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Reclusive pop phenom Justin Bieber took baby steps back into public life Friday with the release of “Changes,” a mellow, lovelorn album that is his first since 2015.<\/p>\n
The R&B-tinged offering is less a defiant comeback than a tentative toe-dip back into the public life the 25-year-old has largely shunned since cutting short his last tour in 2017, weighed down by the pressures of fame.<\/p>\n
Bieber — whose run-ins with the law, drug abuse and other celeb antics have sent his reputation into free-fall — returns in introspective mood, opening up about his depression, newfound joy in marriage and battle with Lyme disease.<\/p>\n
Over 17 bite-size, eminently streamable tracks, “Changes” announces itself as an auditory comfort blanket that offers love as a refuge in the all-consuming crucible of superstardom.<\/p>\n
Stuffed with schmoopy valentines to his wife Hailey Baldwin Bieber, the album’s through-line is tenderly-articulated treatise on the Canadian singer’s desire to evolve.<\/p>\n
“Sometimes I’ll go to sleep early \/ Sometimes I can’t close my eyes \/ Sometimes I smile like it’s all good \/ Even though there’s pain underneath it,” he breathes softly on the title track.<\/p>\n
The vocals, at times overwhelmed by heavy deployment of auto-tune, mark a departure from the bubblegum, EDM-laced pop that fans will remember from Bieber’s teenage years.<\/p>\n
He enlisted a cohort of of-the-moment stars to collaborate on “Changes,” which features cameos from rappers Post Malone, Quavo and Travis Scott, and singer Kehlani.<\/p>\n
Discovered by talent scouts as a young teenager after posting videos on YouTube, Bieber became an overnight sensation who would eventually wobble — and then collapse — under the weight of his colossal celebrity.<\/p>\n
In tandem with his work on “Changes,” Bieber has been releasing his 10-episode “Seasons” YouTube docuseries that offers a glimpse into his musical process, his desire to shun tabloid scrutiny, and reflections on bad boy shenanigans that have included accidentally striking a photographer with his car and throwing eggs at a neighbor’s house.<\/p>\n
Recounting stories of substance abuse, the singer reveals how close he came to gravely endangering his health.<\/p>\n
“Bro, I was like dying. My security and stuff were coming into the room at night to check my pulse,” he says.<\/p>\n
“Like, people don’t know how serious it got. Like it was legit crazy scary.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n