For the first time since 2022, Justin Bieber hit the Grammys stage on Sunday evening to perform “Yukon,” the come-hither second single off of his seventh studio album, Swag. It was a stripped-down performance in more ways than one: Bieber—shirtless but for a pair of pale blue silk boxers and black socks from his own brand, Skylrk, and a purple electric guitar strapped around his torso, which he strummed sparingly—sang the sparse track under a lone spotlight.
The song, which was nominated for best R&B performance tonight (but lost to Kehlani’s hit “Folded” during a pre-broadcast segment), marked a return to public live performance for the Biebs, whose full-scale comeback will take place in April when he headlines Coachella. (Swag is also nominated for several other top-tier awards tonight, including album of the year.)
Prior to Swag’s critically acclaimed drop last year, the musician was focused on launching Skylrk, his sophomore clothing brand, whose primary offerings include candy-hued sweats, sunglasses, and slide sandals. In January, the brand introduced underwear, for which this performance yielded some very high-profile marketing.
During his Grammys performance, Justin’s wife, Hailey Bieber, looked on from the audience. For her part, she wore a slinky black Alaïa dress, which, given her Saint Laurent contract that usually necessitates her wearing the brand for major events, felt like a missed opportunity to play up one of the “Yukon” lyrics that was presumably written about her: “I could put you in the Yves Saint Laurent / Riding ’round town with your hair done up.” If only this moment could have maximized their joint brand-ambassador slay.