Changes | ||||
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Released | February 14, 2020 | |||
Recorded | 2018–2019 | |||
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Length | 47:56 | |||
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Justin Bieber chronology | ||||
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Singles from Changes | ||||
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Changes is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released through Def Jam Recordings and RBMG on February 14, 2020. The album features guest appearances from Quavo, Post Malone, Clever, Lil Dicky, Travis Scott, Kehlani, and Summer Walker. The production was handled by Poo Bear on every track, Sasha Sirota, Tainy, Josh Gudwin, the Audibles, Kid Culture, Harv, Pierre, Laxcity, Boi-1da, Vinylz, CVRE, Jahaan Sweet, Philip Beaudreau, Tom Strahle, the Messengers, Sons of Sonix, and Joshua Williams. It was released on Valentine's Day and serves as the follow-up to Bieber's previous album, Purpose (2015). [2] Changes is a pop, R&B, electro-R&B, and trap album. [3] [4] [1] [5]
Changes was supported by two US Billboard Hot 100 top-five singles: "Yummy" and "Intentions". "Get Me", which features Kehlani, was released as the sole promotional single. On January 28, 2020. For additional promotion of the album, Bieber's 10-episode docu-series, Justin Bieber: Seasons premiered on January 27, 2020. The series was described as an in-depth look on his musical creation process. [6] On February 8, 2020, Bieber performed his first Saturday Night Live performance in seven years.
The album debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 231,000 album-equivalent units within its first week, which was considerably less than the first-week sales of Purpose (2015), which moved 649,000 units. [7] Bieber released a series of dance videos for each of the tracks on the album, titled "Changes: The Movement". The singer's 2021 Changes album tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bieber later embarked on the Justice World Tour to promote Changes and its successor, Justice (2021). The album received mixed reviews from music critics, many of whom favored Bieber's vocal performance and certain production elements, but criticized the album's lyricism and the lack of variation between tracks. At the 63rd Grammy Awards, Changes was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, while "Yummy" was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance. [8] It has since been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [9]
At the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Bieber joined American singer Ariana Grande on stage to perform his 2015 single, "Sorry", which he then announced that a new album was coming soon. On October 27, 2019, Bieber announced that he would release his upcoming album before Christmas if his Instagram post reached 20 million likes; [10] however, it failed to do so. The post has since been deleted and the release was consequently postponed. [11]
Changes kicks off with the opening track, "All Around Me", which sees Bieber using metaphors to profess his love for his wife, Hailey Bieber, singing, "Anything's possible since you made my heart melt / Gave me the best hand that I'd ever been dealt". On the next track, "Habitual", Bieber describes unconditional love. "Come Around Me" features lyrics about getting sexual with his significant other. The fourth track, "Intentions" sees Bieber and featured artist Quavo give compliments to their love interests. The fifth track, "Yummy" is another sex-driven track that also details how attractive his wife is. On "Available", Bieber compares to the "soft-boy" style of Drake, asking when she is available for him. The title track features Bieber sing about how human beings go through changes on a regular basis and how his changes have affected him, while delivering a short outro that features him praising God. [12]
The lead single of the album, "Yummy", was released on January 3, 2020, and peaked within the top 10 in numerous countries, debuting at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. It was remixed a month later on February 3, 2020, with American singer Summer Walker. [13] The album title along with its cover were revealed on January 28, 2020. The announcement was accompanied by the release of the promotional single "Get Me", featuring American singer Kehlani. [14] The second official single, "Intentions", featuring American rapper Quavo, was released on February 7, 2020. [15]
On February 8, 2020, Bieber performed his first Saturday Night Live performance in seven years. He was introduced by the host RuPaul, before performing "Yummy" and "Intentions", with Quavo there to perform his verse in "Intentions". [16]
The 10-episode docu-series, Justin Bieber: Seasons premiered on January 27, 2020, sharing insights about his personal struggles including battling with health issues and overcoming drug addiction while detailing his return to music after cancelling the American stadium leg of his Purpose World Tour in 2017. [17] [18] The series was described as an in-depth look on his musical creation process. [6]
