Singer-songwriter Justin Bieber dropped his first gospel EP "Freedom" on Easter Sunday featuring his pastor and mentor, Judah Smith.
In celebration of the freedom he found in Christ, Bieber, himself, announced the release of his gospel album through his socials with the caption, "Freedom on all platforms," reports The Christian Post.
Freedom on all platforms https://t.co/k9a33Pb2Gu pic.twitter.com/BkAqqaKJRZ
"” Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) April 4, 2021
Bieber's new EP includes six songs: "Freedom" featuring Beam, "All She Wrote" (featuring Brandon Love and Chandler Moore), "We're in This Together," "Where You Go I Follow" (featuring Pink Sweats, Chandler Moore and Judah Smith), "Where Do I Fit In" (featuring Tori Kelly, Chandler Moore, and Judah Smith) and "Afraid to Say" (featuring Lauren Walters).
Owing to his spiritual influence to the pop star, ChurcHome's leader Judah Smith became Bieber's special guest in the album.
Smith's part is to give listeners an understanding of a skeptic's perspective on the life of Jesus. His question "Who is this Jesus?" became one of the song's highlights. In "Where Do I Fit," Smith sent a reassuring message to listeners that under God's watch, things will be alright.
CP comments that Freedom encapsulates "some emotional prayers and declarations" of Bieber. This could be heard clearly from the lyrics of "We're In This Together" and "Afraid to Say."
In "We're In This Together," CP said that Bieber is "praying over his listeners." This is rightfully noted basing on the following lines:
"I pray for every single person listening to this song right now. I pray for peace. I pray for joy. I pray for confidence. I pray for reassurance. Thank you so much for the person listening to this right now. I pray that you will bless them. Bless their mind, their finances, bless their family, bless their sons, bless their daughters, bless their moms, bless their dads, bless their grandparents."
In "Afraid to Say," the last song on the track list, listeners would hear Bieber delivering an exhortation speech.
"God never writes us off, even in our darkest days. Even when we least deserve it. Even when we're doing that stupid thing, we wish we weren't doing. God never writes us off ever. He's with us in our pain. He's with us in a struggle. He's with us in our bad decisions. He's with us all the time. He never writes us off."
Overall, the EP features Bieber's profession of faith where he invites those that are "runnin' on empty" and "feelin' the fire" to Jesus. The Hollywood singer wants them to have the same freedom he had in coming to Christ.
Freedom serves as a follow-up album to Justice, Bieber's sixth studio album released last month where he also used a speech sampling of Martin Luther King, Jr. The 27-year-old singer had faced a backlash over it which he also immediately addressed.
"I want to keep growing and learning about just all social injustices and what it looks like for me to be better, what it looks like for my friends to be better. And I know I have a long way to go. I love that when people are listening to my album, these conversations are coming up and they're like, 'Well, how is he going from Martin Luther King into a love song?" said Bieber in his statement published by Billboard.
"I'm not trying to make a connection between me and Martin Luther King. That's why I never try to talk about social injustice or I didn't want to be the one to talk about it because I just have so much more learning to do. But I have this man who was ready to die and what he believed to be true. If I'm not willing to face some sort of ridicule or judgment of people wondering my motives or whatever that is, for me, it was a no brainer."
