It’s weird to think that I am 20 years old and still as big of a fan of Justin Bieber now as I was when I first heard “One Time” as a 14 year old in 2009? Back then, he was a promising young teenager trying to figure out how to live in the spotlight. He had a great team behind him; Scooter Braun as his manager, Usher as his mentor, Kenny Hamilton as his body guard, and Ryan Good as his “swagger coach.” This group of men helped him navigate his fame and were there for support when he needed it. With his first album, My World, came success and all eyes on him.
More views on YouTube, more followers on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and more copies of each of his albums sold. A few short months went by and My World 2.0 came out with equal, if not more, success than his previous album and each one after would be more successful than the one before because people wanted to hear what else he would come up with next. This was his rise to fame, when his name was getting out there and he was becoming one of the biggest pop stars in the world.
When Justin started dating Selena Gomez and his album “Believe” came out, there was a shift. Justin was growing up and his sound was changing. This was a good time for him. That is until around his birthday in March 2012, that’s when things started changing. His friend group and attitude shifted and it was interesting to watch. It was during this time that the infamous egging, drag racing, and leaving his monkey in Germany happened.
It was hard to see all of this because deep down his fans knew he was going through a hard time, some would say a late rebellious stage. He lost his privacy and wasn’t able to be a normal teenager so he couldn’t go through those stages like everyone else his age, he was under the microscope that comes along with fame.
That year was hard to watch coming from someone that has been a die-hard fan for as long as they can remember. One bad thing kept happening after the other and it was becoming harder and harder to stay with him and support him in the way we used to. But when he announced his Comedy Central Roast and started out on the comeback path, there was a light at the end of the tunnel that we had all been searching for for a long time.
He made more public appearances along with releasing a song with Skrillex and Diplo’s duo act, Jack Ü. His public appearances included a performance at Ultra Music Festival: Miami and promising to be on Ellen whenever he was in town. His friendship with her and how she was always there for him definitely helped him prove to people that he was trying to improve his image and make up for what he had done.
With his latest album, “Purpose.” that came out on November 13, he changed his sound yet again with help from Skrillex. Dare I say it, this might be the best Bieber since the original Bieber. He has matured through his relationship and break up with Selena as well as putting himself out there and apologizing for all of his wrong-doings. He is genuine in these apologies and has put a lot of time into this new album and bettering the perception of who he is as a person. It is time to give Justin Bieber the second chance he deserves because anyone can truly see that he is trying.