The soft, sensitive Justin Bieber is all heart. He is ruled by emotions so intense that he often has needed to numb them with drugs or not risk them on meaningful relationships. But the young singer, now a man with an actual house and kids of his own, is working to be the solid person he wishes he had been when he was younger. It’s a mission that goes into his new music, the inspirational messages he posts on Instagram, and the deliberately calm way he goes about his days.
He’s trying to heal the kid inside him, the one who felt like he was drowning and felt that no one could save him. That kid is the guy who, a few years ago, would clamor for his attention and lash out in anger. He’s the guy who, onstage, whispered to his audience to quiet down so he could sing, but they couldn’t hear him and their Samsung phones were recording and streaming it all over social media anyway.
But now, fortified by God, marriage, and a new album, Justin is determined to put himself back together, one positive step at a time. He’s still making mistakes, of course, but he’s not running from them anymore.
Justin has been making music since he was 12. His first single, the buoyant puppy love song “One Time,” appeared in May 2009 and soon had a global audience spanning adolescent girls and their parents. Six months later came the EP My World, a compilation of glossy R&B-influenced pop. The following year, he had his first Billboard top 10, and the next year brought him his second.
In 2015, the album Purpose introduced a mature, guitar-driven sound, and the hit singles “Sorry” and “Love Yourself” established him as a grownup artist with adult themes. The accompanying Purpose World Tour, which lasted more than two years, was the highest-grossing in history.
Bieber’s latest album, Changes, is the most reflective yet of his troubled life and tumultuous upbringing. Its songs, produced by frequent collaborators such as EDM wizard Skrillex and electro-pop architect BloodPop, are more contemplative than his previous material, as are the videos that accompany them.
The video for “What Do You Mean?” depicts a boy who loses his girlfriend in a driving accident. Then, just as he’s about to lose hope, a girl who looks just like him steps out of the wreckage and runs into his arms. It’s a touching and heartfelt tribute to healing from tragedy. The clip has become a viral sensation, with more than 200 million views on YouTube. It’s also an important marker of a new phase in Bieber’s career, where he is embracing his identity as an emotional healer, not just a pop star. The album also includes a few songs in English and Spanish, which speaks to his growing international fanbase.