The lead-up to Big Sean’s sixth album, Better Me Than You, has been a journey for the Detriot player. While providing fans with an update on his upcoming album, which will be released this Friday, the entertainer got emotional.
Sean revealed that during the process of creating his new album, he has been struggling with “overthinking.”. “I am a chronic overthinker. I’m a chronic, constant worker,” says Sean. “And I’ve been having a hard time lately, straight up. It’s not been easy… But it’s worth it.”
He continued: “The whole concept of the album is like Better Me Than You, so when you go through your shit, it’s like you the one who can handle it […] It gets hard. Your faith gets tested.”
After sharing, Sean would exit the room to gather himself, then return to continue discussing the challenges he faced making the album. He digressed: “When you make art, you put a lot into it. I definitely am a chronic overworker, overthinker, and I’ve been dedicating a lot of my life to it.”
He admits to having difficulty avoiding criticism while focusing on the music, especially online. “I don’t try and read into what everybody say,” he says. “It’s hard because you do care about your shit. I try and stay focused on the path and keep the music focused on what I want to do, no matter what people think.”
He added: “Sometimes if you read into too much shit, the internet can suck the fun out of it. Just anything you do. So as an artist, expressing yourself is important to me to stay on that path.”
After revealing his struggles, Sean would credit his mother and her guidance throughout the journey. Reflecting on the last conversation he had with her.
About his mom, he said: “When me and Jhené were giving our son a bath last night, my mom called me and she was just giving me them words,” he said. “And I was just like, Look, I can keep working and make it exactly how I want it and I’ll be pushing it back forever. Or I can believe in the fire-ass work that I got right now and that’s what I’ma do. I appreciate my mom for being that guardian angel and always giving me that advice. She really talked me through it, for real.”
Big Sean has released several singles leading to the upcoming release of Better Me Than You, including “Yes,” “Precision,” and “On Up.” Along with the release date, Sean shared that the album will be multi-layered and different from previous work.
“This album is definitely all the different layers of me,” he says. “It’s broken up into four different categories — to me, at least. You got the pressure songs and then you got the focused, the clarity and then the happiness.”