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Justin Bieber has teamed up with co-writers Benny Blanco and Finneas O’Connell, known mononymously as Finneas, for a new song titled ‘Lonely’.
Bieber revealed that he and Blanco had a new song in store earlier this week, teasing its release on Instagram before it dropped today (October 16).
The song arrived with a Jake Schreier-directed video clip, depicting a young Bieber, played by Jacob Tremblay, exploring an empty theatre. The lyrics tell a story of loneliness despite success, which Tremblay portrays in his solemn acting. Watch it below:
Marking the track’s arrival on Instagram, Bieber shared some heartfelt words about the story behind it.
“When he [Blanco] and @finneas showed me this song to be honest it was hard to listen to considering how tough it was to get through some of these chapters,” he wrote.
“I went into the studio and sang through it which wasn’t easy but started to really see the importance of telling this story! It made me realize we all feel lonely at times! Being someone in my position I believe it is powerful to express vulnerability and that’s why I believe this song is so powerful!”
“And @jacobtremblay is so talented. It was emotional to see him play me from the outside looking in”.
Bieber released his first album in five years, ‘Changes’, back in February. The album was given a two-star review from NME, which said “Bieber’s limp comeback results in a collection of loved-up songs lacking innovation or substance”.
Since ‘Changes’, Bieber has released the singles ‘Stuck with U’ featuring Ariana Grande and ‘Holy’ with Chance The Rapper. NME gave ‘Holy’ three stars, describing the track as “less a divine proclamation of his faith and more a declaration of his love and, er, lust for his partner”.
‘Lonely’ is Blanco’s first single for the year. Last year, he released music with Juice WRLD, Selena Gomez, J Balvin and Calvin Harris, among others. His only LP, ‘Friends Keep Secrets’, was released in 2018.
In an interview with NME, Blanco, known for writing and producing commercially successful tracks, explained why he decided to begin releasing music himself.
“I want to do something different. I always try to challenge myself. Whether it’s working with an alternative rapper, or working with a pop artist, it’s about trying to switch it up and do thing people said I couldn’t do,” he said.
“I had the best of both worlds; I could get into any concert and hang out with cool people, but nobody knew who I was… Now it’s definitely taking some getting used to.”
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