After a four-year hiatus, Justin Bieber’s surprise “Swag” album has fans rejoicing and doing a deep dive to hear what the singer has been going through after some rocky moments in his personal life.
The 21-track comeback, marking his seventh studio album, is receiving rave reviews online, with some fans calling it a “masterpiece” and one of Bieber’s “best albums,” including features from Gunna, Sexxy Red, Dijon, Lil B, Druski on the interludes, and a rendition of “Lord, I Life Your Name on High” from Marvin Winans. On first listen, we agree “Swag” is a no-skips album filled with soulful pop, R&B, Michael Jackson-inspired instrumentals, and Bieber’s smooth vocals.
But there’s a lot to talk about here on the “Baby” hitmakers’ mental health, rumors of marital problems with Hailey Bieber, and how the pressures of fame have affected him. The Biebs is getting vulnerable in his first album since becoming a father. Here’s what we learned so far through his revealing lyrics:
1. Justin Is Not Leaving Wife Hailey Bieber
Bieber spends most of the album singing about his wife Hailey, notably songs “Devotion,” “Go Baby,” and “Way It Is” featuring Gunna.
The track “Devotion,” featuring R&B/soul artist Dijon, is the song the couple used to tease their pregnancy announcement in May 2024 before welcoming son Jack Blues.
“I promise to take my time giving you// Devotion,” Bieber sings about being committed to his wife after nearly 7 years of marriage.
In track seven, “Way It Is” featuring Gunna, it’s an upbeat love song discussing settling down with Hailey and giving her whatever she wants because she deserves it.
“We can settle down/ I’m dreaming of a place that we can go where/ time isn’t stolen and there’s nobody around/ Let’s keep it dreaming
“Every day I lay my life down// I need you but my side.”
Justin continued, “Every day I count my blessings/ You been on my mind/ That’s just the way it is/ Now we can, settled down/ No more drama, no reason to complicate it, we can settle down.”
And it’s clear the song “Go Baby” is a nod to the Rhodes founder with lyrics like “That’s my baby / she’s iconic,” he said. “iPhone case, lip gloss on it.”
2. Justin Addresses “Growing Pains” in His Marriage with Hailey Bieber
Justin hints at marital issues with Hailey in his new song, “Walk Away,” but it’s clear the singer is focused on working it out.
“Girl we better stop before we say some s–t. We been testing our patience,” he said.
“Baby I ain’t walking away. You are my Diamond, gave you a ring, made you a promise,” the singer added, “These growing pains.”
3. The Biebs Wants to Change
In the same song, Justin vents about how he told Hailey he “changed,” but it’s “just human nature” to go through tough seasons. Then the “Glory” voice memo from Justin echoes the same sentiment, talking about being “let down” and begging God to send him glory after his past actions.
While the closer doesn’t feature Justin’s vocals, the rendition of “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” from Marvin Winans is another heartfelt expression from the “Sorry” hitmaker who seemingly wants to turn his life around.
4. Justin Addresses His Mental Health, Whether He’s “Losing His Mind”
After some questionable social media activity, Bieber gets candid about his mindset when he feels the pressure of being in the spotlight while going through personal challenges.
“I’ve had to go through a lot of my struggles as a human really publicly. So, people always ask me if I’m OK, and that starts to really weigh on me,” he said in the song “Therapy Session” while venting to Druski, who joked he was Bieber’s “counselor.”
In his intro track, “All I Can Take,” the singer also speaks to his mental health, singing the lyrics: “These symptoms are my sensitivity, feels personal when no one’s listening.”
5. Craves Privacy Growing Up in the Spotlight
Both “Butterflies” and “Standing on Business” include samples of his run-in with the paparazzi. “Butterflies” criticizes the paps for being money hungry and how they prioritize money over a person’s well-being. He sings “butterfly go away,” referring to the intrusive photographers, and admits he feels like he’s “moving [and] slipping away.”
The 16th track, “Standing on Business,” includes his now-viral meme in the 50-second interlude where he confronted paparazzi on June 13: “You’re not getting it. It’s not clocking to you. It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business, is it?”
6. The Child Star is embracing his Grown and Sexy Vibes
Bieber, who rose to fame in 2007 after being discovered on YouTube and debuted his lead single “Baby” in 2010, is all grown up. The 31-year-old released some sexy tracks all about lovemaking. From “Too Long,” which gives a nod to classic ’90s love songs, to club hits like “Sweet Spot,” featuring Sexxy Red, these tracks are sure to keep the romance alive in any relationship.
With a 54-minute total runtime, give the full album a listen on your car ride home in traffic:
Justin Bieber’s long-awaited “Swag” album is out now.
