of March 29, 2025, with fans still dissecting its ties to his high-profile relationships.
At its core, “Ghost” is a poignant reflection on grief and longing. Bieber co-wrote the track with Jon Bellion, The Monsters & Strangerz, and others, crafting a melody that blends pop polish with raw vulnerability. In a 2021 interview with Vogue, he described the song as a universal tribute to loss, inspired by the collective pain of the pandemic. “It’s about losing somebody you love—could be a friend, family, anyone,” he said. Yet, for Beliebers and Jelena diehards, the personal lens is irresistible, given Bieber’s rollercoaster romance with Selena Gomez and his marriage to Hailey Baldwin.
The Selena Gomez theory holds strong for many. Bieber, now 31, and Gomez, 32, shared an on-off relationship from 2010 to 2018 that defined their early careers and left a lasting mark on pop culture. Their final split came just months before Bieber proposed to Hailey, fueling speculation that “Ghost” is a lament for that lost love. Lines like “I miss you more than life” echo the intensity of their past, and fans point to Gomez’s own struggles—her 2020 album Rare addressed their breakup—as a possible trigger for Bieber’s introspection. “It’s so obviously about Selena,” one fan tweeted recently. “He’s still haunted by her.”
On the flip side, the Hailey narrative offers a different angle. Married since 2018, Bieber has leaned into his role as a devoted husband, often crediting Hailey, 28, with grounding him through fame’s chaos and his 2022 Ramsay Hunt syndrome diagnosis. Some interpret “Ghost” as a hypothetical fear of losing her, with lyrics like “I’ll settle for the ghost of you” reflecting a dread of life without his anchor. A source close to the couple told People in 2021, “Justin wrote it thinking about how precious Hailey is to him—he’d be lost without her.” The music video, starring Diane Keaton as a grieving mother, broadens the theme, but fans still see Hailey’s shadow in its tenderness.
Bieber’s own words complicate the puzzle. While promoting Justice, he emphasized that “Ghost” isn’t tied to one person, saying, “Loss hits everyone differently—I wanted it to resonate widely.” This could point to other losses, like the death of his friend and collaborator XXXTentacion in 2018, or even a metaphorical mourning of his younger, carefree self. Still, the specificity of romantic yearning in the lyrics keeps the Gomez-Hailey debate alive.
Musically, “Ghost” stands out for its universality, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning critical acclaim. Its open-endedness is its strength—fans project their own stories onto it, whether they see Selena’s ghost or Hailey’s presence. As of 2025, Bieber hasn’t clarified further, leaving the song as a mirror for his life’s chapters.
So, is “Ghost” about Selena Gomez or Hailey? It might be neither—or both. Rooted in the universal ache of losing somebody you love, it’s a canvas for Bieber’s past and present, reflecting the complexity of a man who’s lived a thousand lives in the spotlight. For now, the mystery remains beautifully unresolved.
