Justin Bieber returns with a surprise album, “Swag”, shortly after he teased it on his Instagram stories, revealing the title and tracklist.
It has been a whirlwind of drama when it comes to his mental health and marriage to Hailey Bieber, and nothing could have prepared fans for a surprise album.
Although the Canadian singer hinted at studio time through pictures on his Instagram feed, fans were unprepared for a full project until he revealed several promotional images of the album on billboards.
He also shared promotional pictures featuring Hailey and their son, including one where he holds their son overhead, which served as part of the album art.
A video of Justin confronting a paparazzi photographer circulated online. In it, he says, “I’m a dad, I’m a husband. 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?”
The video went viral online, with plenty of remixes popping up; now the “it’s not clocking to you” line is being used to promote his new album.
“Swag” is Justin’s seventh album, and it consists of 12 songs that feature Sexxy Red, Gunna, Cash Cobain and more.
He has always alternated between pop and R&B, and this time, this album features more soulful and heartfelt songs that delve into the ups and downs of relationships.
On the album’s fourth track, “Go Baby”, Justin references his wife with the line “That’s my baby, she’s iconic, iPhone case, lip gloss on it.”
Hailey is the founder of Rhode, a beauty brand she recently sold for $1 billion. One of the brand’s most notable products was a phone case with a built-in lip gloss holder, which is the inspiration behind Justin’s lyrics.
The surprise album comes after the singer reportedly sold the rights to his music catalogue for around $200 million (more than R3.5 billion) in December, trying to get some funds back.
His former manager, Scooter Braun, apparently advised him to wait until January for tax benefits, but Justin went ahead with the sale anyway.
Additionally, Justin was previously hit with a $380 000 bill for unpaid property taxes on his $16.6 million Coachella Valley home.
A TMZ documentary titled “TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber?” also revealed that his financial woes are due to a combination of mismanagement, legal disputes and cancelled tours.
