Can’t wait for Justin Bieber’s in-progress album to drop?
If so, a tiny snippet of new music and a full song titled “California Cruisin’” have surfaced online. The snippet was heard in the background of a video posted to the Snapchat and Instagram accounts of Bieber’s studio engineer, Josh Gudwin, on Saturday morning (June 13).
The clip shows someone in shadow (presumably Justin Bieber ) riding what appears to be an IO Hawk device outside, while a sensual-sounding, R&B-leaning track plays.
Bieber has that John Mayer tone going on in his voice, but the mood of the video doesn’t suggest a “party-in-da-club” type of experience. So we’re guessing the scenario is lovesick or romantic. Either way, it leaves the listener wanting more.
Check out the brand new snippet below.
As for who Bieber is singing about in the above snippet? If the track is autobiographical, it could be about his former girlfriend, Selena Gomez.
When previously asked during an interview with On Air With Ryan Seacrest if he would be replying musically on his new album to Gomez’s emotive anthem “The Heart Wants What It Wants” song, Bieber said no, but did say the actress-singer is his muse.
“I think a lot of my inspiration comes from her [Gomez],” the 21-year-old told Seacrest.
The Biebs explained, “It was a long relationship and a relationship that created heartbreak and created happiness and a lot of different emotions that I wanted to write about, so there [is] a lot of that on this album.”
The day before the snippet of new music arrived, a retro-influenced track titled “California Cruisin’” leaked online (June 12) via a Tumblr account. The upload has been removed, but found its way onto YouTube and other platforms.
During the unreleased, two-minute recording, which sounds like an early 90’s West Coast song, Bieber croons about riding his car through the City of Angels.
“Cruising down hollywood/ Windows down, feelin’ good, yeah/ Feeling better than I’ve ever been, it must be adrenaline/ As we’re cruisin’ down Sunset all night, all night,” he sings.
It has to be said, “California Cruisin” isn’t the best example of Bieber’s musicality that we have heard. But to be fair, it sounds like it’s a demo, and an old one at that.
Meanwhile, back in May, Bieber revealed he was at the “final touch stage” with his in-the-works album, which the rapper Kanye West and Rick Rubin are co-producing. Amid the ongoing success of “Where Are Ü Now” — Bieber’s hit with Jack Ü’s Skrillex and Diplo — the EDM duo are collaborating on the singer’s album.
The singer spoke to ETalk about working with West and Jack Ü after his recent show at a Calvin Klein Jeans-hosted music event in Hong Kong on June 11.
“Where Are Ü Now” is currently at No. 4 in the UK’s Official Top 40 singles chart, No. 14 on U.S. iTunes, and is a Top 20 banger on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart at No. 17.
According to Nielsen Music, the single has been in the Top 10 of most streamed tracks on Spotify in the U.S., UK, and globally for the past few months.
After a music video was filmed in Los Angeles last month, Justin Bieber fans are primed for the visual to drop. Among a recent clutch of tweets, Diplo, Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun , various members of Team Bieber, and the heartthrob, expressed their excitement about the video to come.
Where are u now video is gonna be whoa
— PEACE IS THE MISSION (@diplo) June 12, 2015
@diplo yes sir. #WhereAreUNowMusicVideo
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) June 13, 2015
I got to see some of the #WhereAreUENowMusicVideo It looked like nothing I’ve ever seen before. and I’m old and have seen alot.
— Scrappy (@scrappy) June 12, 2015
This #JackÜ #WhereAreUNow music video with @justinbieber is insane!!! Can’t wait for it to come out. Cc @diplo @Skrillex
— Scooter Braun (@scooterbraun) June 12, 2015
[Images via Getty Images]