Justin Bieber addressed his instantly memed paparazzi moment on his new album “Swag” — you know, the one where he says, “It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business.”
Throughout the album, he includes three interludes that play like therapy sessions with comedian Druski — including “Standing on Business,” which features audio from the viral clip of Bieber confronting paparazzi outside Soho House in L.A. on June 13, as Druski addresses the incident.
Bieber spends much of the album singing about how devoted he is to his wife, Hailey Bieber, and their son, Jack. In the song “Walking Away,” he alludes to a couple hitting a rough patch but reaffirming their commitment to each other: “We better stop before we say some shit / We’ve been testing our patience / I think we’re better off if we just take a break / And remember what grace is.”
He continues: “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.”
Bieber also gives a more personal glimpse into his state of mind on the aptly-titled “Therapy Session,” where he discusses his public perception with Druski.
“That’s been a tough thing for me recently, is feeling like I have had to go through a lot of my struggles as a human as all of us do really publicly and so people are always asking if I’m okay, and that starts to really weigh on mе,” he says. Druski responds, “Becausе it’s like when somebody keeps saying, ‘Why you crying? Why you crying?’ It’s like, bitch, I’m not, but now I am, fuck!” Bieber says, “And it starts to make me feel like I’m the one with issues and everyone else is perfect.”
Bieber released his seventh album “Swag” on Friday just hours after revealing the project and its tracklist. The project, touting 21 tracks, features guest appearances from Sexyy Red, Lil B, Cash Cobain, Eddie Benjamin, Gunna, Dijon and Marvin Winans. Bieber produced the record alongside Carter Lang, Dylan Wiggins, Daniel Caesar, Dijon, mk.gee, Daniel Chetrit, Knox Fortune and more.
Bieber previously released “Justice” in 2021 and launched his Justice World Tour the following year. Although the tour was originally scheduled to run through March 2023, he cut it short in September 2022 to prioritize his health and later canceled the remaining postponed dates. Since then, Bieber has remained relatively quiet on the music front but has sparked concern among fans with a series of chaotic and cryptic Instagram posts.
One notable instance occurred on Father’s Day this year, when he shared nearly 20 posts — including captions like “I’m a dad that’s not to be fucked with” and “Happy daddy day to me u lil ho.” The following day, he posted a lengthy message on Instagram in which he admitted, “I know I’m broken. I know I have anger issues. 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.”
He added, “Jesus is the only person who keeps me wanting to make my life about others. Because honestly I’m exhausted with thinking about myself lately aren’t you?”
