Justin Bieber’s Surprise New Album ‘Swag’ Confronts the Gossip About His Marriage

KyrieEntertainment2025-07-122390

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

1994-present

Justin Bieber News: Singer Drops Surprise New Album Swag

Justin Bieber’s musical hiatus is officially over thanks to his newly released album Swag. The project arrived July 11 after little notice and marks Bieber’s first studio album since Justice in 2021.

Swag features 21 songs, some in collaboration with artists including Gunna, Druski, Lil B, and Cash Cobain. Bieber teased the album the day before it released by sharing the title and track list on billboards in New York’s Times Square and other cities.

AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R46e4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R86e4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe

Listen to Swag on Amazon Music, Apple Music, or Spotify

In correlation with the album, the 31-year-old Grammy winner shared a series of intimate photos with his wife, Hailey Bieber, and their son Jack on his Instagram Story. This—along with the song “Walking Away,” which includes lyrics about a couple experiencing a rough patch—seemingly marks a response to recent public criticism of their relationship that prompted divorce rumors.

Hailey did her part to shut down the gossip by sharing the album’s cover art on Instagram. “Is it finally clocking to you f––ing losers?” she wrote, referencing a confrontation between Justin and photographers weeks earlier and reaffirming their marriage.

Who Is Justin Bieber?

Pop and R&B singer Justin Bieber is known for the hit songs “Despacito,” “Stay,” and “Baby.” Born and raised in a small Canadian town, Bieber skyrocketed to fame as a teenager after being discovered on YouTube in 2008. Now a best-selling singer with two Grammys, Bieber is the youngest artist to have seven albums reach the top spot on the Billboard Hot 200. He is married to model Hailey Bieber, with whom he has one child.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Justin Drew BieberBORN: March 1, 1994BIRTHPLACE: Stratford, CanadaSPOUSE: Hailey Bieber (2018-present)CHILDREN: JackASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Pisces

Young Justin Bieber: Mom, Dad, and Siblings

Justin Drew Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, in Stratford, Canada, to Patricia Mallette and Jeremy Bieber. His mom, commonly known as Pattie, is an author and producer, and his dad is a carpenter. Justin’s parents, who were both 18 years old at the time of their son’s birth, were never married and broke up soon after he was born.

Justin Bieber with his mom, Pattie Mallette Getty Images

Growing up, Justin primarily lived with his mom in the small Ontario city. Pattie supported his talent and passion for music from a young age, entering him into local talent competitions and uploading videos of his performances to YouTube.

AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R4ie4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R8ie4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe

While his she has never married or had any more children, Justin’s dad has four other children with his wife, Chelsey Bieber, and ex-wife Erin Wagner. Justin’s siblings Allie, Jazmyn, Jaxon, and Bay are all younger than him.

Justin has had a complicated relationship with his dad over the years. In November 2015, he told Billboard that Jeremy was “not in a place where he could raise a kid” when he was younger. “He was immature. He left for like a year when I was about 4, went to British Columbia, came back on Father’s Day,” Justin said. “There’s a misconception that he’s this deadbeat dad, but he has been in my life since.”

Jeremy was present at Justin’s arrest in January 2014 for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The father and son have matching “Yeshua” tattoos, which is the Hebrew name for “Jesus.” And in February 2016, Justin told GQ magazine, “I’m a lot closer to my dad than I am to my mom.”

Justin had a “pretty nonexisting” relationship with his mom for a while when he was embroiled in controversy during his teenage years. “I was distant, because I was ashamed. I never wanted my mom to be disappointed in me, and I knew she was,” he told Billboard. “We spent some time not talking, so it takes time to rebuild that trust. She’s living in Hawaii now, so it’s hard, but getting better. She’s an amazing woman and I love her.” The two reconciled on vacation in January 2018.

Finding Fame on YouTube

Justin Bieber performing on the street in August 2007. Getty Images

Bieber always had an interest in music. His mother gave him a drum kit for his second birthday, and as he tells it, he was “basically banging on everything I could get my hands on.”

AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R4re4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R8re4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe

But it was an obscure talent contest in his hometown, in which the 12-year-old Bieber finished second that put him on the road to superstardom. As a way to share his singing with family, Bieber and his mom began posting clips of him in 2007 performing covers of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and Ne-Yo on YouTube.

