Recently, Justin Bieber has been under the radar, as noticed by many pop culture fans. Recently, however, he has made a recent comeback. Apart of the music industry for over a decade now, Bieber was 13 years old when discovered by a talent agent Scoot Braun who accidentally found his videos on YouTube. He was then signed to RBMG records, where he gained popularity with the release of EP My World. He then became the first artist to have seven songs from a debut record chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Many people became interested in Justin Bieber after dating Selena Gomez to collaborating with people like Ludacris and Nicki Minaj.
we’re in 2021 and i’m still so obsessed with justin bieber
— seray ﾒ’???? (@scottrauhls) September 13, 2021
A Deep Dive into Bieber’s Past
When Bieber was 15 years old, he was one of the most popular singers and entertainers in the industry and has been vocal about his experience. He recently posted a photo of his fifteen year old self, noting that he felt as if he was put onto a pedestal when he was young.
After Bieber became incredibly popular, it seemed as if he struggled with adapting to the constant eyes of the public. In 2013, the Today Show released an article entailing Justin Bieber’s “downfall in 8 steps.” Different incidents of Bieber’s were highlighted, such as arriving late to concerts, flipping off paparazzi, abandoning a pet monkey after failing to file appropriate paperwork to bring it back to the US, and even going as far to sign the guestbook at the Anne Frank house, stating that he hoped the teenaged Holocaust victim would be a fan of his.
Justin Bieber visited Anne Frank's house and wrote, 'hopefully she'd have been a Belieber'. Anne Frank said she'd have chosen the Holocaust.
— Jim Norton (@JimNorton) April 15, 2013
Many in 2013 became frustrated with Bieber, which then caused him to announce that he would be retiring on Twitter, announcing on Christmas Eve. Quickly backtracking, but the incident still caused anger amongst many reporters who were then forced to write about the then 19 year old’s retirement on a holiday. Another notable incident in 2013 was assaulting a tour manager and is accused of spitting in a radio host’s Gatorades.
Bieber’s 2014 was a hard year as well with incidents including smoking so much weed with his entourage that the pilots were forced to wear oxygen masks and even threw eggs at a neighbor’s house, causing thousands of dollars in damage. Bieber was also arrested in 2014 for assault charges after his ATV collided with a mini-van.
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These incidents inspired many people to discuss Bieber and his behaviors, including Seth Rogen to tweet that he was a “piece of shit.” This tweet has since been retweeted 210,000 times.
All jokes aside, Justin Bieber is a piece of shit.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) January 23, 2014
When many people believed that Bieber’s career was unsalvageable, he then quietly released his single “Where Are U Now” which garnered a lot of attention and became very popular. Likewise, his album “Purpose” did incredibly well too, selling more albums than One Direction and has a tearful performance at the VMAS. Everything seemed to be doing well for the performer until the last leg of his tour where Bieber calls it quits. After performing 140 shows, a staggering number, he announces that he has decided to cancel his last 14 stops to focus more on his mental health. Many online were upset, claiming that they wanted a reason for the cancellation of his shows. Some celebrity’s, however, were in support of Bieber and his decision to quit. John Mayer, for example, noted that “When someone pulls remaining dates of a tour, it means they would have done real damage to themselves if they kept going.”
In 2019, Bieber noted that he needed a break from music to focus on himself and his new marriage Haley Baldwin.
Date night at the #MetGala: @justinbieber & Hailey Bieber ????✨ pic.twitter.com/hcasvldrV4
— MTV (@MTV) September 14, 2021
Bieber’s Newest Album
Then, seemingly out of nowhere in Fall 2020, Bieber released his newest album “Changes.” The purpose of the album was to pick up where “Purpose” had left off five years prior. However, the album did not do as well as previously hoped. However, “Justice”, which was released in March of 2021, performed much better. The album included what “Changes” did not: passion and heart with songs discussing life lessons, love, and compassion. Most recently, Bieber won the VMA award for Artist of the Year.
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AND THE #VMA FOR ARTIST OF THE YEAR GOES TO…@JustinBieber!!! pic.twitter.com/UqlndqlDRa
— MTV (@MTV) September 13, 2021
In a recent docuseries, Bieber described how being in the public eye consistently affected his mental health. In one of his songs “Unstable” he describes these feelings of anxiety with the lyrics of: ““Sometimes I think I overthink / Then I start to feel anxiety/ There were times I couldn’t even breathe.”
after 10 years justin bieber still winning #VMAs
2011 2021 pic.twitter.com/rZoU8CfvZw
— lu (@biebrforro1) September 13, 2021
Justin Bieber in 2021
Additionally, Bieber opens up that the death of George Floyd affected him greatly as well. On Instagram, Justin Bieber made a post on his account talking about where his inspiration for his music genre and style came from and that he vows to use his social media platforms to help influence those to speak up against racial injustice and systematic oppression.
Recently, armed with a newfound optimism borne from a dark place, he understands he’s better when he’s tapping into his own experiences, projecting relatable human emotion and working out why he’s here. He’s singing about the things he cares about: his wife, his mental health, social injustice and so much more.
