Never say never when it comes to new music from Justin Bieber.
Def Jam released the 31-year-old singer’s seventh studio album, titled “SWAG,” on Friday July 11.
The 21-track project features vocals from Sexyy Red, Dijon, Lil B, Gunna, Cash Cobain, 2 Chainz, comedian Druski and others.
This album comes four years after Bieber’s “Justice,” which dropped in 2021.
In April, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Bieber was headed to Iceland to complete the project. According to an insider, he reportedly visited the Nordic country to “vibe out.”
The album’s tracklist includes: “All I Can Take,” “Daisies,” “Yukon,” “Go Baby,” “Things You Do,” “Butterflies,” “Way It Is,” “First Place,” “Soulful,” “Walking Away,” “Glory Voice Memo,” “Devotion,” “Dadz Love,” “Therapy Session,” “Sweet Spot,” “Standing on Business,” “405,” “Swag,” “Zuma House,” “Too Long” and “Forgiveness.”
On one track, titled “Walking Away,” the singer appears to allude to his marriage to the Rhode Skin founder.
“Days go by so fast, don’t wanna spend them with you / So tell me why you’re throwing stones at my back / You know I’m defenseless,” Bieber sings in the first verse.
“Girl, 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.”
Still, Bieber’s lyrics prove that the pair are very much in love, despite recent rumored marriage woes.
“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.
On Thursday, a black-and-white billboard of Bieber with the word “SWAG” on it surfaced in Iceland. That same day, the artist took to his Instagram to share the tracklist.
On his Instagram Stories, Bieber also shared a slew of photos of himself, wife Hailey Bieber and son Jack.
In one shot, Bieber stood shirtless while his model wife, 28, held their son, 10 months, in the background.
A second photo showed a close-up of the Grammy winner and Hailey with his arm around her waist.
Rounding out the sweet shots was a snapshot of Jack in a diaper standing on Bieber’s lap with Hailey on her husband’s chest.
Bieber also reposted a shout-out from his friend and fellow artist Kid Laroi.
“If you don’t listen to this album when it drops, we can’t be friends,” the singer, 21, wrote. “Sorry, I don’t make the rules.”
Bieber responded, “Love you broski.”
The pop star released his first album, “My World 2.0,” in 2010. In 2015, Bieber dropped his hit EDM song, “Where Are Ü Now.”
The track earned Bieber his first Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.
Two years later, in 2017, his “Despacito” remix with Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee won him a Latin Grammy Award.
Throughout his music career, Bieber has won 26 Billboard Music Awards, 18 American Music Awards and 22 MTV Europe Music Awards.
In 2023, the superstar severed ties with his longtime manager, Scooter Braun. The pair had worked together since the Canadian musician’s career took off in 2007.
Bieber was only 13 years old when Braun, 44, discovered his YouTube videos and became his manager.
Puck News reported at the time that the two hadn’t spoken in months. Insiders told the outlet that the “Sorry” vocalist was looking for new management as he attempted to “clean house.”
However, representatives for both shut down the rumors to Page Six. Neither Bieber nor Braun commented publicly on the matter.
In May, a new documentary shed light onto why Bieber sold his music catalog for $200 million in December 2022.
The doc, “TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber,” revealed that the social media star was facing financial troubles. The episode alleged that he was in debt due to pulling out of his “Justice” World Tour in 2022.
TMZ executive producer Harvey Levin claimed that Bieber “had to sell his music catalog because he was broke.”
Although it has been reported that Bieber raked in between $500 million and $1 billion throughout his career.
“I was on a call with multiple people — Justin’s side acknowledges that in 2022, he was on the verge of … the words were ‘financial collapse.’ And that’s why he had to sell his catalog,” Levin, 74, alleged in the doc.
Levin also claimed that Braun got wind of the sale and encouraged the singer to wait until January 2023 to take advantage of a tax break.
“Justin said, ‘I gotta sell it now,’” Levin alleged. “And he sold it in December. That’s how broke he was.”
In May, an independent audit conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) revealed that Bieber owed Braun more than $8,806,000.
At the time, a source told Page Six that Bieber owed Braun money after the former manager covered Bieber’s “Justice” tour debt.
“He stepped in to help him,” the insider stated.
Bieber had previously accepted a $40 million advance from AEG, the company backing the tour, before he dropped out.
The company then asked Bieber to repay them $26 million of the money that was already loaned to him.
Braun stepped in and paid the money through his Hybe company.
On Thursday, Bieber settled his debt with Braun.
Per the settlement, according to TMZ, Bieber was asked to pay back the $26 million. Braun will also be repaid half of the $11 million that he alleged Bieber owed for various unpaid commissions.
Over the past year, rumors have also swirled that Bieber was having marital issues with Hailey.
Bieber and Hailey first tied the knot in September 2018 in a NYC courthouse. The couple announced they were expecting their first child together when they renewed their vows in Hawaii in May 2024.
Their son, Jack Blues, was born in August of that year.
Speculation ensued after months of cryptic social media posts and bizarre rants from Bieber.
On his first Father’s Day, Bieber shared almost 20 posts, writing, “I’m a dad that’s not to be f–ked with,” beneath a photo of his face and the middle finger emoji.
A second shot showed his Audemars Piguet watch, with the caption: “Happy daddy day to me u lil ho.”
Hailey, meanwhile, has been focused on her booming career, gracing the cover of Vogue for their summer issue and selling her beauty brand, Rhode, for $1 billion in May.
Sources told US Weekly that it was hard for her to celebrate with personal issues going on.
“Family issues have clouded her success,” the insider stated, with a second source explaining: “Justin’s going through a difficult time, and Hailey is giving him room to get himself back on track. He’s doing his best, but it’s tough.”
They noted, “Justin’s been a hard person to deal with recently because of what he’s going through. Hailey is the stable parent and the one keeping their family together. It’s been really hard on her.”
However, in their Vogue interview, the duo praised each other.
“I’ve done a lot of dumb things in my life, but the smartest thing I’ve ever done was marry Hailey,” Bieber said.
“She’s in the spotlight, and has the attention because of her effortless knack for style, business, art and fashion,” he gushed. “And the way she makes being a mom and wife look easy.”
Hailey explained to the magazine how her husband has helped her care less about the headlines and rumors over the years.
“I’ve learned so much from Justin, really,” the model admitted. “He’s been doing this literally since he was a child and he has had to face the most scrutiny of any person that I know. He was like, ‘Baby, trust me, I’ve been here before many, many times. You’re not going to win. There is no winning.’”
Just four days before his album dropped, Bieber solidified their bond on Instagram.
He captioned a shot of himself hugging Hailey: “My forever n always.”
