It seems Justin Bieber is experimenting with his look, sporting some bold new facial hair and looking practically unrecognisable this week.
The pop star, 31, surprised everyone by dropping a new album titled Swag II, which landed on streaming platforms at midnight.
He released the record less than eight weeks after his seventh album, Swag, suggesting JB was itching to give his fans even more ‘vulnerable’ new tunes.
But, ever the A-lister, he’s taking all the hustle and bustle in his stride, heading on a casual outing hours before his next batch of songs would begin rising in the charts.
Photos capture the Baby hitmaker in Los Angeles on Thursday, leaving the Jim Henson studio in the passenger seat of a Denali.
Biebs sported a quirky pair of silver shades with an orange tint, as well as various facial and ear piercings.
His neck tattoos were on full display, as was the bright green pimple patch on his forehead—celebs are just like us, folks!
But what got people talking more than anything was Justin’s very bushy beard, which is a stark contrast to the clean-shaven aesthetic he became known for in his earlier years of fame.
Taking to X after catching a glimpse of his more rugged image, while many ‘Beliebers’ were declaring how ‘good’ he looks with a beard, not everyone was convinced it’s his style—Justin sure knows how to divide opinion!
Something his fans can agree on, though, is that they’re loving his new album, which comprises 23 tracks.
After its predecessor, Swag, debuted as the most consumed album worldwide and landed at number one on various charts, Swag II certainly had some big shoes to fill.
But it seems to have done just that, with some even declaring it his best work to date.
@allicanbieber wrote on X: ‘this is album is one of justins finest works and unapologetically the best music he’s ever made. justin bieber always ends everyone with each of his comebacks cause he keeps feeding us with his genius music yesssirrrrrr’.
‘justin can’t ever put out a bad album because he has the best voice in the world & that’s just facts’, wrote @maishathefirst.
‘the fact that u can feel justin in these albums like this is really HIS music im so proud and happy for him’, added a proud @swagmoneyrauhl.
Also showing her support for Justin is his wife, Hailey Bieber, who, despite being busy promoting her latest Rhode beauty launch, has still made time to share her man’s work.
‘Happy swag II day’, she wrote on her Instagram Story, adding screenshots of some of her favourite songs: Bad Honey, Love Song, I Do, and When It’s Over.
I Do in particular appears to be a tribute to Hailey, firmly shutting down any reports of marriage woes that have been circulating this year.
Justin, who shares one-year-old son Jack with Hailey, affirms his commitment to his other half in the tune’s lyrics, with lines including, ‘Never loved you more than I do right now’ and ‘You will always be the one that I choose’.
Elsewhere in his latest body of work, Justin seems to address the swirling reports of trouble in paradise and scrutiny of his character, with the song Speed Demon proving he wants to rise above public criticism.
‘They try to say I’m out of my mind / But now they singing every line’, he sings at one point, calling out his haters.
‘I achieve greatness, gettin’ better by the second’, Biebs also says.
It comes after fans grew concerned for his well-being when Justin began documenting some erratic behaviour on social media, having also assumed he and Hailey, whom he wed in 2018 after his split from Selena Gomez, were headed for divorce when he revealed they had a ‘huge fight’ due to him claiming she’d never be on the cover of Vogue.
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