Justin Bieber: A life between too early fame, drugs and trauma

Justin Bieber was just 13 years old when a YouTube video made him world famous. Within a few months, the Canadian boy became a global pop star. Millions of girls shouted his name, his songs like “Baby” and “One Time” stormed the charts, and the music business presented him as a youthful pop phenomenon with flawless image. Today, around a decades and a half later, another question arises: How is Justin Bieber – the man behind the brand?

It soon became clear that the early and quick fame had left its mark. After Bieber’s rapid ascent, the negative headlines were piled up around 2013: arguments with paparazzi, drug use, arrests and public loss of control made the image of the former teen star crumble. His on-off relationship with singer Selena Gomez was also exploited in the media-a burden that Bieber later described as jointly responsible for his mental instability. In later interviews, he spoke openly about depression, panic attacks, insomnia and the feeling of never really being himself in public.

In 2019, he apparently returned. After his wedding with the model Hailey Baldwin, Bieber was matured, reflected and believing. In a YouTube documentary, he spoke about his mental health, his past and his diagnosis with Lyme disease. Lyme Borreliosis is an infectious disease transmitted by ticks that can affect various organs and, among other things, skin, joints, nerves and heart. Bieber began to show himself publicly. An image change that brought him sympathy.

But the way to healing was not straight. In 2023, Bieber received the diagnosis of Ramsay-Hunt syndrome-a rare neurological disease that led to facial paralysis. He canceled several tour dates and withdrew again. In a statement, he explained to want to concentrate on his physical and mental health.

In 2025, Bieber repeatedly came into the focus of the public, this time with a series of worrying Instagram posts. On the occasion of Father’s Day, he published private chat history in which he verbally attacks a friend and ends the friendship. In the message he writes: “My anger is a reaction. On the pain I have experienced.”

The posts show an irritated and exhausted artist who apparently feels misunderstood and pressed. Bieber writes: “I will never suppress my emotions for someone. Conflict is part of relationships. If you don’t like my anger, you don’t like me.” He ends the exchange with the message: “This friendship is officially over.”

The news was accompanied by other articles, including a selfie with a joint, photos of his son Jack Blues Bieber and lines of text, in which Bieber addressed his exhaustion: “People always tell me that I should heal. If I could have repaired myself, I would have been done long ago? I know that I am broken. I know that I have anger problems.”

In another post it says: “I tried to be like the people who told me all my life, I have to be repaired. And that only makes me tired and angry. The more I try to grow, the more exhausted I get.”

Bieber lives withdrawn today with his wife Hailey and his son in Los Angeles. He rarely shows himself in public, he hardly gives interviews. What his posts convey is a mixture of the cry for help, demarcation and struggle for self -determination. The reactions of the fans range from compassion to irritation – many are wondering how the singer really is doing and are worried.