Justin Bieber reveals wife Hailey saved him when he was in ‘a really bad place’ last year
FOR years Justin Bieber was a young pop brat who prompted eye rolls and groans with a string of unruly – and at times criminal – antics.
Fast-forward a decade and as I discovered when I spent a day with him two years ago, the boy has grown up, combining chart domination with thoughtful lyrics, a new-found spirituality and a glamorous wife.
But at an exclusive playback session to mark the launch of his sixth album Justice, out today, the born again star revealed the last 12 months have brought a host of behind-the-scenes challenges which saw him become “unstable”.
And he says he has Mrs Bieber — stunning model Hailey Baldwin — to thank for helping him get his life back on track.
In a gushing tribute, he explained: “One of the tracks on the album is called Unstable, and for me it’s a really emotional song because I was in a really, really bad place — maybe a year ago.
“Fortunately my wife was just there for me through it all and so the whole message of the song is ‘You loved me when I was unstable’.
“She really held me down and, you know, just continued to love me through a really challenging, hard season that I’d been in — so the person in the song, that was me.
“It really resonates to where I was at. I think there’s probably a lot of other people who have been in this same position, and my goal has always been to be relatable.
“To make music that can speak to everybody, or at least speak to most people.”
He added: “There’s a balance between being in love but also being human and having those moments of feeling unstable and wondering, ‘Will things ever get back to normal?’.
“I think it’s important for me to not only talk about the lovey- dovey stuff — which is very much a part of my life right now — but talk about some of the struggles.
“And I think it was very important for me during this process to ask myself, ‘What are people going through? What are they feeling at this time?’.
“A lot of people have lost jobs. A lot of people have lost loved ones. A lot of people, their whole lives have been turned around, and so that’s caused a lot of instability in a lot of our life.
“So I hope this can connect with people and provide some sort of reprieve from those feelings.”
Destined for romance
HAILEY was just 12 when she first met Justin – two years her senior – when they were introduced following one of his live TV performances in the States – and the pair became good friends.
But the model, posing here in Superga trainers after becoming an ambassador for the footwear brand, said romance was always destined to blossom.
She told Elle mag yesterday: “We were friends first for a really long time before there was anything romantic.
“But we always knew that we were aligned on what we wanted in our future.
“We had talked about wanting to be married young and having a family young and building a life – even before we knew we wanted to be with each other.”
After finding spirituality in recent years, Justin adds that he hopes fans will see the album as a comfort during a tough period.
And it clearly marks the latest step in the former child star’s transition to a serious artist.
The songs combine radio-friendly hooks with deeper messaging and lyrics than before, paraphrasing quotes from Martin Luther King and tackling a range of serious issues.
Justin said: “Ultimately the goal here is to continue to get better with each album and continue to dig deeper, continue to connect more with the audience.
“It’s a really challenging and tough time for everybody and I know a lot of people have been isolated, but music is really an outlet to bring people together.
“So I ended up naming this album Justice.
Love, pain and upbeat island vibes
I’VE had an exclusive first listen to the new album – but here are Justin’s thoughts on the songs.
2 MUCH
One of my favourites. It’s one of those hopeless romantic songs where I get to talk about how much I love my wife. My favourite line is: “Don’t wanna fall to sleep, I’d rather fall in love.”
DESERVE YOU
A mid-tempo song with Phil Collins vibes – you’ll get it at the end.
AS I AM
At times I have felt unworthy of love and this song is saying: “Take me as I am then I’ll do the best that I can.”
OFF MY FACE
This love song has lyrics: “Cause I’m off my face in love with you.” It’s playing off being in a bit of a mess over someone. I’m off my face in love with you. I know most us have felt that.
UNSTABLE
This one really resonates with where I was at last year. It features The Kid Laroi, who is 17 and reminds me a lot of myself. He is small-town boy who loves music and has this really passionate voice.
DIE FOR YOU
It’s just about that person you would do anything for. It starts off with a very powerful message from Martin Luther King.
SOMEBODY
We always want that person in our life that’s going to be there through thick and thin. So that’s the message of this song.
GHOST
One of my most emotional yet, it’s about losing somebody you love. It’s sad but also uplifting.
PEACHES
I wrote this song on a piano and posted a clip on Instagram. A friend heard it and made a whole actual beat to it.
LOVE YOU DIFFERENT
This features a guy called BEAM from Jamaica. He’s got a really cool island sound.
LOVED BY YOU
Has the same kind of tone as Love You Different and features Burna Boy from Nigeria.
THERE SHE GO
I think this one will be ginormous on TikTok. It is with Lil Uzi Vert, who is one of my favourite artists.
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“There’s so much injustice in the world and has been since the beginning of time, so if I can do my small part just to continue that conversation of what does it look like, then I’m pleased.”
I mean, it’s not the White Album, but Justin’s sentiment is the right one. And he is now the complete pop star — talent, intrigue and a chaotic lifestyle to boot.
Sure, he gets lost in showbiz dreamland sometimes but with pop tunes as good as this, he’s won me over — I’m a total Belieber.
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