The album was originally going to be supported by the Changes Tour. The tour was scheduled to begin on May 14, 2020, in Seattle at CenturyLink Field, [19] but on April 1, 2020, it was announced that the tour would be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [20] On July 23, 2020, Bieber announced rescheduled dates for the then called Justin Bieber World Tour slated for 2021, starting on June 2, 2021, in San Diego at Pechanga Arena. [21] On May 6, 2021, Bieber announced rescheduled dates for the tour, now called Justice World Tour. [22] Bieber was due to tour until March 2023, until he cancelled the tour after a performance in Rio de Janeiro in September 2022, due to health concerns. [23]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 5.5/10 [24] |
Metacritic | 57/100 [25] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Clash | 5/10 [26] |
Evening Standard | [27] |
The Guardian | [4] |
The Independent | [28] |
NME | [29] |
Pitchfork | 4.5/10 [30] |
Rolling Stone | [31] |
Sputnikmusic | 3/5 [32] |
The Times | [33] |
Though Bieber's vocal performance on the album was praised, many criticized its repetitive tone and lyrical content. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 57, based on sixteen reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [34]
Rolling Stone listed it among the worst albums of 2020, saying that "Minus “Intentions”, the album is pure filler", saying that it's "so low quality and lacking any inspiration". [35] Writing for AllMusic, Andy Kellman gave the "R&B-pop" album an overall positive review, particularly commending Bieber's vocal skills, describing his falsetto pleas as "neither bitter nor entitled, strictly genuine and adult". [1] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times defined the album as "a low-key set of gentle electro-R&B jams that depicts his relationship with Hailey Baldwin, as a refuge from the unkind world he's still not quite ready to reenter". Noting the trap beats prevalent in the album, Wood commented that "the sprinkling of on-trend trap drums indicate he's [Bieber is] thinking about it, as do streaming-bait guest spots by Post Malone and Travis Scott". [3] Variety 's Jeremy Helligar wrote that Bieber "never sounded better, or more in love, but the nonstop bedroom romanticism doesn't leave much room for exploring demons or expressing joy", expanding that Bieber's voice and the production are "flawless", and "his soul is in the right place", but there's "something airless about the album, too, like he could have left the window open a crack to let some sunshine in". Helligar compared the sonic cohesiveness of Changes to that of Ariana Grande's fifth studio album, Thank U, Next (2019). [36]
Rating the album two stars, Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos defined Changes as a "one-note toast to marital happiness" that is "sweet and tender, but ultimately shallow", stating that the tracks "are not bad, exactly, but they're almost universally forgettable, with little of the catchiness that's been Bieber's hallmark in the past". Spanos called the album as the "honeymoon phase in R&Bieber form", thus "sweet, uncomplicated, and maybe just a bit hard to imagine lasting forever", with Bieber's "charming malleability as an artist" missing. She added that the album is devoid of the "dangerous eroticism" of Bieber's 2013 project, Journals. [37] Insider's Courteney Larocca and Callie Ahlgrim were favourable towards Bieber's "pristine" vocal performance, but dismissed the "subpar" lyrics, concluding Changes is "ultimately a snooze fest". They pointed out "Habitual" as "easily the best track" on the album, while "All Around Me" is "underwhelming" as the opening track. [38] Emma Garland of Vice commented: "Each track is built on a simple hook or a looping beat, in favor of subtle melodies and lots of repetition, that laid back pace gives his voice room to luxuriate, but the songs often fall flat", with "no tension, no build". She highlighted the "formulaic arrangements and wandering melodies", which struggle "to hit home in a major way", like Purpose did. [39]
In a two-star review, Roisin O'Connor of The Independent stated that Changes "isn't so much an album that would rile you to the point of turning it off. Rather, it washes over you, with its mostly average beats and seemingly random cluster of guest features", adding that it is "full of vague platitudes about love from a singer who has yet to grow up". O'Connor concluded that Bieber "hasn't come all that far" since the days of "Baby", as "a number of songs about his new wife Hailey Baldwin are so uninspired that he may as well be declaring his love for a household appliance". [28] Rating the album two stars, Hannah Mylrea of NME wrote that Bieber's "limp comeback" results in a collection of "a knackering, loved-up slog lacking substance", that is "overly reliant on trendy production and profound(ish) romantic proclamations". She added that it is "a disappointing comeback from an artist who has a track record in creating hits", as it is "one romp that never reaches climax". [29] Evening Standard 's David Smyth expressed his disappointment in the album's subject matter, but complimented its production: "In fact, so single-minded is his [Bieber] approach this time that it feels like she's [Baldwin] his only intended audience", and thus Bieber's audience at his tour "are going to be underwhelmed by the unchanging, lounging pace of the new material, gently ticking beats and lack of memorable choruses". [27]
