Pope Francis releases pop song 'Wake Up! Go! Go! Forward!'; plans album

The Wrap
September 26, 2015 at 1:05AM
Pope Francis give the thumbs-up from the popemobile during a parade around the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Pope Francis give the thumbs-up from the popemobile during a parade around the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Watch out, Justin Bieber; the Pope's going pop.

Currently on a whirlwind tour, Pope Francis is preparing to release what is presumably his debut album titled "Wake Up!"

The album won't be available until Nov. 27 (pre-order it on iTunes), but the pontiff has already dropped a song from the album, an earnest and motivational little ditty titled "Wake Up! Go! Go! Forward!"

The punctuation-happy track features uplifting piano and crunchy, roaring guitars over a driving beat, as Pope Francis offers words of inspiration such as "The Lord speaks of a responsibility that the Lord gives you/ It is a duty to be vigilant/ Not to allow the pressures, the temptations and the sins to dull our sensibility of the beauty of holiness."

According to Rolling Stone, which premiered the track, the vocals were lifted from Francis' address to a South Korean audience last year.

The album will feature Pope Francis unleashing his mad flow in a variety of languages including Italian, English, Spanish and Portuguese as he tackles topics such as dignity, the environment and helping the less fortunate, according to Rolling Stone.

The album is produced by Don Giulio Neroni, who's previously worked with artists including Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

"I tried to be strongly faithful to the pastoral and personality of Pope Francis: the Pope of dialogue, open doors, hospitality," Neroni said of the new offering.

Could a duet with Nicki Minaj be far behind?

Check out Pope Francis' new track here.

Pope Francis kisses Maria Teresa†Heyer, a 1st grade student from the Brooklyn borough of New York, as the pope is greeted by Heyer and other students who gave him gifts as he arrives at John F. Kennedy International Airport Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, in New York.
Pope Francis kisses Maria Teresa†Heyer, a 1st grade student from the Brooklyn borough of New York, as the pope is greeted by Heyer and other students who gave him gifts as he arrives at John F. Kennedy International Airport Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, in New York. (Tom Wallace — Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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