By [gistofnews.com], July 11, 2025
Justin Bieber 2025 Album ‘Swag’
Sending ripples through both his fan base and the music industry, Justin Bieber has released a surprise new album, Swag. The drop — which comes completely without warning and more marketing hype than usual — is Bieber’s seventh studio album and his first full-length project since 2021’s Justice. And lest there be any doubt about it, this is not just a homecoming — it is a reboot.
Loaded with appearances from Dijon, Lil B, Sexyy Red, comedian Druski, Gunna, Cash Cobain and 2 Chainz, Swag is as unpredictable as it is daring. The album’s production credits are as saucy, boasting names like Dijon, Mk. Gee, Knox Fortune, and Daniel Caesar; singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. is to be found everywhere, a pivotal creative force on many tracks.
After spending years deliberately pulling back from the spotlight — particularly after canceling early his Justice World Tour due to health reasons — Bieber’s new album is not just a comeback, it is a creative renaissance.
The Canadian pop star has recently been locked away experimenting musically, and welcomed intimate jam sessions at his Los Angeles home in the past few months according to The Hollywood Reporter. The vibes apparently reached across borders and oceans: he is said to have jumped over to Iceland to “vibe out” and complete the album somewhere away from the pandemonium.
In a 2024 New York Times interview, guitarist and producer Mk.gee, one of the album’s musical architects, had hinted at Bieber’s creative freedom.“he is searching,” Mk.gee said. “Anything that comes out of his mouth: that is pop music, dude,” “You can get away with some pretty wild shit behind that, just because that is standing for something.”
And Swag achieves all of that — smashes the walls between pop, R&B, trap, experimental indie, and, yes, even comedy. Yes, comedy. And the presence of viral comedian Druski is not a mere novelty — it works beautifully with the album’s weird, whimsical mood.
What is on Swag?
From sultry R&B-tinged croons to chaotic, bass-heavy bangers, Swag gives no fucks on no rule book. Standout tracks include:
• “Blue Flame” (feat. Dijon and Tobias Jesso Jr.) – Dark, moody and cut from sheets of atmospheric sound play, with ghostly vocal effects.
• “Strip Club Gospel” (feat. Sexyy Red & 2 Chainz) – Just as audacious as the title suggests, this is Southern trap beats married with intelligent lyrics.
• Skit: Druski’s Hotline – A silly interlude in which Druski takes calls from “fans” who ask Bieber absurd questions.
• “I’m Not That Guy” (feat. Gunna) – A somewhat unusually self-reflective song about fame, personal growth and just what to wear, with the help of Gunna’s laid-back flow.
There is even a nod to regional hip-hop: in one recent promotional post, Bieber sound tracked a teaser with the viral hit Talk My Shit by the Florida rapper Bossman Dlow. It is no accident of choice — Bieber has been flirting more and more with eerie, regional sounds, a theme elaborated on in a deep dive by the Pitchfork columnist Alphonse Pierre “What the Hell Is Justin Bieber Doing on Rob49’s ‘WTHelly?’”
Loud Impacts, a Quiet Comeback
In the year or so since Justice, Bieber has maintained a relatively subdued musical profile. And while he issued a handful of singles — “Honest,” “Beautiful Love (Free Fire)” and tweets with SZA and Kehlani — none of them hinted at the left-field sonic direction of Swag.
And in 2023, Bieber made waves once again, when he sold his music catalog to Recognition Music Group (the company formerly known as Hip gnosis) for a reported $200 million – one of the most significant in industry history. The decision was another step in the shift to a new chapter, personally and professionally.
In private, the singer was also dealing with financial losses from his world tour being canceled so suddenly. Accounts indicated that he owed more than $20 million to the promoter AEG Presents, an obligation said to be shored up by then-manager Scooter Braun. They later let the attorneys go, but new documents show the two have made up and worked out a financial agreement.
Is Swag Bieber’s Masterwork?
That is open to dispute — but what is certain is that Swag is his brashest. It does not follow trends; it finds chaos, humor, intimacy, spontaneity, in ways we have not heard from Bieber before. It is an album that does not sound like it was made for the charts at all — it was made for the sheer joy of making music once again.
There is freedom with which Bieber sings and operates, on this project, that feels authentic — even rebellious. Swag is a nice, if brief, diversion for a megastar who has spent a large portion of his career conforming to conventional norms. It also serves as a reminder of why Bieber is still relevant over ten and a half years into his career.
If you are a long-time Believer, or a skeptic in search of a new high, Swag is worth a spin. You might not love every track, but you will certainly hear an artist unafraid to let them have it.
