“SWAG II:” Justin Bieber’s Newest Addition to His Musical Catalogue

Justin Bieber performing at a show. Photo courtesy of marcen27 via Flickr

With a generous 23 songs, “SWAG II” is the second part of Justin Bieber’s prolific musical project. The first half of the collective, “SWAG,” was released in July of 2025 and contained 21 songs. Tracks such as “DAISIES” and “YUKON” quickly became summer staples, sweeping social media and car radios. 

The songs themselves are, for the most part, short and sweet. While earlier eras explored lengthier ballads, nearly every song on the album remains in the range of two to three minutes. However, one exception is found at the very end of the album, “STORY OF GOD,” with a duration of seven and a half minutes. 

Bieber explored a more tender facet of his musicality in “SWAG II,” featuring largely mellow or soft pop songs. Still lyrically adverse, these songs reflect upon the love Bieber has for his family and the influence their reciprocated love and support has had on him. 

His song “BETTER MAN” talks about how his wife, Hailey Bieber, has positively changed him, while “LOVE SONG” and “WITCHYA” talk about how he hopes to give back to Hailey to prove his love and commitment to her. 

“SWAG II” features a variety of collaborations across the album, with Bakar in “DON’T WANNA,” Lil B in “SAFE SPACE” and Eddie Benjamin in “OPEN UP YOUR HEART.” Most collaborative songs in the album stray from the softer sound of the rest of the album, adopting a sound closer to R&B that utilizes a more electric-synth sound on the keys. 

If one thing separates “SWAG” and “SWAG II”  from previous Bieber albums, it’s that this was his first album released as a father. The song “MOTHER IN YOU” is a touching tribute to his son, Jack Blues Bieber, who’s now just over a year old. To see the fatherly side of Bieber reflected in his music not only brings a new warmth to it, but a newer appeal to parents who can now more intimately resonate with his music.  

For veteran fans of Bieber, these songs may invoke a more bittersweet feeling. From early eras when Justin Bieber was first making a name for himself, his music embodied the thrill and electricity of young love and was a staple artist throughout the childhoods of many. 

15 years later, Bieber sings about the love of life as a father with the family he’s created. A heartwarming tribute nonetheless, but perhaps a melancholy sentiment for fans who have grown up alongside his music from childhood to the present.

While many songs have a softer sound, some seem to have the stylistic elements of earlier eras of Bieber’s music. Songs like “I DO” and “BAD HONEY” utilize electronic sounds and percussion that were a standout characteristic of his 2015 album, “Purpose."  This album explored themes of redemption and new beginnings, with a tone that was almost plea-like, which is also revisited in these few songs of “SWAG II.” 

Bieber also continued to incorporate the theme of faith into his new album, something that was first introduced as part of his musical identity through “Purpose.” Genius elaborated on how “STORY OF GOD,” the longest song on the album, closes the sequel as a spoken word retelling from the Bible about the beginning of the universe. “The outro ends with a promise of Jesus, ‘a coming Savior… who would crush the serpent’s head,’ as interpreted from Genesis 3:15.” 

Despite his years of music and over a dozen albums, an identifiably different story continues to be told through each new song, proving just how timeless a successful artist like Bieber continues to be.