It’s OK to Beliebe again
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Beiber is a changed man.
Source: Supplied
GIVEN that he’s been living in a bubble of sycophants, assistants and hangers-on tending to his every need since he was 14, it was somewhat inevitable that Justin Bieber would eventually turn out to be a jerk.
And boy, did he ever.
The YouTube star-turned-professional screw-up has been through a lost weekend that’s lasted nigh on three years.
During that time, he’s been spotted urinating in buckets and cussing out pictures of Bill Clinton, vandalising a neighbour’s property, and allegedly driving under the influence.
Even the most loyal of fans found it tough to stomach the snotty, entitled, obtuse behaviour he displayed at his 2014 deposition in connection with a battery lawsuit filed by a photographer.
But now, the Biebs appears to be a changed man.
He’s spent most of 2015 apologising for his past actions, via appearances on “Ellen” and his own Facebook video.
He’s also learned a degree of humility, taking the onslaught of jabs and barbs aimed at him during a Comedy Central Roast in March in good spirit.
If anyone needed taking down a peg or two, it was Bieber, and he knew it.
Apologising might win some forgiveness, but it’s the art that will rehabilitate his career — and that’s where Bieber is putting in the hardest work.
He’s already scored a huge summer hit with “Where Are Ü Now” — a surprisingly tender EDM collaboration with Jack Ü (Diplo and Skrillex).
And now he’s followed it up with his own fully fledged comeback single, “What Do You Mean?”
The catchy dance-pop track dropped on Friday, will be performed at the MTV Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, and seems destined to earn him another Billboard smash in the weeks to come.
Part of the reason jeering Justin Bieber virtually became a national pastime is his history of fluffy, prepubescent pop.
But with these two tracks, Bieber is showing he’s making strides to grow up as a musician — as well as a man.
Sure, there’s no guarantee that he won’t screw up again (remember, he’s only 21, and screwing up is what 21-year-olds tend to do), and his upcoming fourth album will have to step up from the generic R & B of his 2012 collection, “Believe.”
But for the first time in a long time, there’s little embarrassment in admitting you’re a Belieber.
