Generally well-received, Swag has been praised by listeners as “ mature ” and “ authentic ,” with one fan account calling the album his “declaration of independence.” Bieber’s label, Def Jam, announced on Saturday that the album had reached the top spot on both the global and U.S. Apple Music and Spotify album charts.

A source tells Rolling Stone that "Breaking away from Scooter Braun and his team has been something that Justin has wanted for so long and now that he’s fully free, he could finally share this album with his fans and with the world. [It’s] something he’s been wanting to do for a long time."