Navigating unscathed the toxic world of showbusiness is a task achieved by very few who enter it, particularly when the spotlight has been thrust upon you so young, as was the case with diminutive pop star Justin Bieber. But through self-reflection and prayer, the teen idol-turned-rebel has finally found redemption.
Marriage to Hailey Baldwin seems to have calmed the 27-year-old Canadian's temperament more than anything else over a frantic 13 years of fame. On that front, it's difficult not to sympathize with a star who was part of the machine at an age where any teenager's consciousness of the world must appear painfully limited.
Global exposure has caused Bieber to recoil somewhat. In the days of Baby, Boyfriend, What Do You Mean? and Love Yourself, the machine required the 70-million record-selling artist to keep pedaling, but in simple terms, now he knows he doesn't need to.
Instead, he could push everything to one side and take a very different route. Although collaborations, rescheduled tours, and a bevy of merchandising opportunities still present themselves at every turn, you sense the singer, songwriter and model will soon be making other plans.
In our interview, he's tight-lipped on upcoming projects, having recently reconfigured a list of live dates in the wake of further tour delays in the wake of the global health pandemic. And yet, he remains chatty, philosophical, reflective, talking about everything from Usher to hitting the high seas.
STRIPLV: Do you miss the "bad boy of pop" persona? BIEBER: It may have been fun for a while, but it becomes boring. A lot of it is just newspapers and hype, so anyone who believed all that stuff, well. You learn after a while that the target is always moving. It's you one day, someone else the next. You needn't stress over it because they'll move on to the next person, which is what happened. Perhaps some things that I did warranted that name, but most of the things I did, didn't. STRIPLV: You've found different ways to relax these days as well, such as chartering yachts. BIEBER: It's an escape. From the first time I was out there, I was so thrilled because it's totally different from everything else. I also love the luxury and the attention to detail. There is something so smooth yet so powerful about a yacht, and that's the beauty of it. It's very intentional that I'm now allowing myself time to relax, and I do love to get away from it all. STRIPLV: Do you feel more reclusive these days? BIEBER: No, I'll never be the sort who wants to be a recluse. That doesn't sound like a fun way to live. I'll always stop to say hello to people, but as I've gotten older, I do understand the importance of separating yourself from the madness of it all, so to have somewhere to do that is very important. It doesn't matter what you're talking about in life. It pays to take your time and to give big decisions the respect they deserve. STRIPLV: What intrigues you most about the sea? BIEBER: It's just a world away from the buzz of the city. I love the whole atmosphere of being by the sea, and I'm always thrilled to go to places like Cannes because while there is such a buzz and energy, the harbor is serene and still. I love that contrast to speed. STRIPLV: But you do still love speed? BIEBER: Sure, of course. I love the sensation you get when driving fast, although a lot of the stuff that's been written about how fast I really drive is totally exaggerated. I'm actually pretty careful because I know that if I crash or get caught speeding, the whole world will know about it within hours, but it's a buzz. STRIPLV: Would you say you made mistakes in the past? BIEBER: I look back now and realize I was approaching a lot of things wrong. Yes, I was frustrated that every stupid thing that happened was getting blown out of proportion by the press, across social media, everywhere. It was almost like I was a reality star rather than a musician. And because of that, I started believing the hype and was acting in a certain way, giving the paparazzi and the journalists ammo, and they were feeding into it. These days, I still need the thrill of and the ability to enjoy myself away from music. Here's the thing, stepping back, doing the nicer things in life, and caring about myself more and others is much more important. As I've said before, I want to live like Jesus. He created a pretty awesome template of how to love people and how to be gracious and kind. STRIPLV: Faith has always been a big part of your upbringing and your life, right? BIEBER: Sure. My mother devoted her life to raising me and instilling in me good Christian values, and I think it is those that brought me back from the edge because, for a while, I was close to letting fame destroy me. I wouldn't suggest being a child star is the toughest thing in the world, but look at the statistics on how many child stars have crumbled and turned out to be whack-jobs. STRIPLV: Of course, some would still get pleasure from seeing a fall from grace. BIEBER: That's true of any successful person or sports team or whatever. It's a natural human reaction, and I understand it totally. I don't mind that; we are all capable of thinking and feeling things we're not proud of. I don't think anyone's perfect, and I think people should understand that when you're living in the kind of world I was living in, and with all the things that I had to deal with, you're going to make mistakes. There are always going to be good and bad moments. STRIPLV: But religion was a big step towards repairing? BIEBER: Sure, and that's an option for anyone. At the end of the day, I'm a Christian. I believe in God. I believe Jesus died on a cross for my sins; I believe that I have a relationship, and I'm able to talk to him, and really, he's the reason I'm here. STRIPLV: Do you feel you have more privacy these days? BIEBER: Actually, I do, yes. People still follow you around, but it's not with the same intensity. People know when to back off, even the press. I'm more hopeful of having a normal life than I used to be. In the past, I could just never imagine what it would be like to again be able to go anywhere on my own without people following me. It really depressed me sometimes. For a long time, I missed just being able to go to theme parks and go on rides and not have people go crazy. I went through some really dark times like I didn't know myself. You think you're not good enough. People hate you. I turned to my father for advice, and he just told me, "You got to be like a rock." STRIPLV: Did you dream about fame when you were younger? BIEBER: No. I was just trying to enjoy the experience: I was trying to enjoy performing for people who love my music. I was never the kid that was, like," "Oh, I want to be famous." Or, "I want to be out there." Not at all, really. I never took it seriously. I never got lessons. Music was something I loved and knew that I was good at, and that was what it was what it was all about for me. That's what I still want it to be all about. All I ever really wanted to be was a real artist, and I still do. I want my music to be respected, and that should be what people talk about rather than some of the stupid things I've done. That's not who I am, and I think people are at that point now. STRIPLV: Remind me how it all got started. You first put out your material on YouTube. How did that lead Usher and Justin Timberlake to stage a bidding war to sign you to a record deal? BIEBER: A lot of record executives started calling the house and talking about deals with my mom. It was crazy. And my mom was worried about not really knowing enough about the business side of things to make the right choice. Finally, Scooter (Braun, an Atlanta-based music executive who is now Bieber's manager) reached my mom after first getting in touch with my school board to try to track us down and then wound up speaking to my great-aunt, and then to my aunt, who then called my mom. STRIPLV: What happened next? BIEBER: Scooter and my mom spoke for a few hours, and my mom came away with a really good feeling about him. Then he offered to fly us down to Atlanta to a studio so we could meet with him and different producers, and that's what set everything in motion. We went to Jermaine Dupree's studio, and Usher just happened to roll up in his limousine at the same time. So that's how the whole Usher thing happened. I couldn't believe it. I was so excited that I went up to him and told him how much I admired his work, and I offered to sing for him right there and then. He very politely told me no and said, "It's cold outside. Let's go in, kid." STRIPLV: Justin Timberlake then got involved and wanted to sign you? BIEBER: What happened was that a week later, when we were back in Canada, we got a call from Scooter, who said that Usher had seen my videos and was very impressed and wanted to meet with us. So, we flew back to Atlanta. But in the meantime, Justin Timberlake's management had gotten in touch with us, and so we also had a meeting set up with him. That's when it got complicated. When we arrived the second time in Atlanta, Usher's people offered to sign me to a contract right away, but we had promised to meet with Justin Timberlake. I really could have gone wrong either way, signing to either label. Usher and Justin were both great guys, and the situations were both unique and really good, but it basically came down to having L.A. Reid backing me up as part of the deal with Usher's side.