The past year or two can be best described as a whirlwind for Justin Bieber. Spending most of his teen years growing up in the public eye and people criticizing your every move, it only a matter of time before a break is needed and/or retaliation happens. Moving on a shaping up from a not so well-received perception in the public eye, Justin Bieber has his head on straight and is gearing up for the release of his new studio album, Purpose. Topping the charts with his current singles, Bieber covers Billboard Magazine, which touches a wide variety of topics ranging from fame almost destroying him, to pals like Big Sean vouching for Bieber’s comeback.
“It might seem awesome from the outside, but I’m struggling,” he says. “Certain things broke my trust with people. Situations happen that taint your mind. I started going through the motions. I felt like people were judging me all the time. I came out alive. I came out swinging. But I was close to letting [fame] completely destroy me.”
“He’s building credibility as a true artist right before our eyes,” says Big Sean, who appears on Purpose and has been friends with Bieber since Justin cold-called him in 2011. “Sometimes people really want you to fail, but when you put good music out, it’s undeniable. You never want to let those motherf—ers win.” Says Def Jam CEO Steve Bartels: “There are so few truly global artists, and Bieber’s still getting bigger. He’s touching a group of people that he never had before. The music is the forefront of that.”
If it wasn’t evident before, it’s more than clear now that Justin Bieber is back on the right track and wants success more now than ever. A little over a week until Purpose is available worldwide, we’re intrigued to hear just how this more mature Bieber has translated into the new body of work.
