Justin Bieber surprised fans on Friday by releasing “Swag,” his seventh studio album, hours after he teased it on billboards and social media posts.
It is his first album since 2021’s “Justice” and his first since becoming a father last year.
“Inspired by his devotion as a husband and father, this new era of music has fueled a deeper perspective and more reflective sound, resulting in some of his most personal music yet,” Def Jam Recordings said of the 21-track album, reports AP.
Billboards depicting Bieber were found by fans Thursday in Reykjavik, Iceland, and Los Angeles. The singer also shared images of billboards on his official Instagram account along with a tracklist that included song names like “All I Can Take,” “Walking Away,” “Dadz Love” and “Forgiveness.”
With a run time of just under an hour, the teen icon-turned-megastar collaborates with a host of rappers on Swag including Sexxy Red, Cash Cobain and Gunna. Promotional pictures shared by the Canadian singer feature his wife, Hailey Bieber, and their son – at points being held over his head, says BBC.
Bieber, the two-time Grammy Award winning singer and Canadian pop idol who revolutionised teen pop and social media fame, is best known for his silky R&B pop lyric tenor, demonstrated on the diamond-selling “Baby,” “Sorry,” and “Stay” with the Kid Laroi. At the beginning of his career, and as a tween, Bieber began working with Usher and the influential music manager Scooter Braun.
In 2023, Bieber sold the rights to his music — all six of his albums, including hits like “Sorry” and “Baby” — to Hipgnosis, a UK-based music investment company. The deal’s financial details were not disclosed, but Billboard Magazine reports that the sale was worth an estimated $200 million.
In August 2024, Justin and Hailey Bieber announced the birth of their first child, Jack Blues Bieber.
