Justin Bieber has surprised fans by releasing a new album titled Swag.

The record features 20 songs with track names including Dadz Love, Devotion and Therapy Session and follows online concern for the singer’s mental health after a confrontation with paparazzi.

One video, filmed on Father’s Day when he confronted a photographer, shows the singer saying: “I’m a dad. I’m a husband. You’re not getting it. It’s not clocking to you. I’m standing on business.”

The video was widely circulated and remixed online. Now, it not only features as part of the promotion of the singer’s new album, but is sampled in one of its songs, Butterflies.

“Standing on business” has gained currency as slang for standing up for yourself and taking care of your responsibilities and ambitions.

With a run time of just under an hour, the teen icon-turned-megastar collaborates with a host of rappers on Swag including Sexxy Red, Cash Cobain and Gunna.

Its title appears to hark back to the singer’s 2012 hit Boyfriend, featuring the line “swag, swag, swag, on you”.

Promotional pictures shared by the Canadian singer feature his wife, Hailey Bieber, and their son – at points being held over his head.

Fellow artists and fans have reacted with glee to the new music, which comes four years after Bieber’s last album, Justice.

US rapper Big Sean was among the famous names to welcome the album’s release, commenting on the singer’s Instagram post: “Yes!!!!”

The album drop also comes on the back of fans’ worries for Bieber’s state of mind. In recent months, the singer has shared multiple posts online about the intrusion of paparazzi in his personal life.

Bieber’s marriage has also been under the spotlight after another controversial social media post. The singer celebrated his wife featuring on the cover of Vogue with a social media post detailing an argument between them.

The lyrics of Daisies, the second song on Swag, appear to allude to the couple’s relationship with “falling petals do you love me or not” and “you said forever babe, did you mean it or not?”

Other song titles on the album seem to touch on religious themes including Devotion, Soulful and Forgiveness, in keeping with Bieber’s Christian faith.

(BBC News)

The premises of the once famous Quinlon Cinema in Nugegoda, has now been completely demolished after remaining closed for a prolonged period.

In a Facebook post, Senior Lecturer in Mass Communication at the University of Kelaniya – Wijayananda Rupasinghe likens the current state of the Quinlon Cinema to that of a bombed-out building in Syria or Gaza.

He notes that the fate of another cinema hall ends in this manner, in a backdrop where there is a renewed discussion about reviving the Sinhala cinema.

He adds that according to data as of May 2025, the total number of cinema halls in Sri Lanka has dwindled to around 184, with the majority (117) said to be located in Western Province.

(Source : Facebook page of Wijayananda Rupasinghe)

The Supreme Court has recently delivered its judgment in favor of Sheela Wijewardene, the wife of the late veteran musician Clarence Wijewardene, against Sarath Kothalawala of Torana Music.

The appeal stems from an action filed in the Commercial High Court by Mrs. Wijewardene (Appellant) in alleging that copyright in the lyrics and musical compositions of several songs authored by the veteran musician, late Clarance Wijewardene, has been infringed by the Sarath Kothalawala and Rajiv Sebastian (Respondents) by performing the said songs and producing compact discs incorporating the said songs.

The Appellant had sought an injunction, damages, and the delivering up of infringing materials against the Respondents in the said action filed in the Commercial High Court. During the pendency of the action in the Commercial High Court, the 2nd Respondent- Rajiv Sebastian had entered into a settlement with the appellant admitting the intellectual property rights of the late Clarance Wijewardene and agreeing to pay Rs. 2,000,000.00 as damages.  At the conclusion of the trial, the Commercial High Court granted the Permanent Injunction in favour of Mrs. Clarence Wijewardene against the first Respondent Sarath Kothalawala among other reliefs sought.

An appeal was preferred to the Supreme Court in the year 2013 by Mrs. Clarence Wijewardene seeking the other reliefs. The Supreme Court has upheld the Commercial High Court’s decision of granting the Permanent Injunction against the first Respondent which is in essence;

A permanent injunction restraining the 1st defendant from directly or indirectly reproducing, carrying out any public performance or communicating to the public in any other manner songs in which the economic and moral rights in respect of the lyrics and music compositions belong to the estate of the late Mr. Clarence Wijewardena.

The court further issued a permanent injunction restraining the 1st defendant from advertising, promoting, offering for sale and the sale of Audio Compact Discs and the Audio Visual Work titled ‘Viduru Mal’, ‘Sing along with Rajiv Sebastian’, ‘Reka Heenen Piyamba’ and ‘torana Sinhala Karaoke Vol.2’; and distorting the original music compositions of those songs created by the late Mr. Clarence Wijewardena.

The Supreme Court has not granted compensation or damages against the 1st Respondent, citing agreements between the Respondents where the 2nd Defendant-Respondent had misrepresented ownership of the works and the settlement entered into between the 2nd Respondent and the Appellant. However, the Supreme Court has found that the Commercial High Court had erred in not granting the Plaintiff’s prayer for the delivering up of infringing material in the possession of the 1st Respondent and amended the Judgment of the Commercial High Court accordingly. Thus, the 1st Respondent has been ordered by the Supreme Court to deliver up to the Petitioner all the infringing material in the possession of the 1st Respondent including all copies of the Audio Compact Discs and the Audio Visual Work ‘Sing along with Rajiv Sebastian’, ‘Viduru Mal’, ‘Reka Heenen Piyamba’ and ‘Torana Sinhala Karaoke Vol 2’. This relief granted by the Supreme Court is in addition to the Permanent Injunction granted by the Commercial High Court by judgement dated 30/07/2012.

The Judgment has been delivered by a bench comprised of Justices E.A.G.R. Amarasekara, A.L. Shiran Gooneratne, and Arjuna Obeyesekere.

Dr. Harsha Cabral, PC, with Kushan Illangatillake, instructed by V.W. Kularatne Associates represented the Appellant whilst Mr. M.S.A. Wadood, with Palitha Subasinghe, Tharanga Edirisinghe, Hashane Mallawarachchi, and Dulmini Liyanage, instructed by S.B. Dissanayake Associates, represented the 1st Respondent.

(dailymirror.lk)

(This story, originally published by dailymirror.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)