It’s a good day for Beliebers.
After hours of growing anticipation, Justin Bieber came through with a somewhat surprise album, Swag. The 31-year-old singer began hinting at the release on social media Thursday, when he shared a series of billboards featuring the project’s black-and-white art. One of the images showed a shirtless Bieber standing before the camera as his wife, Hailey Bieber, stood in the background with their baby boy in her arms. Another show captured Bieber sitting on the couch while holding his son over his shoulders.
The billboards appeared in Reykjavik, Iceland; Los Angeles; and New York City’s Times Square. The latter also featured what appeared to be a 20-song tracklist that included titles like “All I Can Take,” “Yukon,” “Walking Away,” “Dadz Love,” “Zuma House,” and “Forgiveness.”
In support of her husband, Hailey took a page out of his book with a post on Instagram ahead of the album’s release. “Is it finally clocking to you fucking losers?” she wrote on her IG Story. The reference comes from Justin’s viral moment amid a paparazzi confrontation in June in which he uttered the words: “I’m a dad, I’m a husband. You’re not getting it. It’s not clocking to you. It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business, is it?”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bieber traveled to Iceland back in April to complete the long-awaited album. Insiders confirmed the project included features by Sexyy Red, Gunna, and Cash Cobain, as well as contributions from singer-songwriter Sekou and producer Dylan Wiggins, the man behind The Weeknd’s “Die for You,” Kali Uchis’ “I Wish You Roses,” and Don Toliver’s “Hardstone Psycho.”
Swag marks Bieber’s first full-length project since 2021’s Justice. You can stream it now on all major platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify.
The album arrived just hours after Bieber and his former manager, Scooter Braun, settled their nearly $40 million financial dispute stemming from the cancellation of Bieber’s 2022 Justice World Tour. According to TMZ, Bieber allegedly owed AEG Presents $26 million after prematurely ending his tour. Braun’s company HYBE reportedly covered the debt after Bieber agreed to reimburse the company over 10 years; however, Bieber allegedly made just one payment.
TMZ reports that Bieber agreed to cough up the $26 million owed to HYBE and about half of the $11 million he owed to Braun in unpaid commissions.
