Justin Bieber Releases His New Album, Changes — His First in 5 Years
Justin Bieber is giving his fans the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.
At 12 a.m. midnight on Friday, the singer, 25, dropped his 17-track fifth studio album Changes, his first new record since 2015’s Purpose.
In the weeks leading up to the release of Changes, Bieber rolled out his singles “Yummy,” “Get Me” featuring Kehlani and “Intentions” featuring Quavo. On the Feb. 8 episode of Saturday Night Live, Bieber performed “Yummy” and “Intentions” for the first time live on television.
Other collaborations on the new album include “Forever” with Post Malone and Clever, “Running Over” with Lil Dicky and “Second Emotion” with Travis Scott.
In recent weeks, Bieber has also been letting fans into his world through his ongoing weekly YouTube docu-series, Justin Bieber: Seasons, which offers an intimate and unscripted look into his life and the recording of the album.
During the first episode of the series, Bieber’s longtime manager, Scooter Braun, details the moment when Bieber decided he “didn’t want to keep going” while on his “Purpose” world tour in 2017.
“He just wanted to get away and feel normal,” Braun says. “He just wanted a break from it all.”
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Ryan Good, Bieber’s friend and creative director/co-founder of his Drew House clothing line, then says a change happened in Bieber after he joined Ariana Grande on stage during her 2019 Coachella headlining performance.
“Justin was going back and forth whether it was the right time or not,” Good says. “I think Scooter was thinking he should have this opportunity to go out on that stage and remind himself who he is and what he does. It kind of seemed like a turning point for him where he was like, ‘I think I’m ready to do this again. I think I need to do this again.’ As he was walking offstage, he said to Allison, ‘I need to get back out there.’”
On the second episode of the series, Bieber calls himself a “perfectionist” and details how that trait came into play while recording Changes.
“The reason why I sing it so many times and [what] people probably don’t understand is I want it perfect,” he explains. “I can never remake this album. Once it comes out, it’s out. So, it’s gotta be perfect.”
During the same episode, Bieber’s wife, Hailey Baldwin (whom he married for the first time in a New York City courthouse on Sept. 13, 2018 before celebrating their nuptials with a second ceremony in South Carolina a year later), says “there’s a whole different energy when Justin is really in his zone doing his thing.”
“I love being a part of the process. I love watching him do what he’s so good at it, even if it means me laying on the couch until 3 or 4 in the morning binge-watching TV shows and just being around,” the 23-year-old model says. “I just enjoy the energy that goes into it. We turn it into a really fun process. We’ve brought friends around and people just kind of hang. I just feel at home, wherever he is. So if he’s held up in the studio, that feels like home to me.”
Other episodes of the series detail the struggles Bieber has faced throughout his career, including a battle with Lyme disease and past struggles with drug addiction.
In May, Bieber will kick off his “Changes” tour with special guests Kehlani and Jaden Smith in Seattle. A few of the tour stops include Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago, Cleveland and Toronto.
