Pop phenomenon Justin Bieber has made a surprise re-entry to the music-consumer world with the launch of Swag. The album, which dropped unannounced on July 11, 2025, is officially Bieber's seventh studio effort and his first full-length project in four years since Justice in 2021.
The album arrived after a very short teaser campaign, which teased mysterious billboards in major cities like Los Angeles, Reykjavík, and New York's Times Square. The billboards featured black-and-white images of Bieber, the word "SWAG," and the album tracklist. While fans had speculated that new music would drop, the official album drop still sowed surprise with fans and casual radio listeners alike.
The album contains 21 songs that access deeply personal themes this time around, like fatherhood, self-reflection, and emotional awareness and growth. Swag is an even further departure in sound and direction, as the first full body of persuasive project inwhich Bieber's songs will not lean solely on catchy radio composition but take the mindful approach to storytelling.
Swag is undoubtedly tone heavier than Bieber's previous albums. The songs delve into a myriad of topics of a very personal nature based on Bieber's lived experience over the past couple years, much of which reflects his life as a new father and his relationships growing with his wife, Hailey Bieber.
The sonic structure of the album offers a pan-genre tilt away from the more upbeat world of pop via R&B and hip-hop sounds with many songs being emotive and stripped down, or softer. The tracks “Standing on Business,” “Dad’z Love,” and “Devotion” touch on adulthood's responsibilities and challenges as compared to “Butterflies,” and “Therapy Session,” which are much more emotional and contemplative.
Swag features many guest artists, such as Gunna, Sexyy Red, Cash Cobain, Lil B, Druski, and Dijon. The album has many producers and songwriters behind the scenes, such as Daniel Caesar, Carter Lang, Mk.gee, Knox Fortune, and Tobias Jesso Jr. Swag was recorded between 2022 and early 2025, apparently with some last sessions recorded in Iceland.
Visually, Swag's campaign leverages black-and-white images of Bieber in intimate, private places — often with his wife and son. The promotional materials reflect the album's tone: authentic, down-to-earth, and family-oriented, with a personal focus.
Following a relatively quiet period in Bieber's public life (during which he moved away from touring and sold the rights to his music catalog), he has emerged with a new record. Although he was relatively quiet for a number of months, a new album suggests the star has spent the past few years settling into his personal life, and making music on his own terms.
Swag is now available to stream on all major platforms; Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
