Justin Bieber surprised the world with his seventh album “SWAG” July 11. He began teasing the album on billboards across various countries and his Instagram July 10, only hours before the drop. Though Bieber is widely considered a pop singer, the album is predominantly R&B — and it is a mostly successful experiment. Overall, Bieber shines where he always has — with his voice and beats — but his lyrics fail to dig deep enough to evoke real emotion.
“SWAG” focuses on themes of marriage, fatherhood, religion and mental health. Since his last album was released in 2021, Bieber has become a father, faced media backlash and continual judgment regarding his relationship with his wife Hailey Bieber and became one of the most quotable memes of 2025. Bieber addresses all of these on the 21 tracks that make up “SWAG.”
The first track, “All I Can Take,” has a syncopated beat that is reminiscent of ‘90s R&B, and is composed using a synthesizer. The song sets up “Swag” to be a strong return for Bieber and a commitment to a soulful sound. From the start, Bieber diverts from his typical pop style. However, even with the change, he incorporates ad libs and vocal layering, which are iconic elements of his music.
The following three songs, “Daisies,” “Yukon” and “Go Baby,” reflect what really works about “Swag” — the enchanting arrangement of the music, Bieber’s talent as a singer and a relaxed, mellow aesthetic. Bieber also mentions his wife’s iconic makeup brand and accompanying lip gloss phone case in “Go Baby,” which is sweet, but not particularly vulnerable.
The album is easy to enjoy, in part, because Bieber continues his tradition of iconic guest features with collabs from artists Gunna, Sexyy Red, Dijon, Cash Cobain, Marvin Williams, Lil B and Eddie Benjamin. The vibe of “Swag” fits well with the rap that Bieber incorporates through his collaborations, and each collab adds an element of diversity to the album.
Comedian and actor Druski also features, though he does not sing. Throughout the album, rather than collaborating on a song, certain tracks see Bieber and Druski engage in conversations about Bieber’s social media presence, including his viral meme, and his new music. On these three interludes — “Soulful,” “Therapy Session” and “Standing on Business” — Bieber takes a creative risk and leans into the album as a pivot away from his past releases.
In some ways, it works. The running gag of Druski offering Bieber a Black & Mild cigar is an amusing attempt to give the album a sense of intimacy. Ultimately, however, a well-written, well-composed song would have been more powerful. Instead of a step into maturity, the conversations read as a lazy attempt for a TikTok soundbite.
It is clear Bieber was trying to prove his maturity and step away from any allegations of childishness. After all, almost every song features themes of family and marriage. However, of all these songs, “Walking Away” is the most thoughtful. In the song, Bieber sings, “It’s just human nature, these growin’ pains/And, baby, I ain’t walkin’ away.” This is the only track on “Swag” where Bieber explores real vulnerability regarding his relationship that is not cliche.
While Bieber’s album has many well-composed, catchy songs, it lacks the lyricism and depth that could elevate “Swag” from a good album to a great one. Lyrically, Bieber uses a lot of repetition in his songwriting and has lines like “Life is great, life is great, life is great” on “Dadz Love.” These lines lack creativity and depth; they just take up space.
Bieber addresses important parts of his life, his family and fame, but he doesn’t explore actual vulnerability. All of the emotion in the album are sentiments he has expressed in the past. While Bieber reserves his right to protect his privacy, this album would be better if Bieber could dig deeper emotionally and lyrically.
“Swag” is a strong return for Bieber, who has not released music in four years. It is aesthetically cohesive and has plenty of head-bobbing, windows-down songs, but doesn’t take the listener on an emotional journey or open them up to any new perspectives from Bieber. Despite this, die-hard Beliebers to casual listeners can still be excited to dive into this album and experience Bieber’s move from pop to R&B.
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