Within months, he was an Internet sensation, with a large following of fans. In 2008, music manager Scooter Braun discovered Bieber’s YouTube videos and arranged for him to fly to Atlanta to meet Usher, who promptly signed the 14-year-old to his record label.

Bieber and his mom moved to Atlanta to pursue his music career, where he continued his education with a private tutor. In 2012, he earned his high school diploma from St. Michael Catholic Secondary School in his hometown of Stratford, despite no longer residing in the area. The following year, Bieber moved to Los Angeles with his mom.

Songs

Since the beginning of his career, Justin Bieber has had eight songs lead the Billboard Hot 100. Getty Images

At just 15 years old, Bieber had first hit song on the Billboard Hot 100. “One Less Lonely Girl” reached No. 16 on the chart in October 2009. It was an impressive feat for the newly signed singer. The next year, he was nominated for the Grammy for Best New Artist. Since then, his music has continued to find success on the charts. As of August 2024, Bieber has had eight No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and 26 songs in the Top 10.

AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R52e4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R92e4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe

“Baby” debuted at No. 5 on the Hot 100 in February 2010, while “Boyfriend” ranked at No. 2 in April 2012. Three years later, Bieber landed his first chart-topper with “What Do You Mean?” His success reached new heights in 2016 when he won his first Grammy for the Diplo and Skrillex collaboration “Where Are Ü Now.” The song was named Best Dance Recording.

Bieber continued to build on his many successes with his remix of Luis Fonsi’s hit “Despacito.” The song earned him a Latin Grammy and stayed at No. 1 for 16 consecutive weeks, breaking the record for the longest-standing chart-topping song in August 2017. The song was also nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the Grammys. His second Grammy win arrived in 2021 for his Dan + Shay collaboration “10,000 Hours.”

Some of Bieber’s other hit songs include:

“Sorry”

“Love Yourself”

“I’m The One”

“Cold Water”

“I Don’t Care”

“Stuck With U”

“Holy”

“Yummy”

“Stay”

“Peaches”

“Ghost”

Albums

Bieber’s first EP, My World, hit stores in November 2009 and sold more than 137,000 copies within a week. His debut studio album, My World 2.0, followed in 2010. Since then, Bieber has made six more original albums as well as two acoustic records and two compilations. All but the acoustic records have sold the equivalent of at least a million copies in the United States, and some are multiplatinum-certified albums.

AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R59e4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R99e4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe

Following the release of Changes in February 2020, the then-25-year-old became the youngest artist to have seven records reach the top spot on the Billboard 200, breaking the record once held by a 26-year-old Elvis Presley. Bieber’s followed that album with Justice (2021) before taking a hiatus from new music. In 2023, he sold his catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Capital for north of $200 million and split from his manager, Scooter Braun.

Bieber returned to the studio for Swag, released in July 2025. His seven studio albums are:

My World 2.0

Bieber released his debut studio album, My World 2.0, with Island Records in March 2010 when he was 16 years old. The album was considered a second volume of his 2009 EP, My World, and offered 10 new songs to his growing fan base.

My World 2.0 was named Top Pop Album at the Billboard Music Awards and won an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Album. The track “Baby,” featuring rapper Ludacris, broke into the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 10, debuting at No. 5.

Under the Mistletoe

The singer’s second studio album was a Christmas album. Under the Mistletoe came out in November 2011 and featured Bieber’s take on holiday classics as well as a few original holiday songs. The album sold 210,000 copies in its first week and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R5ie4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R9ie4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe

Popular tracks include “Mistletoe,” “Only Thing I Ever Get For Christmas,” and “All I Want For Christmas Is (SuperFestive!),” which he sang as a duet with Mariah Carey.

Believe

In June 2012, Bieber made a splash with Believe, which quickly catapulted to the top of the Billboard 200.

His hit single off the album, “Boyfriend,” ranked No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart—a record for the teenaged singer. The song’s accompanying music video was nominated for several Video Music Awards and People’s Choice Awards but only won an iHeartRadio Much Music Video Award for International Video of the Year by a Canadian.

The party anthem “Beauty and a Beat,” featuring Nicki Minaj, also broke into the Top 10.

Purpose

After the disappointing compilation album Journals (2014) produced no hit songs, Bieber found his footing once more with his next effort: Purpose.

AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R5se4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R9se4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe

The singer broke away from his child star status and stepped into adulthood with the November 2015 release. Multiple songs on the album, such as “Sorry” and “Love Yourself,” are reportedly about his on-again, off-again relationship with ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez, while the title track is a piano ballad about his newfound faith. “Love Yourself” was nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammys.

Ahead of the full album’s release, Bieber secured a summer 2015 Top 10 hit with the Diplo and Skrillex collaboration “Where Are Ü Now,” which later won the Grammy for Best Dance Recording, and landed his first No. 1 single with “What Do You Mean?” Purpose earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.

Changes

After a five-year break, Bieber returned with an R&B album inspired by his new wife, Hailey Bieber. Changes arrived on February 14, 2020. Justin’s fifth studio album debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, making him the youngest artist to have seven albums reach the top spot on the chart.

His single “Yummy” rocketed to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 immediately after its release and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance, while the track “Intentions” featuring Quavo was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Despite the genre, Changes was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album.

Justice

In March 2021, Bieber released his most recent album, Justice, featuring a slew of guest appearances. Justice topped the Billboard 200 chart in its first week and earned a total of eight Grammy nominations, with the track “Peaches” featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon claiming half of them.

AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R66e4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«Ra6e4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe

His single “Stay” with The Kid LAROI spent 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and won five Billboard Music Awards, including Top Hot 100 Song and Top Collaboration.

Swag

A day after cryptically teasing a new release across multiple cities, including on a Times Square billboard in New York, Bieber dropped Swag in July 2025. The album features collaborations with Gunna, Druski, Lil B, and Cash Cobain across its 21 songs.

The album highlights Bieber’s recent confrontation with paparazzi as well as his highly scrutinized marriage to Hailey Bieber. With “Walking Away,” he references a couple experiencing a rough point but ultimately staying committed to each other.

Net Worth

Thanks to his music sales, merchandise, global tours, and other business ventures, Bieber has an estimated net worth is $200 million as of May 2025, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Wife Hailey Bieber and Son Jack

Justin and Hailey Bieber have been married since September 2018. Getty Images

In 2009, Justin and model Hailey Baldwin, the niece of actor Alec Baldwin, met during a taping of the Today show and developed a fast friendship that fueled rumors the two were dating. After years of speculation, the couple confirmed their relationship in 2016 before splitting just months later.

AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R6ie4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«Raie4kr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe

Following their breakup, Bieber and Baldwin lost touch for years before rekindling their romance in June 2018. The pair had a quick engagement, with Bieber proposing during a dinner in the Bahamas that July before they secretly married at a New York City courthouse in September. Hailey changed her last name to Bieber following the wedding.

In September 2019, Justin and Hailey held a second, larger wedding ceremony at the Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina, with more than 150 guests in attendance.

The couple renewed their vows after several years of marriage, sharing footage and photos from the ceremony on social media in May 2024. Hailey sported an obvious baby bump and later confirmed she was six months pregnant at the time. In August, Justin shared their child, Jack, was born in an Instagram post.

Although the couple frequently share life updates involving Jack on social media, they have made a conscious effort to not show his face publicly. “We don’t want anyone to… I mean, you’ve just got to see how invasive it all is. It feels mean to put a baby into that,” Hailey said.

Ex-Girlfriend Selena Gomez

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez dated on and off in the 2010s. Getty Images

Prior to his marriage to Hailey, Justin had a multi-year relationship with actor and singer Selena Gomez. The “Baby” singer broke the hearts of many of his young fans in 2010 when he started dating Gomez, but being his girlfriend in the public eye had its challenges. She was frequently accosted by some of his fans, and there were even death threats made against her on Twitter (now X) after the pair was photographed kissing while on vacation in 2011.

The couple ended their relationship in November 2012, though they remained in touch on and off for years. In October 2017, Bieber and Gomez were spotted together publicly several times, stoking rumors they had gotten back together. The reconciliation didn’t last long and proved to be the final chapter in their story. By March 2018, the couple had split. Gomez’s chart-topping ballad “Lose You to Love Me,” released in fall 2019, is speculated to be about her relationship with Bieber.

