I first heard Jon Bellion on a drive. I set Spotify to a random station and let the music run while I drove. There is something heartbreaking about the music and lyrics of his song Guillotine that made me fall in love. Since that drive, I have been hooked on Bellion's original style and poetic lyrics. I ended the drive by listening to the rest of the album and haven't stopped since.
Jon Bellion’s explosion into mainstream music was inevitable. It began with the release of his new album which became number five on Billboard's Top 200. This star continued to rise as he went on world tour with Twenty One Pilots. From then on he is collaborating with new artists on the daily, starting his third tour for his latest album and killing it on the charts. The 14 track album, The Human Condition, was released on June 10, 2016, and I’m still obsessed with it like it came out yesterday.
Image by: Dexter
The artwork was done by David Ardinaryas Lojaya and Jacob Caljouw. Additionally, Lojaya and Caljouw created artwork for each of the tracks on the album. It’s pretty sweet.
The outro as well as many other songs on the album deal with faith and mention God specifically.
From "Maybe IDK":
Although I guess if I knew tomorrow
I guess I wouldn’t need faith
I guess if I never fell, I guess I wouldn’t need grace
I guess if I knew His plans, I guess He wouldn’t be God.
This is just one of the many songs that I feel like people identify with. It is very honest, real and personal music. This album is what everyone needs, someone to be real with them.
Bellion doesn’t fall into the genre of traditional hip hop. He uses an original style to portray themes in the album such as growth, spirituality, and love. These ideas are especially important to young people, as students today experience the notions of these three ideas often as they transition from high school to college, and later college to adulthood.
Perhaps my favorite thing about this album is the poetry of each song. You can tell that each is beautifully written at a different time in his life. If you want to feel something listen to The Human Condition. Like really listen, don’t put it on in the background, put it on before you go to bed. Sometimes listening to music should be like reading your favorite book before you go to sleep. Or in our generation's case watching your favorite Netflix series.
Thank you, Jon Bellion, for this beautiful album. It’s a year later and I am still touched by these songs both individually and as a whole album. I hope one day I can attend one of your concerts and sing the lyrics with you.
