Justin Bieber surprise drops intensely personal seventh album, ‘SWAG’
Justin Bieber has surprise dropped ‘SWAG’, his seventh studio album and his most personal to date.
The new record dropped today (July 11), and, per a press release, it sees the singer reckon with a more introspective sound as he charts his devotion to his wife and son, resulting in some of his most personal material yet.
With a run time of just under an hour, the Canadian pop singer collaborates with a host of artists across the album, including Dijon, Lil B, Sexyy Red, Gunna, Cash Cobain, 2 Chainz and more, with production coming from the likes of Dijon, Mk.gee, Knox Fortune and Daniel Caesar. You can stream it here.
Reports that Bieber was back in the studio emerged in January, with fans convinced a major comeback was on the way. Speculation heightened when Mk.gee revealed that he had been working with the singer on new material.
The 21-track record – his first release since 2021’s ‘Justice’ – is comprised of songs like ‘Dadz Love’, ‘Devotion’ and ‘Therapy Session’, and arrives following a period of intense scrutiny for the singer over mounting concern for his mental health.
The ‘SWAG’ tracklist is:
‘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’
‘Forgiveness’
One incident in particular, where he confronted a photographer and said: “I’m a dad. I’m a husband. You’re not getting it. It’s not clocking to you. I’m standing on business,” went viral online recently, sparking fresh concern.
Now, the moment has not only been used as part of the album’s promotion on social media, but is sampled on ‘Butterflies’.
Prior to that, his team dismissed reports that he was in financial distress and “more than $20million” in debt. His reps called the reports “ill-informed” and “clickbait stupidity”.
The singer also shared a post on social media earlier this year, in which he said he “hates” himself when he feels that he is becoming “inauthentic”, before adding: “Then I remember we’re all being made to think we’re not enough but I still hate when I change myself to please people.”
It echoed a similar messaged shared previously, where he addressed his struggles with feeling like a “fraud” on social media. “People told me my whole life ‘wow Justin u deserve that’ and I personally have always felt unworthy. Like I was a fraud.”
“Like when people told me I deserve something,” he continued. “It made me feel sneaky like ‘Damn if they only knew my thoughts, how judgemental I am, how selfish I really am, they wouldn’t be saying this’. I say all this to say: If you feel sneaky, welcome to the club. I definitely feel unequipped and unqualified most days.”
Earlier in the year, the Canadian singer was seen rapping about being high, sparking concern from the public for his health and well-being. The clip came just days after a representative for the ‘Stay’ singer shut down online rumours of drug use, branding the comments as “false” and “harmful”.
Elsewhere, Bieber addressed rumours that he was an alleged victim of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs via a rep back in May: “Although Justin is not among Sean Combs’ victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him. Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve.”
The post Justin Bieber surprise drops intensely personal seventh album, ‘SWAG’ appeared first on NME.
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