The Untold Truth Of Justin Bieber
"Baby," "Boyfriend," "Sorry," "Yummy," and, "Peaches." These simple titles are indicative of a broader pop culture phenomenon, and his name is Justin Drew Bieber. The Canadian is one of the most famous musicians in the world. At the time of this writing, Justin Bieber has released six studio albums: "My World 2.0," "Under the Mistletoe," "Believe," "Purpose," "Changes," and "Justice." The singer has been nominated for 14 Grammys and has won two.
At Bieber's level of stardom, his beginnings can seem like they were a lifetime ago. He started touring internationally as a teenager — a big departure from the talent show days when he was singing "So Sick" by Ne-Yo (he came in second place, per his official Myspace bio). With the video of that talent show, Bieber was one of the first YouTubers to become a recording artist and make it big in the industry.
How does raw talent bloom into celebrity? The answer varies, but Bieber's storied ascent is a fascinating place to start. It all begins at home in Stratford, Ontario. Justin was born in 1994 to Jeremy Bieber and Pattie Mallette, who were never married. Mallette shared on God TV that she attempted suicide six months before finding out she was pregnant with Justin. The young mom and her church community "dedicated his life to Jesus." Jesus and music are constants in Justin Bieber's life. What else is there to the Biebs? Read on for a look at his kaleidoscopic existence.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Justin Bieber found fame on YouTube
It's normal to hear of a public figure getting their start on YouTube or Instagram today. Back in 2007, such a path to fame was hardly well-worn. Forget the pristine footage of the modern era and remember a grainier time. Viral videos had found their way into the zeitgeist. People realized they could say, do, or sing anything they wanted and publish it on the Internet.
15-year-old Justin Bieber told Ellen DeGeneres on "The Ellen Show" that he "was in a singing competition, like, awhile back. I was 12 years old, and my friends and family, they couldn't make it, wanted to see me, so I posted those videos on YouTube, and I guess it kind of just blew up." Well, sort of. Scooter Braun, the manager-mogul who discovered Bieber, shed some light on the process in a 2011 Forbes interview.
When asked about the short time in which Bieber became "an international sensation," Scooter Braun answered, "I don't think it was a short period of time. We built his YouTube channel over three years. He had a bigger YouTube channel before we even did a record deal with Usher." Braun emphasized his own involvement, saying he "[filmed] half of those videos you see online" and moved Justin Bieber and Pattie Mallette "to a town house a block away from" him. Bieber suddenly met Usher, who got the singer an audition with L.A. Reid, and Reid offered Justin Bieber a contract with Island Records.
Inside young Justin Bieber's world
Scooter Braun and Usher paired Justin Bieber with a vocal coach, Jan Smith, who is known as "Mama Jan" per Vox. The Biebs kicked things off with an EP called "My World" in 2009 and released his first full album, "My World 2.0," in 2010. The debut EP introduced hits like "One Time" and "One Less Lonely Girl," and the full album gave the world "Baby" featuring Ludacris. Justin Bieber told Interview magazine that "My World 2.0" was "mostly about girls," adding, "I want them to hear my music and wanna play it again because it made their hearts feel good."
Bieber got his wish, climbing to the number one spot on the Billboard 200 with his 2010 album. Crowds of screaming fans surrounded him, and countless female fans hoped to be that "One Less Lonely Girl" he'd bring onstage while he performed the song.
Fans got their first look at Bieber's life and initial success with the "Never Say Never" documentary in 2011. The film covers everything from Bieber's early childhood and love for music to the realization of his dream. The wide-eyed pop star sold out Madison Square Garden in New York City as gleefully as he returned to Canada for a Toronto concert with his loved ones. He worked through the rigors of tour life with the help of his team. It wasn't always easy, but the singer seemed to love his career, for the most part.
The Believe era saw Justin Bieber's growing pains
The beginning of adulthood was a rocky ride for Justin Bieber. Per BBC News, Bieber came out nearly two hours late for a London concert on the Believe Tour in 2013. A follow-up BBC article noted that Bieber apologized on Twitter but maintained that he was only 40 minutes late. The "As Long as You Love Me" singer was developing a bad reputation all around. TMZ reported that he relieved himself in the mop bucket of a New York City restaurant. The Daily Mail publicized his underage drinking at a Los Angeles party. Media outlets were reporting on a bad news Bieber fairly regularly — Entertainment Weekly characterized 2013 as a "no good, very bad" year for the celebrity.
