''Freedom'' is the second

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

by Canadian singer

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...

. 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 l ...

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

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

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

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

-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 (also known as Afrofunk) is a West African music genre, fusing influences from Nigerian (such as Yoruba) and Ghanaian (such as highlife) music, with American funk, jazz, and soul influences. With a focus on chanted vocals, complex i ...

-filled title track, a collaboration with Beam, where Bieber and Beam address temptation against laid-back tropical beats. On the following tracks, "All She Wrote" featuring Brandon Love and Chandler Moore 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, which aims to use the element of surprise to seize Evidence (law), evidence or arrest suspects believed to be likely to Tampering with evidence, hide evidence, res ...

of his

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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 singer, songwriter and record producer. He released his first Extended play, EP ''Volume 1'' in 2018, led by the single "Honest ...

, and Judah Smith, finds Bieber singing about the

resurrection of Jesus The resurrection of Jesus () is Christianity, Christian belief that God in Christianity, God Resurrection, raised Jesus in Christianity, Jesus from the dead on the third day after Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion, starting—or Preexis ...

. He is joined by Moore, Smith, and

Tori Kelly Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition on YouTube before making it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''American Idol'' in 2010 and eventually releasing her debu ...

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 is a cultural phenomenon in which an individual thought to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner is ostracized, boycotted, shunned or fired, often aided by social media. This shunning may extend to social or professio ...

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 Nort ...

'' 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

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

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

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

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' 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

Notes

* signifies a co-producer * signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.

Musicians

– vocals * Beam – additional vocals (1) * Brandon Love – additional vocals (2) * Chandler Moore – additional vocals (2, 5) *

Maejor Brandon Michael Green (born July 23, 1988), known professionally as Maejor (formerly Bei Maejor and later Maejor Ali), is an American record producer, songwriter, and singer. Green is known for having produced and written songs for prominent mu ...

– additional vocals (2) *

– additional vocals (4) * Lenard Ishmael – guitar (4) * Jonathan Gateretse – keyboards (4, 5) * Judah Smith – spoken word (4, 5) *

– additional vocals (5) * Tarik Henry – background vocals (5) * Julian Mcguire – guitar (6) * Lauren Walters – spoken word (6)

Technical

* Josh Gudwin – mixing,

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, immersive mix engineering, vocal production * Dale Becker – mastering * Elijah Marrett-Hitch – engineering * Tyree Hawkins – engineering (1) * Devin Nakao – engineering (3) * Tori Kelly – engineering (5) * Ryan Lytle – recording,

editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written language, written, Image editing, visual, Audio engineer, audible, or Film editing, cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing p ...

, engineering assistance * Heidi Wang – additional engineering, mixing assistance * Hector Vega – mastering assistance * DJ Tay James – production coordination * Lauren Walters – production coordination

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