Justin Bieber previews a trippy, stripped-down song snippet about shaking off the hate

Justin Bieber sparked excitement among fans with a recent Instagram Story that teased the next chapter in his musical journey. After more than two years without releasing new music, the singer's 24-second video clip left followers eagerly anticipating what's to come.

The post began with an infrared video showing Bieber nodding his head to a distorted, chopped-up track. The visual shifted to a shot of him from behind, wearing a hoodie that partially concealed his face. The screen displayed the timestamp "2:57:04" along with video camera and handwritten emojis, hinting at the raw, unpolished nature of the song.

In the brief snippet, Bieber's raspy voice can be heard singing lyrics such as, “B–ch I’m takin’ bait/ I’m takin’ it/ You takin’ bait/ I’m shakin’ it/ You’re shakin’ it/ Shakin’ off the hate/ Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay/ I’m shakin’ off the hate, okay (undecipherable)/ Go out the country and I’m not feelin’ nice/ Got the sun on my skin/ Okay, okay, okay, okay/ I bought my Birkin for my b–ch/ You lookin’ good for a Tuesday.” By the end of the clip, the camera zooms in on Bieber in a rear-view mirror, confirming it’s him smiling and mouthing the lyrics. The track features minimal acoustic guitar accompaniment.

Despite Bieber's reputation for crafting polished pop hits, the untitled song sounds like a rough demo, with raw, sometimes mumbled vocals and no drums or high-pitched falsetto, marking a departure from his usual style. The clip cuts off at 3:26, suggesting that the final track might fall within the sweet spot for pop radio singles.

At the time of publication, no further details were available about the song, as a spokesperson for the artist confirmed there was no additional information.

The rest of the Instagram Story featured Bieber vibing to other artists' tracks. In one clip, he shared a snowy scene of his shadow flipping the middle finger to Gunna's "Got Damn" before zooming in on a diamond-studded earring. Another video showed Bieber interacting with a deer while listening to Sleepy Hallow’s "Call Me." He also included footage from his recent holiday getaway in Aspen, Colorado, with wife Hailey and their infant son Jack Blues, set to Playboi Carti’s "Cancun."

The story concluded with an image of Bieber dressed in winter gear—snow pants, boots, a purple hoodie, black vest, knee-length striped scarf, and a pink wool hat—while talking on the phone and listening to NAV, Cash Cobain, and Bay Swag’s "6AM Thoughts." A final slide was a repost of a viral video showing a young man on a bus raising his eyebrows to Tevin Campbell's 1993 slow jam classic "Can We Talk."

Bieber’s last full album, *Justice*, was released in 2021. Since then, the artist has not set an official release date for his next project. In February 2022, Bieber launched a tour in support of *Justice*, but his progress was interrupted when he was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which caused partial paralysis on one side of his face. This led to the postponement of some tour dates and the eventual cancellation of the remainder of the world tour, as Bieber focused on his recovery.

Since then, Bieber has kept a low profile, aside from making a surprise appearance on stage with Don Toliver at L.A.'s Crypto.com Arena in October 2023. While he didn’t perform, he joined Toliver during “Private Landing,” a track featuring Future. Earlier in 2023, Bieber also performed a surprise set at Drake’s Toronto club History during NHL All-Star weekend, marking his first performance in over a year. A few days before that, he posted behind-the-scenes glimpses of a studio session, laying down vocals and jamming out with a drummer.

Bieber has continued to tease his next musical era, sharing photos in October from a studio session where he was seen at the keyboard and microphone. Additionally, producer Mk.gee revealed in an interview with *The New York Times* that he had been working with Bieber in the studio, stating, "He’s searching. Anything that comes out of his mouth: That’s pop music. You can really do pretty wild stuff behind that, just because it represents something."

As fans eagerly await more information, Bieber's recent Instagram Story has raised anticipation for what's next, leaving them wondering if the next era of his music will match the rawness and authenticity hinted at in the teaser.