In 2019, Justin Bieber reflected on the trials of his younger self in an Instagram post. He wrote in part, "I went from a 13 year old boy from a small town to being praised left and right by the world with millions saying how much they loved me and how great I was ... By 20 I made every bad decision you could have thought of and went from one of the most loved and adored people in the world to the most ridiculed, judged, and hated person in the world!" Fame and fortune were a lot for the star to handle as he matured. Throw in relationships, and things got even more complicated.
His relationship with Selena Gomez was turbulent
Selena Gomez told MTV News in 2010 that she felt "like a big sister" wanting "to protect" Justin Bieber. Those feelings shifted to romance over time. People relived a 2011 date where "Bieber reportedly rented out the Staples Center" so the couple could have a "candlelit dinner on the court, followed by a private screening of 'Titanic.'" Bieber supposedly tweeted after the dinner, "romance isnt dead. treat your lady right fellas. #REAL." Bieber and Gomez's relationship wasn't exactly low-profile, like in 2015, when Bieber sang to Gomez in Beverly Hills (via People/Instagram).
The relationship had high highs and brutal lows that continued to cause concern. Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez have each spoken about their on-again, off-again relationship, which they shared throughout the 2010s and ended in 2018. When an Instagram bully claimed Justin only married Hailey Bieber "to get back at SG," Justin responded: "I absolutely loved and love Selena she will always hold a place in my heart, but I am head over heels in love with my wife and she is absolutely the BEST THING that has ever happened to me period" (via Harper's Bazaar).
Even if Bieber still feels love for Selena Gomez, Gomez shared with NPR that she endured "emotional abuse" in the relationship. On the meaning of her track "Lose You to Love Me," Gomez said, "I had something beautiful and I would never deny that it wasn't that. It was very difficult and I'm happy it's over."
Faith is a constant in Justin Bieber's adult life
Justin Bieber was known as a Hillsong guy after his bathtub baptism at Tyson Chandler's home (via Complex). Then-pastor Carl Lentz and Bieber were close for a while, but Bieber was a bi-coastal Christian who's worshipped regularly at Pastor Judah Smith's Churchome. The Daily Beast reported that Pattie Mallette once "called Judah, asking if he'd meet her son. As fate would have it, they'd met years earlier when Judah was hosting an event in Toronto. Eight-year-old Justin purchased one of Judah's cassette tapes and listened to it in bed every night."
The Daily Beast found that celebrities arrive at a back entrance and are treated as front-row VIPs. Judah Smith said he wanted them to have "a fair opportunity to sit in peace and quiet without being distracted and bothered." When Justin Bieber led worship at Churchome, as seen in a video obtained by TMZ, he said he "[didn't] want people to think [it was] a show."
Justin Bieber is committed to sharing Jesus with his followers. The star's Instagram is full of evangelizing messages, like "God is madly obsessed with you." Bieber sometimes elaborates, like when he wrote, "I am a Jesus guy. What you may not know is that I am not a religious man. I follow the teachings of Jesus and believe he is the Messiah." While "judgmental posture, exclusion, hatred" are things the singer wants "no part of," he aims "to love and look like Jesus and point people to his miraculous healing power."
He has a long history with Hailey Bieber
Diehard Beliebers would know that Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber first met in 2009. Justin recalled the meeting in his "Seasons" documentary: "I was on an early morning show, and she did not wanna be there. ... Like, she didn't care at all."
They eventually became pals before they were ever more than that, although rumors swirled around their friendship. Smiling in a car with Hailey, Justin wrote on Instagram in 2014, "People are crazy. I'm super single and this is my good friend u would know otherwise." In 2015, i-D asked Hailey, Gigi Hadid, and Kendall Jenner about their friend, Justin Bieber. "Baldwin spelled out that Justin would be back, bigger and better than ever," and when prompted, Justin said, "Hailey, isn't she just the best, ever?" In 2016, Hailey told The Times, "We went through a long period of time when we weren't friends. We didn't speak for quite some time and there was a lot of weirdness that went on." Hailey said she and Justin were "better as friends" and called him "somebody I really cherish." Romance returned in due time.
Justin announced the couple's engagement in a lengthy 2018 Instagram post, joyfully pledging his love to Hailey and delighting over God's "literally perfect" timing. In sum, Justin's excitement at marrying Hailey was clear: "Can't wait for the best season of life yet!. It's funny because now with you everything seems to make sense!"
Marriage is Justin Bieber's 'calling'
Justin and Hailey Bieber will admit that their marriage isn't perfect. Hailey told Elle in 2021, "I learn new things about him and about myself and about our relationship all the time. Do we have little fights and stuff that we have to work through sometimes? Yeah, of course, but it really doesn't ever feel like work, because I love him so much. I see forever with him."
