Justin Bieber fans woke up to a blast from the past. On Friday, July 11, the singer released “SWAG,” a surprise album that is his first full-length studio project in four years.
Despite no prior announcement, the rollout came together fast. Billboards promoting the album began popping up on Thursday, July 10, across the country, hours before Bieber confirmed the release of his seventh album by posting photos and videos on Instagram.
A project months in the making
Although the drop was unannounced, “SWAG” had been in the works for quite some time. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bieber had been holding informal “jam sessions” at his home in recent months.
Guests reportedly included his longtime DJ Tay James, musical director HARV, SZA collaborator Carter Lang and Australian artist Eddie Benjamin.
Download the Straight Arrow app today to get the stories that matter free from manipulation, bias or agenda.™
Point phone camera here
Star-studded collaborations and viral nods
The album spans 21 tracks and features a wide range of collaborators — including Gunna, Sexyy Red, Cash Cobain, Dijon, Lil B and Eddie Benjamin.
Comedian Druski is also featured on three interludes. One track, “STANDING ON BUSINESS,” refers to a viral paparazzi clip from June in which Bieber used the now-memed phrase while confronting the press.
Bieber was leaving Soho House Malibu in California in June when the exchange began, as Bieber approached paparazzi near his vehicle. One paparazzo asked the singer if he was afraid of being deported back to Canada amid ICE raids.
The expletive-laden, 11-minute video showed a tense back-and-forth between Bieber and the press, where he eventually said, “I’m a human f—— being, you’re standing around my car, at the beach!”
Bieber added, “It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business, is it?”
Themes of faith and vulnerability
Beyond the guest list, “SWAG” dives into deeply personal territory. One of the final tracks, “FORGIVENESS,” features gospel legend Marvin Winans and reflects Bieber’s long-standing connection to faith.
Unbiased. Straight Facts.TM
Justin Bieber became the youngest solo artist to achieve five No. 1 albums in the U.S. in 2013.
Other songs address the emotional toll of public life and fame. On “THERAPY SESSION,” a skit with Druski, Bieber opens up about feeling overwhelmed.
“It’s feelin’ like, you know, I have had to go through a lot of my struggles as a human,” he says. “As all of us do really publicly. And so people are always askin’ if I’m okay. And that starts to really weigh on me.”
That sense of emotional transparency also plays out in real life. Bieber recently made headlines amid rumors of tension in his marriage to model and skincare-product founder Hailey Bieber. Us Weekly cited sources who described the relationship as “tense.”
Hailey, however, pushed back against the rumors, posting a video to her Instagram Story applying her viral Rhode lip treatment, with her engagement ring front and center.
Speculation grew again after Justin posted a cryptic screenshot of a Father’s Day text exchange, publicly ending a friendship he called “traumatizing.”
“Conflict is a part of relationship,” he wrote. “If you don’t like my anger, you don’t like me.”
Between the lyrics and the Instagram posts, “SWAG” feels like an emotional release, or at least a reset.
Either way, it’s a success.
Hours after its release, “SWAG” shot to No. 1 on the U.S. Apple Music chart. Fans are already watching to see how it performs, since Bieber’s last album, “Justice,” held the top spot on the Billboard 200 for two weeks in 2021.
