After a four-year music hiatus, Justin Bieber has returned with “Swag,” a surprise 21-track album released on July 11.
The record arrives amid rumors he and wife Hailey Bieber are experiencing martial issues, and almost a year after the birth of his son Jack.
For many fans, “Swag” signals a new era of family, maturity and personal reckoning for Justin Bieber.
Since Justin Bieber tied the knot to Rhode Skin founder Hailey Bieber in 2018, the couple has been unable to escape whispers of a rocky relationship. The couple welcomed their son, Jack Blues, in August 2024, yet fans continue to look for signs of tension.
Now, Justin Bieber is ready to share his side of the story.
“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,” Justin Bieber’s record label Def Jam Recordings said of his new work.
With “Swag,” Justin Bieber appears confident that he can reframe the narrative about not just his marriage, but also about who he is as a musician.
“It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business,” Justin Bieber said to the paparazzi in June. The now-viral quote kicks off the album’s opening track, aptly titled “Standing on Business.”
This moment feels like an embodiment of everything Justin Bieber wants to say with his new album. The public might doubt him. But he knows he has the chance to prove himself again, both as a family man and artist, by sharing the words he keeps hidden inside.
Here’s what to know.
What does Justin Bieber say about his marriage to Hailey Bieber on ‘Swag’?
Justin Bieber doesn’t seem to hold back in sharing intimate thoughts on his relationship and where it stands in “Swag.”
In “Walking Away,” Justin Bieber seems to confirm theories that not everything is perfect in his marriage. He describes fights that end before they can get too ugly: “We better stop before we say some s–t / We’ve been testing our patience / I think we better off if we just take a break / And remember what grace is,” he sings.
In the chorus he reaffirms his devotion, pointing back to the idea of a wedding ring, and promises to improve: “Baby, I ain’t walking away / You were my diamond / Gave you a ring / I made you a promise / I told you I’d change / It’s just human nature / These growing pains / And baby, I ain’t walking away,” he sings.
Similarly, in the album’s second track, “Daisies,” Justin Bieber alludes to the confusion he feels in his relationship. “Throwin’ petals like, ‘co you love me or not?'” Justin seems to ask his wife in the track. “You said ‘forever,’ babe, did you mean it or not?”
Still, not all of “Swag” focuses on turbulence.
In the track “Go Baby,” Justin Bieber seems to cheer on his wife in her career success. Hailey Bieber’s beauty company Rhode recently sold to e.l.f. Beauty in a $1 billion dollar deal.
“That’s my baby, she’s iconic, iPhone case, lip gloss on it,” Justin Bieber sings, likely referencing the Rhode phone case Hailey Bieber frequently totes on social media.
“Go, baby, go, baby, go,” Justin Bieber repeats in the track, urging Hailey Bieber to “cry on my shoulder whenever you need it.”
“Go Baby” isn’t the only instance on the album that Justin Bieber seems to tell his wife to seek him out for support.
“When something’s wrong, you can tell mе ‘bout the whole thing / If you call out to me, I’ll swing, leave the door open for me,” Justin Bieber sings on the swoony ballad “Devotion.”
The song, some fans noticed, is the same one the pair used to announce their pregnancy in May 2024.
For some fans, these odes are plenty of evidence that the couple is in a strong place.
“justin bieber has been dedicating EVERY album to his wife since they got married and y’all still run with the ‘he hates her’ narrative… lol it’s NOT clocking to y’all that she’s HIS muse or what,” one listener wrote on X.
“Starting a track with ‘That’s my baby. She’s iconic. iPhone case. Lipgloss on it.’ is so LOUD and PROUD. Don’t question Justin Bieber’s love or support towards his Hailey Bieber ever again,” another fan posted.
What else does Justin Bieber share on ‘Swag’?
Justin Bieber also uses “Swag” to reflect on fatherhood.
In the song “Dadz Love,” Justin Bieber sings again and again of “dad love.” The first time Justin Bieber has publicly used music to explore his journey as a father.
As a former child star, many fans view the moment as an embodiment of his growth.
“i know people are going to clown the album being called #swag but the way that word is so connected to his youth and when he started and the album cover is now him with his son — a new generation, a new beginning… LORD,” one fan posted on X.
Throughout the album, Justin Bieber also gives the listener an intimate view into his personal struggles.
The track “THERAPY SESSION,” featuring the comedian Druski, focuses on how things have been “tough” for Justin Bieber lately. In a spoken voice over, Justin Bieber shares the difficulty of dealing with his “struggles as a human” publicly.
“Your voice may change, Justin, but I’m telling you one thing. It’ll tune everything out,” Druski advises Justin on the track.
“Swag” is not the first time Justin Bieber has spoken out about his desire to improve.
“I know I’m broken. I know I have anger issues,” Justin Bieber posted on Instagram on July 14. “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.”
Now, with “Swag,” Justin Bieber has 51 minutes to show fans a complex, new side of himself, using the time to give an intimate explanation of what he has been struggling with.
Yet, the overall message Justin Bieber seems to send is optimistic: With a new era comes a new Justin, and he is determined to make this version his best.
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