In a move that caught fans and industry watchers completely off guard, Justin Bieber has dropped a brand-new album titled Swag, marking his first full-length release since 2021’s Justice.
The 20-track project arrived without prior promotion, yet its rollout is anything but quiet. The album pairs Bieber’s signature melodic instincts with collaborations spanning the musical spectrum from Gunna and Sexyy Red to comedian Druski, 2 Chainz, and Cash Cobain. The credits also include songwriting from Tobias Jesso Jr. and production by Dijon, Mk.gee, Knox Fortune, and Daniel Caesar.
The record not only returns Bieber to the spotlight but channels personal turbulence into pop experimentation. Across Swag, tracks like Dadz Love, Therapy Session, and Devotion hint at the artist’s recent brush with intense public scrutiny, particularly after a viral incident on Father’s Day where he confronted paparazzi. One moment from the confrontation, “I’m a dad. I’m a husband. You’re not getting it. It’s not clocking to you. I’m standing on business,” is sampled in the song Butterflies.
Promotional photos of the album feature Bieber with his wife Hailey and their son, underscoring a newly visible family-centric chapter in his life.
Following the release, US rapper Big Sean summed up the industry’s excitement with a single Instagram comment: “Yes!!!!”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Swag came together after a series of low-key jam sessions at Bieber’s Los Angeles home, followed by a creative retreat in Iceland to finalize the material. One of his collaborators, Mk.gee, previously shared with The New York Times, said, “He’s searching… Anything that comes out of his mouth: That’s pop music. You can really do pretty wild stuff behind that, just because it represents something.”
Now Bieber is clearly leaning into that freedom. Tracks like Daisies open up emotionally with lyrics like “falling petals do you love me or not?” while others, including Soulful and Forgiveness, reflect his Christian roots. The album’s title — Swag — nods to his 2012 hit Boyfriend and its iconic line “swag, swag, swag, on you,” recontextualized through a mature, reflective lens.
Swag also arrives following a period of reduced output for the singer. Since Justice, he’s appeared selectively on collaborations with artists like SZA and Kehlani and sold his music catalog for a reported $200 million — one of the largest deals in the industry to date.
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