Justin Bieber has returned with Swag, his first full-length album in four years.
The Canadian pop star teased the 21-track record just hours before its surprise release, which features guest appearances from Gunna, Sexyy Red, Druski, Dijon, Lil B, Cash Cobain, Eddie Benjamin and Marvin Winans. Bieber produced the album alongside Carter Lang, Dylan Wiggins, Daniel Caesar, mk.gee, Daniel Chetrit, Knox Fortune and more.
Fans across the world took notice of billboards in Iceland, Atlanta and Los Angeles depicting an image of Bieber accompanied by the word album’s title earlier today. He confirmed the legitimacy of the billboards by reposting them to his Instagram, soon after posting a video that toured the album’s tracklist.
Swag follows a turbulent stretch for Bieber since the release of his last studio album, Justice, in 2021. The 31-year-old cancelled 82 dates on the planned 131-stop tour for that record in 2022, citing exhaustion.
“After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realised that I need to make my health the priority right now,” he said at the time. “So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being. I’m going to be OK, but I need time to rest and get better.”
In the years since, Bieber has welcomed his first child, Jack Blues Bieber, with wife Hailey Bieber. He reflects on the transition into fatherhood throughout Swag, including on tracks like “Dadz Love.”
In the lead-up to the record, Bieber had been increasingly active on Instagram, sharing vulnerable posts about his experiences with paparazzi, personal struggles, mental health struggles, and the emotional toll of fame. One recent upload read: “Don’t you think if I could have fixed myself I would have already? I know I’m broken. I know I have anger issues.”
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He continued: “I tried to do the work my whole life to be like the people who told me I needed to be fixed like them. And it just keeps making me more tired and more angry. The harder I try to grow, the more focused on myself I am. Jesus is the only person who keeps me wanting to make my life about others. Because honestly I’m exhausted with thinking about myself lately, aren’t you?”
Listen to Swag below.
