Maria Leonino

     After five years, Justin Bieber released a new album titled “Changes” on Feb. 14, 2020. The 17 track album quickly climbed to number one on the charts.

     Justin is now 26 years old and married to Hailey Baldwin, and when his last album was released he was recently single from Selena Gomez. 

     Many songs on his last album, Purpose, were a reflection of his relationship with Selena and his mental state, which at the time was going downhill.

     Similarly, his album now reflects his love and relationship with Hailey, and his mental state as well; however, now he has entered a new era of his life, and is looking more on the positive side. 

     His first track is a song called ‘All Around Me’ which is, in my opinion, about Hailey. Lyrics such as “Not sure what I was doin’ before ya” and “I need you all around me’ ‘ resemble her. 

     The next two tracks, ‘Habitual’ and ‘Come Around Me’ are also about love and Hailey in particular. They both say how she saved him in a way, and he is a much better person because of her.

     ‘Intentions’ featuring Quavo is more about how he treats his wife, and how he wants others to treat their significant others. Showering them with attention and complimenting them are his main points.

     To me, it seems like his tracks ‘Available’ and ‘Second Emotion’ featuring Travis Scott are about Justin’s vulnerability with his relationship. He wants to be prioritized and needs reassurance, which he expresses in the two tracks. 

     Another aspect of relationships is fighting. ‘Take It Out On Me’ focuses on how Justin wants Hailey to let her frustrations out, even if that means she has to take them out on him. 

     ‘Yummy’, ‘Running Over’ featuring Lil Dicky and ‘E.T.A.’ are on the more lustful side. ‘Running Over’ talks about the encounters Justin had with Hailey and how they met, which left him wanting more. 

     ‘E.T.A.’ focuses on him wanting to be around Hailey and knowing where she is. ‘Yummy’ was pre-released before his album came out, and it is my least favorite. 

     The song lacks strong verses, and it was not the way I envisioned his new album being, but he did redeem himself with the other songs. 

     Two songs that do not seem to be centered around Hailey are ‘Changes’ and ‘Confirmation’. They are more about Justin’s personal growth. 

     He talks about the changes in his life, how he wants to improve and be better for everyone around him. He also talks about his insecurities and what he needs to work on. 

     His last two songs on the album, ‘That’s What Love Is’ and ‘At Least For Now’ seem to be about Hailey as well. 

     ‘That’s What Love Is’ is the typical love song, and focuses on their love and sacrifices they make for each other. ‘At Least For Now’ is about the more intimate and soft side of their relationship. 

     Lastly, my two personal favorites. ‘Forever’ featuring Post Malone and Clever, and ‘Get Me’ featuring Kehlani. Both songs give off calming and care free vibes, which I love. 

     Overall, Justin Bieber’s new album did not disappoint. It exceeded every expectation, and I love how each track has a different sound and meaning. 

Lauren Rayman

     Released on Jan. 8, 2020, the Netflix original ‘Cheer’ took the world by storm. The six-part docuseries captured the attention of ordinary people, and celebrities, around the world.

     The show is centered around the Navarro College cheer team. Navarro College, located in Corsicana, Texas, is a junior college; however, their cheer team is among the best in the country.

     Under head coach Monica Aldama, the team has won 14 national titles at the National Cheerleaders Association Collegiate National Championships, five of which have been grand national titles. A grand national championship is won when a team has the highest score of the entire competition, not just their division.

     ‘Cheer’ highlights the little known world of competitive cheerleading. At the high collegiate level that Navarro competes at, the risk of injury runs high– back strains, a dislocated elbow, bruised ribs and multiple concussions occur throughout the course of the docuseries.

     Although injuries are present, the athletes push through for two, sometimes three, practices a day leading up to the NCA Collegiate Nationals. The show shines light not just on how hard the sport is, but also how rewarding the sport can be.

     Many people like the show because of the sport it revolves around, but even more people have started watching it because of the personal stories told throughout the show. There are many athletes on the Navarro team who came from rough pasts and use cheerleading as an escape.

     The show closely follows the stories of Lexi Brumback, Gabi Butler, Jerry Harris, La’Darius Marshall and Morgan Simianer. Some are well-known in the cheer world, dubbed ‘cheerlebrities,’ and some have come from troubling pasts and have inspiring stories.

     Because of how dynamic the show is, it has caught the attention of many celebrities. The Navarro cheer team performed on The Ellen Show, and one week later, some team members returned on The Ellen Show, this time accompanied by Kendall Jenner.

     Chrissy Teigen, Kalen Allen, Reese Witherspoon, JJ Watt and Tyler Oakley are among just some of the celebrities who have tweeted about the show. Navarro athletes now have social media followings as large as over one million followers.

     In my opinion, I really enjoyed the show. As a cheerleader, watching the show and recognizing some of the athletes on the team peaked my interest.

     My favorite part of the docuseries was not just the cheerleading, but the stories of the athletes highlighted in it. The show is raw and real– it does not sugarcoat anything in the sport.

     I would highly recommend this show to anyone– cheerleaders, athletes and ordinary people alike. There are lessons to be learned and applied to everyday life from the show. Overall, Netflix did an incredible job of bringing attention to the world of competitive cheerleading.