A few years ago, when Justin Bieber was 19, he was still a kid in a boy band playing small halls. Now, he is one of the world’s biggest pop stars, a record-breaking performer who commands millions-of-dollars-per-show tours and has sold over 150 million records worldwide. He is the youngest artist ever to have seven albums reach the top of the Billboard chart, and he is a global celebrity with more Instagram followers than any other person on Earth.
But he is also deeply troubled by the way fame has shaped his life, by the way his relationships with women have broken down and by the way his skirmishes with the law have tarnished his image. In recent years, he has tried to repair his public image by visiting museums that pay tribute to Anne Frank and by urging his fans to vote for Barack Obama. But he has never been able to completely erase the mark that his mistakes have left behind.
There is a moment in the documentary film Billie Eilish: Doolittle that captures just how fragile and vulnerable the singer can be. When she meets Bieber for the first time in front of a crowd at Coachella, Eilish is completely overwhelmed. She wants to cry. Bieber comforts her, a little at a time, until she is calm enough to continue the meeting.
The moment is a reminder of how difficult it can be for an adolescent to navigate the territory between childhood and adulthood, between the life that was given him and the life that he has made for himself. It is a reminder of how easy it can be for a young person to slip into a dark place and feel as though they will never be able to climb out again.
In a small town in Canada called Stratford, where Bieber grew up, his mother, Pattie Mallette, a former professional singer, raised him to believe that his purpose was to lead young people to God’s love. She prayed that he would become a modern-day Prophet Samuel, an advocate for youth who could speak out on their behalf.
As a child, he played hockey and soccer, taught himself piano and guitar, and yowled pop tunes while he brushed his teeth. He was a good student and got along with his classmates, but he wasn’t popular. In high school, he took part in drama productions and sang in the church choir.
At age 16, he began posting YouTube videos of his singing and dancing, and his videos were viewed millions of times. He was discovered by Atlanta-based hip-hop manager Scooter Braun, who helped him sign a recording contract with Def Jam. He has since released five studio albums, the most recent of which was Changes in 2020. His music has reached the top of the charts in many countries, and he is the most viewed artist on YouTube with over 30.5 billion views. He has also appeared in several film and television projects, and has his own clothing line.