The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and the Billboard Top Holiday Albums chart, selling 210,000 copies in its first week, becoming the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut at number one.[2] This was Bieber's third number-one album on the Billboard 200, following Never Say Never: The Remixes earlier in the year.[2] With this album he became the first artist to earn three number one albums on the chart before their 18th birthday. [3] The album is currently certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for sales of over two million units.[4]
Under the Mistletoe was met with generally mixed reviews. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 54, based on four critical reviews.[11]AllMusic also assessed the critical consensus giving the album three stars.[12]
Andy Kellman of AllMusic credited Bieber "for the effort he put in" and for not "sleepwalking" through the Christmas album like "most artists," although he did feel that Bieber "definitely sounds more enthused by the original songs" while calling Bieber's "Drummer Boy" goofy but complimenting his version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town."[11] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Adam Markovitz also felt that the original songs were much better than the covers, calling them "sleigh-ride-smooth R&B jangles" while writing that "the classics bring no cheer."[15] Jason Scott of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer gave the album a positive review, writing that Bieber "proves he is a mainstay in the industry by crafting a highly energetic and expressive album that is filled to the brim with eggnog flavored treats, ranging from straight up pop and R&B to country" and named it "a wonderful performance."[16]
Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian opined that "the guests are the album's saving grace" and felt that "they generally outclass his by quite a stretch," although she did feel that "holds his own" against Mariah Carey.[17]Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote that Bieber "[hadn't] ever sounded this good" but also felt that he was at times overshadowed on the guest appearances.[18]
Commercial performanceedit
Under the Mistletoe debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 210,000 copies in its first week.[2] This became Bieber's third US number one debut and his fifth US top ten album.[2] It also became the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut at number one and the first solo artist to have three number one albums before his 18th birthday.[2] In its second week, the album dropped to number six on the chart, selling an additional 97,000 copies, which was a 54% decrease.[19] In its third week, the album climbed to number five on the chart, selling 84,000 more copies.[20] In its fourth week, the album dropped to number six on the chart, selling 142,000 copies, which was a 69% increase.[20] By the end of 2011, the album totaled 1,245,000 copies in US sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and was the eleventh best-selling album of the year.[21] As of December 2015, the album had sold 1,510,000 copies.[22] On June 24, 2020, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over two million units in the United States.[4]
The album also debuted at number one in Canada, and within the top 10 in Ireland, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Australia, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^Vena, Jocelyn (September 29, 2011). "Justin Bieber Shoots Christmas-Themed 'Mistletoe' Video". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
^ abcdeCaulfield, Keith (November 9, 2011). "Justin Bieber's 'Mistletoe' Brightens Billboard 200 with No. 1 Debut". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
^Caulfield, Keith (November 9, 2011). "Justin Bieber's 'Mistletoe' Brightens Billboard 200 With No. 1 Debut". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
^Schwartz, Terri (August 25, 2011). "Justin Bieber's Early Christmas Gift: A Holiday Album". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
^"JUSTIN BIEBER'S "UNDER THE MISTLETOE", HIS FIRST CHRISTMAS ALBUM, SET FOR NOV 1 RELEASE". Universal Music Canada. October 5, 2011. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
^ abTalarico, Brittany (September 30, 2011). "See Justin Bieber's Christmas Album Cover Art & Title Reveal". OK! Magazine. Buzz Media. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
^"Mariah Carey Remakes Christmas Classic with Justin Bieber". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. October 4, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
^"Zeibiz » Justin Bieber: Under the Mistletoe Album – This November!". October 7, 2011. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
^"Justin Bieber duet with Mariah Carey - "All I Want For Christmas Is You" (Radio Date: Friday 9 December)" (in Italian). EarOne. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017.
^ abc"Critic Reviews for Under the Mistletoe at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
^ abKellman, Andy. "allmusic ((( Under the Mistletoes - Justin Bieber > Overview )))". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
^Entertainment Weekly review Retrieved November 19, 2011.
^Caroline Sullivan (December 8, 2011). "Justin Bieber - Under the Mistletoe - review". The Guardian. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
^"Music Review: Justin Bieber - Under the Mistletoe". November 3, 2011.
^"Justin Bieber: Under the Mistletoe – review". TheGuardian.com. December 8, 2011.
^Caramanica, Jon; Ratliff, Ben; Chinen, Nate; Pareles, Jon; Holden, Stephen (November 22, 2011). "Chestnuts Roasted, and Sometimes Burned". The New York Times.
^Keith Caulfield (November 16, 2011). "Mac Miller Moves In at No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
^ abKeith Caulfield (November 23, 2011). "Drake's 'Take Care' Blasts Onto Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
^Grein, Paul (December 7, 2011). "Chart Watch Extra: The Year's Top Albums". Yahoo! Music. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
^Caulfield, Keith (December 21, 2015). "Justin Bieber's 'Purpose' Becomes His Fifth Million-Selling Album in U.S." Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
^"Justin Bieber - Under the Mistletoe (Duluxe Edition)". Disctarra.com. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
^Bieber, Justin. Under the Mistletoe. Island Records/Island Def Jam Music Group. 2011.
^"Australiancharts.com – Justin Bieber – Under The Mistletoe". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
^"Austriancharts.at – Justin Bieber – Under The Mistletoe" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
^"Ultratop.be – Justin Bieber – Under The Mistletoe" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
^"Ultratop.be – Justin Bieber – Under The Mistletoe" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
^"Justin Bieber Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
^"Danishcharts.dk – Justin Bieber – Under The Mistletoe". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
^"Dutchcharts.nl – Justin Bieber – Under The Mistletoe" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
^"Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved November 12, 2021. Type Justin Bieber in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Under the Mistletoe in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
^"New Zealand album certifications – Justin Bieber – Under the Mistletoe". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
^"Norwegian album certifications – Justin Bieber – Under the Mistletoe" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved November 20, 2020.