Justin Bieber shocked fans by dropping a surprise album, his first in more than four years, after days of posting photos of himself in the studio.
The 31-year-old singer released his seventh studio album, titled “Swag,” on Friday, July 11. The LP was made available on streaming platforms at midnight.
Bieber’s last album, “Justice,” which included his hits “Holy,” “Lonely,” “Hold On” and “Peaches,” dropped in March 2021.
In 2023, he was featured on the acoustic version SZA’s single “Snooze” and Don Toliver’s “Private Landing,” which also featured Future.
The Grammy winner had teased his new album July 9, sharing photos of his album cover on billboards around the world.
Prior to the official drop, he shared what appeared to be the album cover, which included him holding his almost-1-year-old son, Jack, whom he shares with wife Hailey Bieber.
In another post, which appeared to be in New York’s Times Square, Bieber shared the record’s 21-song track list. He also shared a photo of the track list on a billboard near State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
On July 7, Bieber shared a handful of photos of himself in the studio. Jack was also included in the jam session. In one pic, the toddler stands by a wooden table, dressed in striped overalls as some musicians strum on guitars.
Over the years, Bieber has taken breaks from music to focus on his mental health. In 2019, he shared on social media that he was stepping back from his work to deal with some private issues “so that I don’t fall apart.”
“I read a lot of messages saying you want an album. I’ve toured my whole teenage life, and early 20s,” he began. “I realized and as you guys probably saw I was unhappy last tour and I don’t deserve that and you don’t deserve that, you pay money to come and have a lively energetic fun light concert and I was unable emotionally to give you that near the end of the tour.”
After releasing “Justice,” he canceled the rest of the North American leg of his tour in June 2022 after sharing that he was suffering from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare disorder caused by a virus that affects the facial nerve and can lead to paralysis.
The pop star continued touring shortly after, performing six shows in Europe and one in Brazil. However, he then announced he would be taking a break from touring.
Bieber has since made various surprise appearances at concerts, most recently in May 2025, when the singer made a rare stage appearance at SZA’s Los Angeles concert at SoFi Stadium to perform their song “Snooze” together.
