Justin Bieber is back with a new album, but this time, he may have brought a certain sequined spirit with him.
After nearly a four-year break from the music industry, Bieber dropped a surprise album titled Swag—and yes, apparently people are still using this word in the Year of Our Lord 2025.
But don’t let the—let’s be honest—dumb title fool you, the album is a far cry from the mid-2010s house music sound that defined much of Bieber’s career. Instead, Bieber goes for something completely different on Swag, embracing a sensual R&B sound with a vibe so smooth that people are claiming the ghost of Michael Jackson must have possessed Bieber during the making of this album.
In particular, people think the opening track, “All I Can Take,” sounds like it was taken straight out of the King of Pop’s repertoire.
“These symptoms of my sensitivity (Uh-uh)/Feels worse knowin’ no one’s listening (No one’s listening)/This is it, I can’t change, Lord knows I try,” Bieber sings.
Between the glimmering ‘80s synths, the clipped vocal phrasing, and the emotional plea (“This is it, I can’t change, Lord knows I try”), the comparisons to Jackson aren’t just obvious—they’re practically moonwalking across the studio floor.
“All I Can Take/ Justin Bieber is a Michael Jackson vibe,” one listener wrote on X.
They clearly weren’t the only ones feeling the groove.
Apparently, in 2021, Bieber spoke on Jackson’s continued influence on the music industry.
“He’s everyone’s inspiration. Whether you’re a country artist or a rapper, most people look at Michael Jackson as one of their top inspirations,” Bieber said.
So, perhaps it’s no coincidence that for his big return to the music industry, Bieber wanted to channel one of the greats.
During the weeks leading up to the album’s release, Bieber posted frequently on his social media about struggling with the intense public attention surrounding his marriage to Hailey Bieber, and his alleged substance abuse issues.
After some fans asked the singer whether “he’s healed yet” from his traumas, Bieber took to his Instagram story to clarify a few things.
“Don’t you think if I could have fixed myself I would have already? I know I’m broken. I know I have anger issues,” he wrote.
He continued: “I tried to do the work my whole life to be like the people who told me I needed to be fixed like them. And it just keeps making me more tired and more angry. The harder I try to grow, the more focused on myself I am. Jesus is the only person who keeps me wanting to make my life about others. Because honestly I’m exhausted with thinking about myself lately aren’t you?”
Maybe Bieber feels an affinity for Jackson, who also struggled to handle the pressures of fame and the attention it brought to his personal life.
The parallels between the two men are certainly apparent to Bieber’s fans, at least.
One person commented on a post asking why so many people suddenly like Bieber, writing: “Justin Bieber was the closest thing to Michael Jackson in the 2010s, everyone has been a fan 👍🏽."
While the entire album doesn’t exactly sound like the reincarnation of Jackson’s music, the first track on Swag is probably the closest someone has come in recent years.
