Justin Bieber’s SWAG II Is An Extension Of His R&B Greatness

Justin Bieber did something no one saw coming. He released a second rendition of his latest album, SWAG, with only a 12-hour notice. SWAG II dropped at midnight on September 5, 2025, with a baby pink album cover and 23 new songs that fit inside the same vein as SWAG, released on July 11, 2025. This new double-album project continues to prove that Justin Bieber’s greatness lies less inside the pop genre and more heavily in the R&B genre (although it’s undeniable he’s made some of the best pop music of the 2010s).

What Justin does best is pour his heart and pen into love songs with an R&B groove to back it. However, what most people tend to forget is that this is not something new for Justin. He’s always made it obvious he’s wanted to experiment and go full force in the genre that is hard to master. His 2020 project, Changes, and later his 2021 project Justice, were his first attempts at really proving this point to the world. Songs like ‘Confirmation’ and ‘2 Much’ could easily fit like a missing puzzle piece on SWAG’s tracklist. If you hit rewind even further, it could easily be argued that SWAG is an adult extension of Purpose, one of Justin’s most beloved albums released in 2015. Purpose was one of the first times Justin’s faith was vulnerably laid out in song, which is one of the most prominent themes in SWAG and SWAG II. More on that later.

Listen to Justin Bieber’s latest album here.

It seems Justin Bieber has finally found his footing in the studio after 4 years of releasing no new solo music, and fans can expect to hear, if Justin decides to grace us with even more new music in the future of his career, the SWAG-sound on most, if not all, of his future records. It’s where he’s comfortable and successful, so we can plan for him to stay in that pocket.

Themes & Structure

SWAG II expands on the themes presented to us in SWAG – faith, marriage, unity and peace, admiration, adoration, and personal growth. It’s clear Justin wants listeners to take the SWAG experience in full, so we recommend listening to both albums back to back if you have yet to hear them for the first time.

It’s also impossible to talk about SWAG and SWAG II without touching on the golden lines of holy admiration that run through each of the songs. SWAG II ends with ‘STORY OF GOD,’ a 7-minute devotion to God, detailing Justin’s version of his individualized faith. Read the entire story here. Even if you yourself are not a believer in any particular faith, it’s a beautiful listen that rounds out the album in a very raw way. 

Many fans have quickly compared Justin’s “new” sound to that of Michael Jackson. This comparison is not much of a surprise, however. Throughout his career, even as a young teenager, Justin has vocally admired Michael Jackson’s work and person. He’s copied his signature sound and adlib structure many times, but it seems to really come through on SWAG II on songs like ‘EYE CANDY’ and ‘LYIN’.’ Regardless of fans’ opinions on this, Justin does it almost flawlessly, and it comes through as clear admiration, not copying a formula that is already successful. With the help of talented producers like Mk.gee, Dijon, and Eddie Benjamin, Justin is designing his own formula for R&B success, and arguably has been paving this formula since he was 15 years old.

Our Favorite Tracks

• ‘LOVE SONG’
• ‘MOTHER IN YOU’
• ‘WITCHYA’
• ‘DON’T WANNA’
• ‘BAD HONEY’
• ‘NEED IT’

‘DOTTED LINE’ is a standout track as well. One thing Justin Bieber is really good at is grabbing a mic and just going for it, regardless of the instruments in the room or how his voice decides to sound that day. His emotions and mature vocals are undoubtedly raw, and it doesn’t need to be cleaned up in production. Where most other artists would clean these raw vocals up later in the creative process, Justin keeps them in. You can hear every breath, every vocal wobble, and every other sound that’s in the background of wherever he’s recording. A “fire” comes through at the 35-second mark, presumably from someone else in the studio commenting on how they feel about the song. It’s these little details that make SWAG II so special for long-time fans. If you love this sound, you can also find it on its sister songs ‘DEVOTION’ and ‘GLORY VOICE MEMO’ on SWAG.

If you needed any reminder that Justin Bieber is one of music’s greats, SWAG II is it. 

How did you feel about SWAG II? Did you enjoy the songs on SWAG or SWAG II better? Let us know by buzzing with us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram!

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