'It's taken me years to bounce back': Justin Bieber opens up about struggles with stardom
The Canadian pop star also looks back at how fame at a young age drove him to drugs
In a brand new Instagram post, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber has opened up about his struggles growing up in the spotlight, which he now admits led to him using "heavy drugs" at the age of 19.
"You see I have a lot of money, clothes, cars, accolades, achievements, awards and I was still unfulfilled," Bieber wrote. "Have u noticed the statistics of child stars and the outcome of their life?"
Bieber, who was discovered by manager Scooter Braun at the age of 13, spent his adolescence living in the public eye and he now says those circumstances effected the way he grew up — or, in some ways, how he didn't. "There is an insane pressure and responsibility put on a child whose brain, emotions, frontal lobes (decision making) aren't developed yet," he continued. "But when you add the pressure of stardom it does something to you that is quite unexplainable."
He continued to discuss how he didn't grow up in a "stable home" due to his parents' divorce and how his "world was flipped on its head" once his music career took off: "I went from a 13 year old boy from a small town to being praised left and right by the world with millions saying how much they loved me and how great I was."
This post also revealed that Bieber began doing "pretty heavy drugs" at the age of 19, which he says led to him abusing all his relationships. "I became resentful, disrespectful to women, and angry," he stated. "I became distant to everyone who loved me, and I was hiding behind a shell of a person that I had become."
He added, "It's taken me years to bounce back from all these terrible decisions," but he thanked his family, friends and wife, Hailey Bieber, for loving him. He says marriage, the "best season of my life," has since taught him "patience, trust, commitment, kindness, humility and all the things it looks like to be a good man."
He concludes with words of encouragement for others who may be struggling: "Be kind today, be bold today and love people today not by your standards but by God's perfect unfailing love."
Back in March, Bieber took to social media to announce a break from music. Since then though, the singer has appeared on songs with Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, Chris Brown and Lil Dicky.