''Freedom'' is the second

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) by Canadian singer

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

. It is also the first EP released by Bieber since '' My World'' (2009). It was surprise-released on April 4, 2021, by

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

. The EP is a follow-up to Bieber's sixth studio album ''

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

'', released a few weeks prior on March 19, 2021. The EP is

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

-inspired.

Background and songs

''Freedom'' is a

-inspired EP that serves as Bieber's way of professing his love to God as he embarks on a soul-searching journey to better understand himself and his past through the lens of his religious beliefs. The EP begins with the

Afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting ...

-filled title track, a collaboration with

Beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

, where Bieber and Beam address temptation against laid-back tropical beats. On the following tracks, "All She Wrote" featuring Brandon Love and

Chandler Moore Chandler David Moore (born March 21, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, and worship leader. Moore currently partners Maverick City Music, a collective of worshippers working in the contemporary Christian music and Gospel world. Maverick ...

and R&B cut "We're in This Together", Bieber shifts into rap, discussing his fame and "needing saving", with the latter alluding to the 2014

police raid A police raid is an unexpected visit by police or other law-enforcement officers with the aim of using the element of surprise in order to seize evidence or arrest suspects believed to be likely to hide evidence, resist arrest, be politicall ...

of his

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

home after being accused of allegedly egging a neighbor's house and ending with a prayer for those listening and their families. The fourth track, "Where You Go I Follow" featuring Moore,

Pink Sweats David Bowden (born February 14, 1992), known professionally as Pink Sweats (stylized as Pink Sweat$), is an American R&B singer and songwriter. He released his first EP ''Volume 1'' in 2018, led by the single "Honesty". His debut album, ''Pin ...

, and Judah Smith, finds Bieber singing about the

resurrection of Jesus The resurrection of Jesus ( grc-x-biblical, ἀνάστασις τοῦ Ἰησοῦ) is the Christian belief that God raised Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion, starting – or restoring – his exalted life as Christ and Lo ...

. He is joined by Moore, Smith, and

Tori Kelly Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, and voice actress. She first gained recognition after posting videos on YouTube as a teenager, and made it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''Americ ...

on the fifth track, "Where Do I Fit In", where they sing about Jesus and his unconditional love for everyone. The final track, "Afraid to Say" featuring Lauren Walters, takes a more guitar-focused turn as Bieber explores the effects of

cancel culture Cancel culture, or rarely also known as call-out culture, is a phrase contemporary to the late 2010s and early 2020s used to refer to a form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles—whether it be online, on ...

Reception

Critical response

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'' Halle Kiefer compared ''Freedom'' to Bieber's sixth studio album, ''

'', saying they both find him "ruminating on the spiritual and existential state of his existence". Emlyn Travis, writing for

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

, felt that the EP "allows Bieber to redefine himself and restructure his future". Tomás Mier from ''

People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...

'' wrote that "Bieber is channeling his spirituality through song". Brad Wheeler of ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' found the EP to be "mundane" and that it came off as "self-absorbed", further adding, "He's not serving somebody – he's serving himself."

Accolades

Commercial performance

''Freedom'' debuted at number 172 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The EP earned 7,000 equivalent album units with less than five full days of availability in its first tracking week. It is Bieber's first entry on the

Top Christian Albums Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...

chart, debuting at number three for the week of April 17, 2021. All six of the EP's tracks concurrently charted on the

Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs c ...

chart, also becoming Bieber's first entries there.

Track listing

Personnel

Boi-1da Matthew Jehu Samuels (born October 12, 1986), known professionally as Boi-1da ( , a play on "boy wonder"), is a Jamaican-Canadian Record production, record producer and songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario. The Toronto raised producer has work ...

– producer (tracks 1, 2) *

Vinylz Anderson Hernandez (born September 2, 1989),Rys, Dan (July 11, 2013)"‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ Behind The Scenes: Five Producers Who Helped Craft The Album". ''XXL (magazine), XXL''. Accessed on July 11, 2013. professionally known as Vinylz, ...

– producer (tracks 1, 2) * Goatsmans – producer (tracks 4, 5) * Cvre – producer (track 1) * Sean Momberger – producer (track 2) *

Lee Major Leigh Elliott, known professionally as Lee Major, is an American hip hop producer also known by the monikers Lee Major Kid and The Inkredibles. Lee Major has received production credit on tracks for artists such as Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, A ...

– producer (track 2) * Wallis Lane – producer (track 3) * Vindver – producer (track 3) *

– producer (track 6) * Don Mills – additional producer (track 1) * DJ Alizay – additional producer (track 3) * Angel Lopez – co-producer (track 3) * JulesTheWulf – co-producer (track 6)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Justin Bieber 2021 EPs Justin Bieber albums Albums produced by Boi-1da Albums produced by Justin Bieber Albums produced by Lee Major Albums produced by Vinylz Def Jam Recordings EPs Surprise albums