‘Swag’ Is the Artsy Curveball Justin Bieber Fans Always Deserved

The world is full of strange and beautiful possibilities. Like the fact that Mk.gee, the shaggy-haired multi-instrumentalist and this generation’s guitar hero can share album credits with viral internet skit comedian and cultural anthropologist Druski. And somehow it works. Kind of.

Of course, the only album I could be talking about is Justin Bieber’s new surprise drop. Swag, his first full-length release since 2021’s Justice. That record was his public redemption arc, so naturally Swag is the soul-searching follow up. Swag was announced late Thursday afternoon and teased with cryptic billboards in New York City, Los Angeles, and, for some reason, Reykjavik. If you're wondering, Swag apparently stands for “Saved With Amazing Grace.”

This 21-track offering arrives after a confusing few years for the pop star, including the publicized split from longtime manager Scooter Braun, mounting speculation about his marriage to Hailey Bieber, the recent birth of their son Jack, and Justin’s constant run-ins with the paparazzi and their viral aftermaths. Swag doesn’t explicitly lay everything bare, but it does gesture at vulnerability while reintroducing Bieber as a vessel for the sounds of cooler, stranger artists.

Biebs is in his “experimental, but make it pop” era.

Let’s start with the most obvious: Dijon’s and Mk.gee’s fingerprints are everywhere, whether the two are officially credited (as Dijon Duenas and Michael Gordon) or not. If Bieber’s last record flirted with R&B and gospel pop, this one drapes itself in the dusky sounds of baritone guitars, slow-building tension, and songs that feel like they should be soundtracking your crush’s locker confession in an A24 coming-of-age flick. Unlike Lil Yachty, who pulled from Yves Tumor’s playbook without ever collaborating with the artist directly on Let’s Start Here, Bieber ropes in the real deal and puts them on payroll. While Dijon doesn’t do many interviews, Mk.gee teased their work last year in a New York Times profile, saying, “Anything that comes out of his mouth: That’s pop music. You can really do pretty wild stuff behind that, just because it represents something.”

And Justin gets as wild as he can on Swag while pulling from both of the indie artists. The lusty, lo-fi yearning that made each of their catalogs such favorites is echoed in tracks “Daisies,” “Sweet Spot,” and “Way It Is.”

From the grainy vocals to the ‘80s-inspired keys, these songs sound like they were pulled from Dijon’s personal mood board. Bieber isn’t hiding the blueprint, either: He tries his best to land a sincere impersonation, albeit with mixed results. “Go Baby” and “Things You Do” channel Dijon’s slow-burn style, and while they don’t quite match the emotional depth of Dijon’s vocals, Bieber’s impression is surprisingly committed.

“Butterflies,” a clear nod to Mk.gee’s “Dimeback,” oozes with tenderness, but Bieber can’t quite summon that same aching, intangible longing Mk.gee is far too good at.

“Devotion” is the highlight.

I would be remiss to not dive into “Devotion.” The track, both produced by and featuring Dijon, served as the soundtrack to Hailey’s pregnancy-reveal post, and is arguably Swag’s most moving moment. This is quintessential Dijon: earnest, warm, and loving. It’s the type of love song that just exists, bleeding gently.

Not everything here is good.

While, overall, this album delivers, not everything lands. The awkward attempts at trendy sounds, like the title track, feel like Bieber playing catch-up to the sexy drill hype that peaked a year ago. The Gunna feature on “Way It Is” feels like a plea for a position on a Spotify playlist rather than anything owing to musical chemistry. And while the front half of the album glows with cohesion, the back end begins to sprawl. The one-off genre dips (“Dadz Love” veers into drum and bass-lite as Bieber and Lil B offer up soft-core world peace anthems) feel more like tossed ideas than necessary moments.

@dailymailentertainment Hailey Bieber is PREGNANT: Popstar Justin and his model wife announced they're expecting their first child in an emotional social media post as she shows off her bump in a wedding dress. 🎥 Hailey Bieber #haileybieber #justinbieber #pregnancy #celebrity #entertainment #breakingnews ♬ original sound - Daily Mail Entertainment

More strange choices include Sexyy Red, who clocks in her mandated verse and clocks out. And Druski’s appearances veer from amusing to baffling by way of his insistence that Justin may be white but really also may be Black. (Also, what is that Black and Mild bit he keeps pushing?)

Carter Lang Grammy sweep incoming.

Where there are pitfalls, Carter Lang, frequent SZA collaborator and production wizard, is there to pick up the slack. He’s credited on nearly every track, helping Bieber walk the line between indie-adjacent experimentation and mainstream accessibility. Lang and Co.’s work adds just the right notes to songs like “First Place,” a sleek Michael Jackson-inspired standout that splits the difference between New Edition bounce and early-2010s Chris Brown without feeling derivative. And “Yukon,” with its pitched-up vocals and rap-sung cadence, could’ve moonlighted on Blond, another clear nod to the spirit of Frank Ocean that hovers over the record.

Maybe Justin was fine all along.

Still, beneath the experimental brushstrokes and moody instrumentation, Swag is also a love letter to wife Hailey. Bieber directly addresses concerns about his health and well-being on skits “Therapy Session” and “Standing on Business” (a nod to the clip of him misusing the AAVE phrase), saying on the former, “People are always asking if I’m OK, and that starts to really weigh on me.” And he addresses their marriage in subtle and not-so-subtle ways across nearly every track. “Walking Away” makes it crystal clear: Despite the TikTok gossip and tabloid whispers, he’s locked in. The devotion is not performative. And that’s what may give Swag its staying power. It doesn't sound like a PR stunt or cash grab. But maybe more of a pivot? This is the coolest and most straightforward move an artist as massive as Justin can make at this point: big surprise, clear inspiration, new chapter. We truly love to see it, and if the rumors are true and there’s more to come…we can’t wait.

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