Rating the album a 4.5 out of 10, Jayson Greene of Pitchfork wrote that "Changes settles into a middle-distance, stream-friendly murmur that is more sleepy than salacious", adding that its songs "are all cold angles and frictionless surfaces, devoid of intimacy and heat". He pointed out that "nearly every song on Changes resembles every other in tempo, arrangement, and often in lyrics, which seem to be sourced from the same 10 or 15 pastel candy hearts". [40] Writing for Clash , Nick Roseblade opined that the main problem with Changes is that "it isn't exciting or dynamic and suffers from dragging in places", citing the "lack of variation" on the album, as a reason. [41]
In June 2020, Billboard named Changes as one of "The 50 best albums of 2020 (So Far)". [42]
Changes debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 231,000 album-equivalent units, including 126,000 pure album sales in its first week. It is Bieber's seventh US number-one album. Bieber became the youngest soloist to have seven US number-one albums at the age of 25 with the record being previously held by Elvis Presley at the age of 26. The album's tracks earned a total of 135 million on-demand US streams in its first week. [43] In its second week, the album dropped to number four on the chart, earning an additional 66,000 units. [44] In its third week, the album dropped to number six on the chart, earning 62,000 units. [45]
It additionally debuted atop the Canadian Albums Chart as well as the UK Albums Chart, where it became Bieber's second number-one album. [46] [47]
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Changes was the 8th best selling album of 2020 globally. [48] Aided by Changes, Bieber placed at number nine on the 2020s top global artists list by IFPI. [49]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "All Around Me" |
| 2:16 | |
2. | "Habitual" |
|
| 2:48 |
3. | "Come Around Me" |
|
| 3:20 |
4. | "Intentions" (featuring Quavo) |
|
| 3:32 |
5. | "Yummy" |
|
| 3:28 |
6. | "Available" |
| 3:15 | |
7. | "Forever" (featuring Post Malone and Clever) |
|
| 3:39 |
8. | "Running Over" (featuring Lil Dicky) |
|
| 2:59 |
9. | "Take It Out on Me" |
|
| 2:58 |
10. | "Second Emotion" (featuring Travis Scott) |
|
| 3:22 |
11. | "Get Me" (featuring Kehlani) |
| 3:05 | |
12. | "E.T.A." |
|
| 2:56 |
13. | "Changes" |
|
| 2:15 |
14. | "Confirmation" |
|
| 2:50 |
15. | "That's What Love Is" |
|
| 2:45 |
16. | "At Least for Now" |
|
| 2:29 |
Total length: | 44:27 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "Yummy" (Summer Walker Remix) (with Summer Walker) |
|
| 3:29 |
Total length: | 47:56 |
No. | Title | Director(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Yummy" (music video) | Bardia Zeinali | 3:50 |
2. | "Yummy" (lyric video) |
| 3:23 |
Total length: | 7:13 |
Notes
Sample credits
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [103] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [104] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
France (SNEP) [105] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [106] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [107] | Platinum | 15,000‡ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [108] | Gold | 10,000* |
Poland (ZPAV) [109] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
Singapore (RIAS) [110] | Platinum | 10,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [111] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [112] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide (IFPI) | — | 1,200,000 [113] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | February 14, 2020 | Def Jam | [114] | |
March 13, 2020 | [115] [116] |
My World is the debut extended play (EP) by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released on November 17, 2009, by Island, RBMG and Schoolboy Records. The EP is considered the first half of a two-piece project, later being supplemented by Bieber's debut studio album My World 2.0 (2010). After signing a recording contract in light of his growing popularity on YouTube, Bieber worked with various collaborators, including his mentor Usher and producers Tricky Stewart, D'Mile, and MIDI Mafia. The EP's music incorporates pop and dance-pop styles with R&B influences, and lyrically discusses teen romance and coming of age situations.
