By Annabel Ross
Justin Bieber, SWAG
Justin Bieber has had a roller coaster few years since the release of his last album, 2021’s Justice.
The pandemic, followed by the diagnosis of a rare facial paralysis disease called Type 2 Ramsay Hunt syndrome, delayed Bieber’s planned tour by nearly two years. When the tour finally went ahead in 2022, it was cut short months early, with Bieber citing exhaustion and the need to focus on his health after a performance in Brazil.
Rumours swirled of relationship issues with his wife Hailey, even after the birth of their first child Jack last August, he split acrimoniously from his long-term manager Scooter Braun in 2023, losing a lot of money in the process, and Bieber’s frequently gaunt public appearances and erratic behaviour led many to suspect his substance abuse issues had returned.
Justin and Hailey Bieber faced swirling rumours about their relationship.Credit: Getty Images
But the surprise drop of album number seven on Friday is a defiant middle finger to those who suggested the 31-year-old might have lost his way. Now self-managed, he’s made his most consistent-sounding and authentically personal record yet.
Tapping into the kind of alt-R&B produced by SWAG collaborators Mk.gee and Dijon (who took their cues from Miguel and Jai Paul), it’s a mellow, eminently listenable declaration of husbandly devotion (emotional and frequently physical) and convincing argument that he’s doing much better than some pundits would have you believe.
Sexual release as therapy is an oft-visited theme, as on the tone-setting opener All I Can Take; Daisies – “the way you got me all in my head/think I’d rather you in my bed,” he sings over resonant bass guitar – Yukon, and many more tracks besides. But Bieber has always been a lover boy, and his ostensibly sincere affection for his wife is laid as bare as his lust. “And every timе you don’t say my name/I’m reminded how I lovе when you say it,” he sings on the sublime Walking Away. Over guitar chords that invoke Bon Iver, he affirms his dedication to his marriage despite its challenges.
This is Bieber’s most consistent-sounding and authentically personal record yet.
While Hailey’s the indisputable main character on SWAG, Dadz Love (which cleverly doubles as “that’s love”) is an optimistic ode to the purity of parental love, hitched to a lo-fi house beat. Bieber also expresses his frustration with the unwelcome media attention he’s endured of late, including a snippet from an altercation with paparazzi that appears on Butterflies – “money, that’s all you want, you don’t care about human beings!” he seethes, and a discussion with comedian Druski on Therapy Session in which Bieber muses on the weight of constant speculation about his wellbeing. “It starts to make me feel like I’m the one with issues and everyone else is perfect,” he admits.
There’s an iffy moment on another Druski interlude, Soulful, where Bieber is clearly humbled and delighted to hear that he “sounds kinda black” on this record. In his defence, however, Bieber has admitted to being inspired by black music as far back as 2012, and SWAG is truly his most soulful album yet – unsurprising considering his team of collaborators including Gunna, Carter Lang and Dylan Wiggins, and its stripped-back, quiet storm-esque compositions.
Similarly, the term “swag”, short for “swagger”, comes from hip-hop culture, but even as Bieber asserts himself as a committed family man, he also reminds listeners on the title track and beyond that he’s still one of the most successful pop stars on the planet. Emerging from a period of personal turmoil with a suite of genuinely great, heartfelt songs, on SWAG he’s got a message for fans and naysayers alike: don’t stop Beliebing.
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.