The Biebers said yes to forever for the first time in September 2018. About a year after those New York City courthouse vows, the couple had a ceremony in Bluffton, South Carolina at the Montage Palmetto Bluff, People reported.
"I just felt like that was my calling. Just to get married and have babies and do that whole thing," Justin Bieber told GQ. He continued, "we're just creating these moments for us as a couple, as a family, that we're building these memories. And it's beautiful that we have that to look forward to. Before, I didn't have that to look forward to in my life. My home life was unstable. Like, my home life was not existing. I didn't have a significant other. I didn't have someone to love. I didn't have someone to pour into. But now I have that." The Biebers have each other in the best of times and the worst of times.
He opens up about his health issues in the Seasons documentary
Justin Bieber is one of several celebs to release an eye-opening docu-series on YouTube. "Seasons" explores Bieber's adolescent struggles while also highlighting his serious health issues.
An episode called "The Dark Season" specifically focuses on Justin Bieber's woes and illnesses. He was "12 or 13" when he began smoking weed. Bieber's doctor met the star when "He was a wreck. He had recently stopped using drugs. He was anxious, overwhelmed, not sleeping." The documentary incorporated old news footage of Bieber being arrested at age 19 "for allegedly drag racing, driving under the influence, and resisting arrest — all misdemeanors."
Bieber explains in the episode that he "never had ... security ... consistency ... reliability, or accountability." Such psychological needs were woven into the medical. Bieber discovered that he had Lyme disease and the Epstein-Barr virus, but he was previously misdiagnosed as being bipolar. He discussed these darker days with GQ: "I did have mono, and I do have Lyme disease. But I was also navigating a lot of emotional terrain, which had a lot to do with it." Thankfully, Bieber is feeling better. The film has a triumphant air as the musician resumes work after a long break. He is happy at home, joyfully making music in the studio with his beautiful wife by his side. She can be seen cheering him on and helping him with his hyperbaric oxygen chamber to reduce his stress.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
How much money does Justin Bieber have?
With over a decade of work in the entertainment industry, it's no surprise that Justin Bieber has amassed a fortune. He has a net worth of at least $285 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. On top of his music, tours, and official merch, he's also got his Drew House clothing line, which he launched in 2019 with friend/stylist Ryan Good and designer Gianpiero D'Alessandro. Selling a bunch of pricy threads must add up, but Bieber has also worn some of the finest. His 2021 GQ shoot finds the star decked out in clothes and accessories with jaw-dropping price tags (like a $46,200 Cartier bracelet).
Justin and Hailey Bieber live in some lavish abodes, too. They bought their latest Beverly Hills home in August 2020 and reportedly paid $25.8 million for it (via People). The Biebers own an Ontario, Canada house, which cost $5 million and has a "private horse racing track," according to TMZ. Justin Bieber has owned and rented plenty of other properties, including his New York City apartment that fans just won't leave alone. They bothered Bieber in 2020 and prompted the singer to write in a since-deleted Instagram story, "How do you convince yourself it's not completely inappropriate and disrespectful to wait outside my home to gawk, stare and take pictures as I walk into my apartment," Page Six reported.
Justin Bieber does not have a cell phone
Bieber fever surrounds his New York pad. In 2021, a fan (@vanessafex) made a TikTok video that captures Justin Bieber's frustration at the stakeout. "I hear you," Bieber repeatedly said, adding, "But this is my home. You know what I mean? This is where I live, and I don't appreciate you guys being here. ... You know at the end of the night, when you come home, you want to relax? This is my space to do that. So I'd appreciate it if you guys could [leave]."
Boundaries are important to the "Holy" singer. He appears to have streamlined his life in some ways. When Billboard interviewed Bieber, they found that "he does not possess a cell phone, which isn't actually that normal but gives him the power to limit who can reach him." No instant access to this pop sensation. Bieber handles his chatting with an iPad instead. The man knows that his personal life is precious, which must be why he clocks out at 6:00 p.m. each night to hang with Hailey Bieber. Music is a lifeblood to him that is best when properly nourished with family time.
"There was a time where I really did have my identity wrapped up in my career, but I really do have an overflow of feeling like my purpose is to use my music to inspire," Bieber told Billboard.
Justin Bieber has made the news for strange reasons
Justin Bieber's odd news items could plausibly be linked to the trials of his youth, or simply to his gargantuan amount of privilege. In 2013, Justin Bieber abandoned his monkey, OG Mally, when German officials confiscated the pet in Munich. Bieber failed to obtain the necessary paperwork and retrieve him, so Mally went to the zoo. "It wasn't like I went looking for a monkey ... it just kind of fell in my lap," Bieber told GQ. He claimed he had the right papers but also acknowledged that he was encouraged not to bring the capuchin monkey. In 2018, Babe.net learned from a zoo rep that Mally continued having "issues speaking the capuchin language," but "he did recover fine and he is healthy."
