"Recession indicator or divorce soft-launch!!" - Internet reacts to the rumor of Hailey Bieber releasing her first single as an artist in 2026

Hailey Bieber is rumored to be working on releasing her first single as an artist, with a debut album supposedly scheduled for 2026. The Rhode founder, who is married to pop star Justin Bieber, will supposedly make her foray into the music industry soon. However, neither Bieber nor her team has confirmed the news as of this article.

On November 5, 2025, pop culture X page @PopTingz posted about the rumor that Hailey Bieber was releasing her first single.

The rumor was met with mixed reactions from netizens on X, with one user claiming that Hailey Bieber releasing a single was either a "recession indicator or divorce soft-launch."

Several netizens trolled Bieber, wondering who would do the singing part. One user claimed the model might use autotune machines.

Meanwhile, several netizens compared Bieber to Kylie Jenner, who recently made her music debut under the moniker King Kylie. The reality star released Fourth Strike with Los Angeles duo Terror Jr last month.

Some users claimed Hailey Bieber was trying to copy Selena Gomez, the former girlfriend of her husband Justin Bieber.

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Hailey Bieber was recently awarded the Beauty Innovator Award

Hailey Bieber, who started skincare brand Rhode in 2022, was awarded the Beauty Innovator Award at the Wall Street Journal Innovator Awards 2025. The ceremony was held at New York City's Museum of Modern Art on October 29, 2025.

Decked from head to toe in a black leather ensemble by Saint Laurent, the model said she was "incredibly humbled to be recognized as a beauty innovator" in her acceptance speech. She also added that launching a brand took "an immense amount of guts," and applauded her peers, saying:

"And I applaud anyone and everyone who takes that leap of faith. I'm so grateful to be part of the beauty world, a world that has embraced me, and a world that I deeply cherish. I celebrate every and each founder who is on the journey alongside me, and I look forward to continuing to show the world that there is no limit to our impact, influence and innovation. Thank you."

Hailey Bieber at WSJ. Magazine 2025 Innovator Awards (Image via Getty)

Bieber's speech came after she commented on the online comparison between her brand and Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty during an interview with WSJ. Magazine, published on October 14, 2025.

The beauty mogul was asked whether she thought her brand would be compared to Rare Beauty following its launch in Sephora in September. For the uninitiated, Bieber sold Rhode to e.l.f. Beauty for $1 billion in May 2025.

While her publicist asked her to skip the question at the time, Bieber said later in the interview that it was "annoying being pitted against other people," adding that she "didn't ask" for it. Elsewhere in the interview, when asked whether she “feels competitive” with other beauty brands, she replied that there was "space for everybody" and she did not "feel competitive with people that I’m not inspired by.”

Hailey Bieber's comments were met with backlash online, with many speculating that she was shading Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty. However, a TMZ report on October 17 claimed that sources said Bieber's comments did not refer to a particular individual.

The report added Bieber "did NOT discuss Selena in the article" and accused the publication of making it seem like she was referencing the singer. Meanwhile, Selena Gomez seemingly responded to Bieber's comments via an Instagram Story on October 17, writing:

“Just leave the girl alone. She can say whatever she wants. Doesn't affect [my] life whatsoever. It's just about relevance not intelligence. Be kind. All brands inspire me. There is room for everyone."

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Hailey Bieber shares a 14-month-old son, Jack Blues, with Justin Bieber.

Edited by Juhi Marzia