The discography of Canadian singer Justin Bieber consists of six studio albums, three remix albums, three compilation albums, two extended plays, 76 singles, and 10 promotional singles. Bieber has attained eight number-one hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 and eight number-one albums on the US Billboard 200 charts. As of June 2019, Bieber has sold an estimated 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), he has sold 24 million albums and 122.5 million digital singles units as a lead artist, in the United States. Bieber was named the "Greatest Pop Star of 2016" by Billboard. He was also named the Billboard Year-End Top Male Artist for 2016 and placed number seven on the magazine's Decade-End Top Artists Chart for the 2010s.
Under the Mistletoe is the first Christmas album and second studio album by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, released on November 1, 2011, by RBMG/Island Def Jam Music Group. The album features fifteen tracks, including seven original songs co-written by Bieber, along with cover versions of Christmas carols and standards. Fellow artists Usher, Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, and the Band Perry all make guest appearances on the album.
Believe is the third studio album by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, released on June 15, 2012, by Island Records. Looking to transition from the teen pop styles of his two-piece debut effort My World (2009) and My World 2.0 (2010), Bieber opted to create a follow-up record that featured more prominent elements of Eurohouse, dance-pop and contemporary R&B. As executive producers, mentor Usher and manager Scooter Braun enlisted collaborators including Darkchild, Hit-Boy, Diplo and Max Martin with the intention of creating a mature-sounding project.
Believe Acoustic is the third remix album by the Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released on January 29, 2013, by Island Records as the follow-up to his second remix album, Never Say Never: The Remixes (2011). It is Bieber's second acoustic album, following My Worlds Acoustic (2010). The album has acoustic and live versions of songs from his third studio album Believe (2012), as well as three new recordings. The album went to number one on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, making this Bieber's fifth number-one album and seventh consecutive top 10 album in the United States.
Purpose is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released through Def Jam Recordings and School Boy Records on November 13, 2015, as a follow-up to his third studio album Believe (2012). The album features guest appearances from Big Sean, Travis Scott, Halsey, Skrillex, Diplo, and Ariana Grande. The deluxe version was released simultaneously on the same day. It features an extra guest appearance from Nas. Production was handled by Bieber himself, Skrillex and Diplo from Jack Ü, BloodPop, Benny Blanco, the Audibles, Soundz, Mike Dean, Ian Kirkpatrick, and Andre Harris, among others.
"Sorry" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his fourth studio album, Purpose (2015). Written by Bieber, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Skrillex, and BloodPop; the song was produced by the latter two. It was released on October 22, 2015, as the second single from the album. A dancehall pop, tropical house and moombahton song, "Sorry" contains in its instrumentation "brassy horn bleats", warm island rhythms and a bouncy dembow riddim drum beat. Lyrically, "Sorry" is a plea for a chance to apologize to a lover, with Bieber asking forgiveness and a second chance to redeem himself. Bieber has since said that the lover was Selena Gomez.
"Love Yourself" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his fourth studio album Purpose (2015). The song was released as a promotional single on November 9, 2015, and as the album's third official single on December 7, 2015. It was written by Ed Sheeran and Benny Blanco, and produced by the latter. A pop song, "Love Yourself" features an electric guitar and a brief flurry of trumpets as its main instrumentation. During the song, Bieber uses a husky tone in the lower registers. Lyrically, the song is a kiss-off to a narcissistic ex-lover.
"Let Me Love You" is a song recorded by French DJ and electronic music producer DJ Snake featuring vocals from Canadian singer Justin Bieber. The song was released through Interscope Records on 5 August 2016 as the third single from his debut studio album, Encore (2016). The artists both co-wrote the song along with Andrew Watt, Ali Tamposi, Brian Lee and Louis Bell, while the song's production was handled by DJ Snake, Bell and Watt.
Stoney is the debut studio album by American singer Post Malone. It was released on December 9th, 2016, by Republic Records. The album features guest appearances from Justin Bieber, Kehlani, and Quavo. The deluxe edition was released on the same day. It features an additional guest appearance from 2 Chainz. The production on the album was handled by Malone himself, Mustard, Metro Boomin, Vinylz, Frank Dukes, Illangelo, Charlie Handsome, Rex Kudo, Foreign Teck, and Pharrell Williams, among others. Malone generally sing-raps on the album, which is noted for its woozy, contemporary R&B-hip hop production. The album also features influence from country and outlaw country music.
