Justin Bieber is back in the spotlight, and this time, it doesn’t have to do with his and Hailey Bieber’s divorce rumors. It has to do with his music.
The pop star shocked his fans and music enthusiasts when he dropped his new long-awaited album, Swag, which is his first release in four years. The album, which dropped as a surprise this week, didn’t come long after he reached a financial settlement with Scooter Braun, his former manager who was with him for his formative years. Despite all of the exciting updates, some internet users are disappointed in the album’s quality. Read more about it below.
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Justin Bieber And Scooter Braun Reach Financial Settlement
The Canadian-born singer and the famous music industry businessman have had quite a tumultuous and fascinating relationship over the last decade. One of Scooter's first and biggest accomplishments in the music industry was discovering Justin back when he would post singing videos on YouTube, and eventually became the manager who saw him through the breakout stages of his massive career.
However, the pair had a famous falling out in 2023, after Justin ended up needing to cancel the shows scheduled for his 2022 Justice tour, which led to some financial losses. The manager and his company, HYBE, ended up needing to pay touring company AEG Presents for the last-minute cancellations, which reportedly led to disputes between the former duo.
Days ago, they finally reached a settlement, where the "Baby" singer agreed to pay his former manager $3.1M for the show cancellations and unpaid commissions as a result of the end of their business relationship.
Justin Drops Surprise 'Swag' Album And The Internet Reacts On Social Media
The same week the news of his financial settlement came out, the 31-year-old dropped a surprise album, Swag, which is his seventh studio album. It was released on Friday, July 11th, and includes 21 tracks, with some of them featuring other artists like gospel singer Dijon and rapper Gunna.
Some of the songs address his marriage to Hailey Bieber and their son, Jack Blues Bieber, who they welcomed to the world last summer. Others hint at his latest mental health struggles, with one track being titled "Therapy Session."
While his fans were thrilled to have some new music from the singer, others were not so impressed with the songs, calling them "lukewarm" and writing some harsh critiques on social media platforms like Instagram.
One Instagram user commented that the album was "mid," and that it "feels like he wrote it and recorded it last week on his iPhone."
Others added that the latest financial settlement was the "reason he released that mid album."
"He needs money," they continued. However, Justin's diehard and loyal fans were there to defend him, proud of him for creating music and sharing it during a seemingly dark time, and telling others to let him enjoy this moment.
"The album is good!" wrote a fan. "Leave Bieber alone."
"Can y'all let him enjoy his album release?" asked another defensive fan.
"Leave Justin Bieber alone," added another. "The album is fire."
We'll be keeping an eye on additional reviews of Swag as they keep coming in, but for now, it seems like his true fans are there to back him up and will continue listening.
