It looks like Justin Bieber is experimenting with his look, showing off some bold new facial hair and looking practically unrecognizable this week.
The Pop Star, 31, surprised everyone by releasing 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 eager to give his fans even more ‘vulnerable’ new music.
But, ever the A-lister, he’s taking all the buzz in his stride, going on a casual schedule before his next batch of songs starts climbing the charts.
The 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 several 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 thick beard, which is a stark contrast to the clean-shaven aesthetic he was known for in his early 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 – he just sure knows how to divide opinion!
One thing her fans can agree on, however, is that they are loving her new album, which comprises 23 tracks.
After its predecessor, Swag, debuted as the most-streamed album in the world and reached number one on several charts, Swag II certainly had some big shoes to fill.
But it seems to have done just that, with some even declaring it its best work to date.
@allicanbieber wrote on X: ‘This is an album is some of Justins best work and unapologetically the best music he has ever made. Justin Bieber always finishes everyone with each of his comebacks because he keeps feeding us with his genius music yesssirrrrrr’.
‘Justin can never release a bad album because he has the best voice in the world and that’s just facts,’ wrote @MaishatheFirst.
‘The fact that you can feel Justin on these albums like this is really his music, I’m 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 release, 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 favorite songs: Bad Honey, Love Song, I Do, and When It’s Over.
In particular, it appears to be a tribute to Hailey, firmly shutting down any reports of marriage troubles that were circulating this year.
Justin, who shares son Jack with Hailey, affirms his commitment to his other half in the song’s lyrics, with lines including ‘I’ve never loved you more than I do now’ and ‘you’ll always be the one I choose’.
Elsewhere in his latest body of work, Justin appears 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 I’m singing every line,’ he sings at one point, calling out his haters.
“I achieve greatness by getting better every second,” says Biebs.
This comes after fans became concerned for his well-being when Justin began documenting some erratic behavior on social media, having also assumed he and Hailey, who he married in 2018 following his split from Selena Gomez, had divorced when he revealed they had a ‘huge fight’ that he claimed she would never be on the cover of Vogue.
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