Never Say Never Movie and Justin Bieber: Seasons

In 2011, Bieber took to the big screen in the concert documentary Never Say Never. His fans crowded movie theaters to catch him in action on stage and get a glimpse of his life behind the scenes. The movie also had guest appearances by Kanye West, Miley Cyrus, and Bieber’s musical mentor Usher. Never Say Never earned more than $73 million at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing concert movie of all time until the release of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour more than a decade later.

In late January 2020, the artist debuted his 10-part YouTube docuseries, Justin Bieber: Seasons. The first episode, titled “Leaving the Spotlight,” focused on his retreat from the public eye after cancelling the final weeks of a tour in 2017 and his journey back to recording again, with later episodes delving into his marriage and battles with depression.

Controversies

While still only in his teens, Bieber survived his first public scandal. A woman filed suit against Bieber in 2011, claiming he was the father of her child. But a DNA test proved otherwise, and the woman dropped her lawsuit. Bieber sang about the scandal in the song “Maria.”

That was only the beginning of a string of scandals, bad behavior, and unfavorable press for the young pop star. In March 2013, Bieber’s neighbor accused the singer of spitting on him, in addition to making threatening comments. Two months later, denizens of Bieber’s neighborhood in Calabasas, California, complained he was driving too fast in a residential area.

In April 2013, Bieber visited a museum in Amsterdam that paid tribute to Anne Frank. Upon writing that the young Holocaust victim “would have been a Belieber,” he faced more backlash from the public. That July, his image was scrutinized once again after he was recorded urinating in a janitor’s bucket and yelling “F–– Bill Clinton,” holding a photo of the former president. Although he later apologized, his previously squeaky clean image began to tarnish even more.

In January 2014, Bieber’s home in California was searched after he was accused of egging a neighbor’s house. Nine days later, Bieber was arrested for suspicion of drag racing and driving under the influence. After a Breathalyzer test showed Bieber wasn’t sober, he was taken into custody where he stayed until he posted bail, which was set at $2,500. The charges were eventually reduced to resisting arrest.

The following January, Justin Bieber was featured in a prominent Calvin Klein ad with Dutch model Lara Stone. The shots, which show a grown-up Bieber stripped down to his underwear, gained mass attention but were quickly engulfed in controversy following speculation that the photos were digitally enhanced to make Bieber’s body appear more muscular.

Lyme Disease and Depression

As he matured into his 20s, Bieber seemed intent on cleaning up his act and largely managed to avoid embarrassing incidents. However, the pop star still drew attention for his personal issues, particularly when it was reported in February 2019 that he was being treated for depression.

Bieber confirmed his diagnosis in March, posting a photo to Instagram of himself praying with Kanye West, with the caption: “Just wanted to keep you guys updated a little bit hopefully what I’m going through will resonate with you guys. Been struggling a lot. Just feeling super disconnected and weird.. I always bounce back so I’m not worried just wanted to reach out and ask for your guys to pray for me. God is faithful and ur prayers really work thanks.. the most human season I’ve ever been in facing my stuff head on..”

In a January 2020 Instagram post, Bieber revealed that he had recently battled a case of mononucleosis and been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

Quotes

My world got very big, very fast and based on a lot of sad examples—people expect me to get lost in it.

The journey is just beginning.

I’m learning about myself a lot more, especially about growing up. I’m growing up in the business. I’m 18. I’m still not fully a man. I’m a man, but I’m still, like, growing up and learning. I just feel like right now is a perfect time for me.

To all the haters out there, I wish you the best. You can’t bring me down. I wake up everyday grateful for the opportunity and grateful to the fans. I’m telling you, people. Every day we wake up is another blessing. Follow your dreams and don’t let anyone stop you. Never say Never.

I’m not sure about parties, but whatever they have in Korea, that’s bad.

Young people in this business have grown up and made the wrong decisions, or bad decisions, and haven’t been good role models. To be someone that people look up to is important to me.

I’m 19 with 5 No. 1 albums. Nineteen and I’ve seen the whole world. Nineteen and I’ve accomplished more than I could’ve ever dreamed of. I’m 19, and it must be scary for some people to think that this is just the beginning. I know who I am, I’m very much in control. I don’t need to address every speculation. Remember when Cam’ron dissed Jay-Z? Jay-Z didn’t even respond. Why didn’t he respond, because he is Jay-Z.

Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne [Frank] was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber [A controversial comment Bieber wrote in the guestbook of the Anne Frank House.]

Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us!