Justin Bieber Unveils Surprise Album SWAG II Following Brief Delay — Stream It Today
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Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media Inc.
Back in July, the artist released his 21-song project SWAG.
Justin Bieber Surprises Fans with SWAG II Release
New music from Justin Bieber is here—sooner than anyone expected.
Just one day after announcing on Thursday, Sept. 4 that he would unexpectedly drop a new project, the 31-year-old singer released SWAG II in the early hours of Friday, Sept. 5. The record arrived a little later than its originally promised midnight debut.
On Instagram, Bieber addressed the short delay, posting, “🫣🫣🫣🫣 I’m sorry for the wait their telling me any second,” later adding that he was “waiting with u [sic].” He also poked fun at his now-viral “Standing on Business” phrase, writing, “It’s not clocking to Spotify and Apple Music Refreshhhh loadinggggggg……….”
When the 23-track album—featuring collaborations with artists including Tems and Lil B—finally went live, Bieber celebrated with an all-caps post: “OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGG WE LIVEEEEEEEEEE,” along with a screenshot showing the project on Spotify.
SWAG II serves as the follow-up to July’s SWAG. Highlights from the new tracklist include “Mother in You,” “Love Song,” “Don’t Wanna,” and “BETTER MAN.” On “Don’t Wanna,” a collaboration with English singer Bakar, Bieber delivers the line, “I don’t want to mess this up, I don’t want you to leave,” and later appears to hint at his 2016 breakup with Hailey Baldwin Bieber, prior to their reconciliation two years later: “You said you lost your wings when we broke it off, but now I’m back at your door.”
As part of the SWAG II rollout, Justin Bieber shared a series of clips and photos on Instagram highlighting billboards and projections that appeared across the globe. Among them were images featuring Bieber with his wife, 28, and their 1-year-old son, Jack Blues.
In the lead-up to the album’s debut, he also posted footage of billboards showcasing the pink album artwork in cities like London and Paris, along with a video of signs being installed outside Los Angeles’ Whisky a Go Go. One clip was captioned simply: “Swag II midnight tonight.”
SWAG II follows July’s release of SWAG, Bieber’s first full-length project since 2021’s Justice. A source told PEOPLE back in May that the singer had been recording new material in Iceland.
The 21-track SWAG included deeply personal songs, many of which seemed to reference his relationship with wife Hailey Bieber, founder of Rhode. Fans speculated that tracks such as “Daisies,” “Devotion,” and “Walking Away” were inspired by their bond.
On the song “Therapy Session,” featuring comedian Druski, Bieber also opened up about his struggles with mental health: “And that’s been a tough thing for me recently. It’s feelin’ like, you know, I have had to go through a lot of my struggles as a human, as all of us do, really publicly,” he said. He added, “And so people are always askin’ if I’m okay. And that starts to really weigh on me.”
That same vulnerability carries into SWAG II. On “Speed Demon,” Bieber sings: “They try to say I’m out of my mind, but now they’re singing every line. Got a lot of mountains to climb, had to leave some beggars behind.”
Collaborators on SWAG included Gunna, Sexyy Red, Cash Cobain, Lil B, Eddie Benjamin, and others, further adding to its wide-ranging sound.
Prior to the release of SWAG, a source told PEOPLE that listeners could expect a noticeable shift in style from Bieber.
According to the insider, the project carries a “darker, more vulnerable and less polished” tone, while still avoiding being “depressing.” They described the sound as “much deeper” than his earlier work.
The source also shared that Bieber’s experience as a new father to his son, Jack Blues—who celebrated his first birthday in late August—had a major influence on the album, adding that his wife remains “the most precious to him.”
