Justin Bieber appears to be teasing fans with a follow-up to his recent album, Swag, barely two months after its release.
Josh Hewitt, a social content creator at Bieber’s label Universal Music Group, shared a video of a billboard that has popped up in east London, which feature the title Swag II.
Swag was dropped as a surprise 21-track LP on 11 July following a similar campaign of mysterious billboards and social media activity.
Co-produced by Bieber himself, it saw him collaborate with fellow artists and producers including Dijon, mk.gee, and Eddie Benjamin. It was purportedly inspired by Bieber’s life as a first-time father and also featured the single “Daises”, which topped the UK charts as his eighth No 1 single.
This achievement places the pop singer alongside Sam Smith, The Rolling Stones, and Oasis UK Number 1 singles.
The new music marked the pop star’s first full-length studio album since 2021’s Justice. A press release for the project said it had been inspired by Bieber’s “devotion as a husband and father” and that “this new era of music has fuelled a deeper perspective and more reflective sound, resulting in some of his most personal music yet”.
In a two-star review of the album, The Independent’s critic Adam White criticised it as a “god-fearing, hyper-sexual slog” and suggested it served as “an unfortunate insight into a man who seems awkwardly caught between sex, God, and self-pity.”
“If you’re a longstanding Belieber by this point, you’re probably used to the tonal shifts of his adult material,” the review continued. “But, outside of his hardcore devotees, Bieber remains more of a curiosity than a consistent, coherent creative force – Swag won’t do much to change the conversation.”
Bieber became a father to son Jack in August last year. He shares him with his wife of seven years, Hailey Bieber.
In 2023, he was also rumoured to have split with his longtime music manager, Scooter Braun. Bieber was just 13 when he was first discovered on YouTube by Braun, who subsequently signed him to RBMG Records in 2008.
The following year, he released his debut single, “One Time,” which became a hit ahead of the release of his first studio album, My World 2.0, in 2010.
The Independent has contacted Bieber’s representatives for comment.
