Marvin Winans Joins Justin Bieber on Surprise Album SWAG

By Timothy Yap Jul 22, 2025 12:03 AM EDT

Legendary gospel artist and pastor Marvin Winans joins Justin Bieber on the final track of Bieber's surprise album SWAG, released July 11 via Def Jam/ILH. The song, titled "FORGIVENESS," features Winans delivering a heartfelt rendition of the worship anthem "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High." With Bieber adding understated harmonies, the track closes the album on a reverent and spiritual note, capturing themes of redemption, grace, and divine love.

The collaboration marks a rare intersection of pop superstardom and gospel heritage. Winans, a six-time Grammy-winning vocalist and a founding member of The Winans, brings decades of spiritual authority and vocal mastery to the song. His performance serves as both a reflective conclusion and a benediction over an album that explores identity, faith, fatherhood, and fame.

Since its release, SWAG has quickly become one of Bieber's most successful albums to date. It debuted at number one on Apple Music and Spotify in both the U.S. and globally within its first 48 hours. The album amassed nearly 200 million streams on day one alone, including 95.8 million on Spotify-Bieber's best single-day performance on the platform. It opened at number two on the U.S. iTunes Album Chart and climbed to number four on the UK Official Albums Chart. It has also reached number one in the Netherlands and Norway and cracked the top ten in Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, and Japan. The lead single "Daisies" debuted at number five on the UK Singles Chart (First Look) and topped Spotify's U.S. and Global Song Debut charts, while "All I Can Take" opened at number one on Apple Music's Global Song Debut chart.

"FORGIVENESS" is more than a feature-it's a statement of spiritual grounding. The inclusion of Marvin Winans connects Bieber's deeply personal lyrics to a lineage of gospel tradition and worship. The moment underscores the singer's evolving journey of faith, echoing the Christian themes explored in his Freedom. EP and his public declarations of belief in recent years.

For Marvin Winans, the appearance adds another chapter to a storied musical and pastoral legacy that continues to bridge the sacred and the contemporary. For Bieber, it's a closing prayer on an album defined by honesty, growth, and soul.

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Tags : SWAG marvin winans Justin Bieber