Grateful is the tenth studio album by American disc jockey and record producer DJ Khaled. It was released as a double album on June 23, 2017, by We the Best Music Group and Epic Records. The album features guest appearances from a wide array of artists including Future, Travis Scott, Rick Ross, Migos, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, Nicki Minaj, Kodak Black, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Drake, Rihanna, Sizzla, Mavado, Nas, Calvin Harris, PartyNextDoor, Jeremih, Pusha T, and Betty Wright, among others.
"I'm the One" is a song by American disc jockey DJ Khaled featuring Canadian singer Justin Bieber and American rappers Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne. The song was released on April 28, 2017, by We the Best and Epic Records as the second single from Khaled's tenth studio album Grateful. On July 27, 2018, all artists, with the exception of Lil Wayne, were featured on Khaled's "No Brainer" from his eleventh studio album, Father of Asahd (2019). On October 19, 2020, the song surpassed one billion streams on Spotify. In December 2024, the single became certified Diamond by the RIAA, making it Khaled, Chance, and Quavo's first Diamond record, Bieber's fourth, and Wayne's third.
Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 is the fifth studio album by Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris. It was released on 30 June 2017 by Columbia Records. The album features guest appearances by Frank Ocean, Migos, Schoolboy Q, PartyNextDoor, DRAM, Young Thug, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Future, Khalid, Travis Scott, Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Big Sean, Kehlani, Lil Yachty, and Jessie Reyez, as well as prominent writing contributions from Starrah. It is also Harris' first album not to feature his vocals.
Voicenotes is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth. Almost entirely produced by Puth himself, the album was released by Artist Partner Group and Atlantic Records on May 11, 2018. Five singles have been released from the album, including "Attention" and "How Long". "Attention" peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "How Long" peaked at number 21.
Culture III is the fourth and final studio album by American hip hop group Migos. It was released on June 11, 2021, by Quality Control Music and Motown. The album features guest appearances from Drake, Cardi B, Polo G, Future, Justin Bieber, Juice Wrld, Pop Smoke, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. It is the follow-up to their 2018 album Culture II and serves as the conclusion to their Culture trilogy. A deluxe edition was released six days later, including five additional tracks.
"Yummy" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released through Def Jam Recordings, as the lead single from his fifth studio album, Changes, on January 3, 2020. The song is Bieber's first solo single to be released in almost four years, following "Company", a song from his fourth studio album, Purpose (2015), but the song was released as a single in 2016. Bieber joined the video-sharing social networking service TikTok on the day of the song's release.
"Get Me" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, featuring vocals from American singer Kehlani. It was released on January 28, 2020, as the sole promotional single from Bieber's fifth studio album, Changes. Bieber and Kehlani wrote the song alongside producers Poo Bear, Boi-1da, Vinylz, and CVRE, while it was also additionally produced by Jahaan Sweet.
"Intentions" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber featuring American rapper Quavo. It was released as the second single from Bieber's fifth studio album, Changes, on February 7, 2020. On March 19, 2020, Bieber released an acoustic version of the song, a solo version that does not include Quavo. The single received positive reviews from music critics, reached number one in Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore, and reached the top forty in twenty-two additional countries. The music video for "Intentions" was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award.
"Forever" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber featuring American singers Post Malone and Clever. This track marks Bieber and Malone's second collaboration, following Bieber's feature on Malone's 2016 single "Deja Vu", from his debut studio album Stoney (2016). "Forever" is a trap song about an extreme urge to be with another individual until the end of their life.
Justice is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released on March 19, 2021, by Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from Khalid, Chance the Rapper, the Kid Laroi, Dominic Fike, Daniel Caesar, Giveon, Beam, Burna Boy, and Benny Blanco. The "Triple Chucks" deluxe edition of the album was released on March 26, 2021, exactly a week after the standard version. It features additional guest appearances from Lil Uzi Vert, Jaden, Quavo, DaBaby, and Tori Kelly. The complete edition was released on October 8, 2021, and includes the tracks on store versions of the album that did not make the regular album. It features additional guest appearances from TroyBoi and Poo Bear. The album includes production from Benny Blanco himself, Virtual Riot, Andrew Watt, Skrillex, Finneas, Jon Bellion, the Monsters & Strangerz, and numerous others. It serves as the follow-up to Bieber's previous album, Changes (2020). Justice is a pop, R&B, and dream pop album.