Justin Bieber drops surprise new album, ‘SWAG’

By Amarachi Orie, CNN

(CNN) — Justin Bieber has sprung a surprise on fans – releasing his first new studio album in four years.

“SWAG,” the Canadian singer’s seventh studio album, features 21 tracks, including collaborations with rap artist Gunna, gospel singer Dijon, rapper Lil B, comedian Druski, rapper Sexyy Red, musician Cash Cobain and singer-songwriter Eddie Benjamin.

The album’s final song, “Forgiveness,” is performed not by Bieber but by pastor and gospel singer Marvin Winans.

“Congratulations @lilbieber for making a wild and deeply inspiring record,” Dijon wrote in a post on Instagram Friday in which he shared the album, along with images of what appear to be recording sessions.

“Grateful to have been able to witness and be a tiny part of a beautiful thing. Humbled!” he added.

The album from Bieber, who in March shared a social media post about feeling “unworthy,” and in June posted on Instagram about being “broken,” is infused with a tone of vulnerability.

In the 14th track, “Therapy Session,” Bieber tells Druski, “I think that’s been a tough thing for me recently is feeling like, you know, I have had to go through a lot of my struggles as a human, as all of us do, really publicly. And so people are always asking if I’m okay, and that starts to really weigh on me.”

“It starts to make me feel like I’m the one with issues and everyone else is perfect,” the 31-year-old, who welcomed his first child, Jack, in August last year, went on to say.

Another track with Druski, “Standing on Business,” makes light of a video of the singer that went viral in June, in which he goes on a rant at paparazzi whom he said were trying to provoke him while he was at the beach.

In the track, Druski mocks the way Bieber maintains his flawless pronunciation of the word “business” while haranguing the paparazzi.

The-CNN-Wire
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