2016 brought another perplexing incident when Bieber "and his mates pulled his pants down and insulted our staff at the site" of Mayan ruins in Tulum, the National Institute of Anthropology and History told ET. Bieber realized that "it was disrespectful ... showing my a** and stuff," he told GQ.
More positively in 2021, Bieber befriended a 79-year-old Greek man called "Mr. Andreas." The man had no clue who Bieber was while opening the tavern door for him to eat lunch. Bieber made the Greek City Times for his simple seafood meal: "Justin Bieber ate privately yesterday and obviously went crazy for grilled sardines, he even took four packets of the seafood delicacy to go back on the boat." That's more like it.
Justin Bieber loves his blended family
It seems that Justin Bieber makes time for his parents and many siblings whenever he can. He is the only child of his mom, Pattie Mallette, but his dad, Jeremy Bieber, has several other kids. While married to Erin Wagner, Jeremy Bieber welcomed Jazmyn and Jaxon (via Distractify). When he married Chelsey (his current wife), Jeremy gained a stepdaughter named Allie, and he and Chelsey had a baby girl named Bay in 2018. Justin Bieber posted a picture on Instagram with Jazmyn and Allie in 2021 and wrote, "my sisters r growing up so fast." He also shared a photo of Jaxon on the playground and captioned it, "@jaxonbieber comin with the sauce."
In Bieber's "Seasons" documentary finale, Jaxon watches his older brother play hockey and says, "It's sometimes hard and I get really sad when I don't see him. But when the times I do get to see him I'm really happy 'cause we get to play with each other, play games and stuff like that." Jazmyn followed by saying, "He teaches me some dance moves. We mostly spend time with family when he comes. And he's really fun." Bieber's maternal grandparents have also been a positive force in his life. His grandfather tells the camera, "You can't distinguish how proud I am of him. I couldn't even try and tell you how proud I am of him."
Allowing his musical identity to shift
After "Changes" was considered as a work of pop at the Grammys, Justin Bieber became frustrated and shared his thoughts on Instagram. He "set out to make an R&B album" with "Changes." However, Bieber's 2021 "Justice" album isn't so fussed about its genre. Writer Gregory "Aldae" Hein told Vulture, "There are songs you can dance to, but I think every song makes you feel something." Writer and bandleader Bernard "Harv" Harvey added, "It sounds like big pop, but if you listen to the lyrics, it's very simple love songs." Harv said Bieber was at his best in "his mental [health], his relationship with Hailey, his career, and just his overall happiness. He put all of that into this album." With permission from Bernice King, Bieber includes Martin Luther King, Jr recordings on "Justice."
Bieber is "in the people business" with his music, he told Zach Sang. The star continued, "as long as people want to hear from me, then I want to continue to give them records and content and whatever that looks like. I want to keep evolving with the times and I want to keep being connected to what people are into, and I just want to continue to grow as an artist and give people what they want but also make sure that it is connected and makes sense to what I'm going through." It sounds like Justin Bieber has arrived at a healthy approach to music-making.
Mentoring younger musicians
Justin Bieber has taken time to reflect on his career and growth as an artist. His music video for "Lonely" (a Benny Blanco collaboration) has Jacob Tremblay playing teenage Justin Bieber, who feels the effects of his newfound fame: "What if you had it all/But nobody to call?/Maybe then you'd know me/'Cause I've had everything/But no one's listening/And that's just lonely."
The pop star knows what it's like to take a leap and work hard for a dream. Bieber has become a mentor to younger artists like Billie Eilish and The Kid Laroi. "Anything that he makes at all, I'm excited about. I don't care if he pooped and put it on a plate and put that in a store. I'm excited," Eilish said in the "Seasons" finale. In Billie Eilish's own documentary, "Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry," the singer called Justin Bieber her "first love" when she was on "Kevin and Bean." Later in the film, Eilish was incredibly moved when she met and hugged the Biebs, who sent her personal words of encouragement.
Both Eilish and The Kid Laroi are officially collaborators of Bieber's. Justin Bieber dedicated an Instagram post to his "Stay" project with The Kid Laroi, writing that "@thekidlaroi is no one to play around with." Bieber even plays basketball with The Kid Laroi, who told Olli Mag, "It is loopy, that is my boy now." As he continues on his own musical path, Justin Bieber is clearly inspiring the next generation.