Pop sensation Justin Bieber revealed in a throwback interview with Billboard, back when he was 21, that achieving fame before adulthood is ‘the toughest thing in the world.

Justin Bieber – Getty Images

Pop sensation Justin Bieber who is the man behind hit tracks like Baby, Friends, One Time, and more kicked off his career when he was signed with RBMG Records in 2008 at the young age of 15, gaining fame after his first debut album, My World, was released in 2009.

All the late ‘90s kids would remember JB’s songs and the sensation he created when his pop-driven debut studio album, My World 2.0 (2010), debuted atop the US Billboard 200 and made him the youngest solo male act to do so in 47 years.

However, as they say, achieving fame that young was difficult for the star in making. In a throwback interview with Billboard, the 21-year-old singer admitted that achieving fame before adulthood is “the toughest thing in the world”.

The young adult then admitted that this fame-based lifestyle was messed up and that being in the showbiz industry from a young age can hinder the growth of a child’s mind.

He gave the example of Kylie Jenner and said,” Look at her world: she has been living on TV since she was a kid. Every time she’s looking around she sees a camera, and that’s affecting how she’s thinking and how she’s perceiving people, and why she has to do certain things … Situations that happen taint your mind, especially in this industry. Especially for girls.”

As per The Guardian, Bieber revealed back then that fame had completely almost destroyed him. He said he felt lost and would tell himself: “You’re not good enough. People hate you.”

After working tirelessly for more than five years since he was launched as a teenager, he made $58m between June 2012 and June 2013, according to Forbes. Bieber also announced his retirement and took time off from live shows and other large public events but that also proved to be short-lived.

Bieber’s whole existence has been defined by the internet, which has been both a boon and a curse for the star. While he rose to fame thanks to his online fans and streaming success, it also exposed him to significant scorn.

Thirty years ago, you would have read about him only in teen magazines or seen him on TV music and chat shows, and that would have been it. But now, with social media, every move a celebrity makes is tracked.

Moreover, he previously cut short a show in Norway after just one song, saying to the crowd, ‘I’m done. I’m not doing the show.’ Following that, he didn’t perform live in concert until 2024.

As of 2024, Bieber seems to be on a career-high once again. He was in Mumbai, India earlier this year, performing at a wedding staged by Mukesh Ambani, the 9th richest man in the world.

Bieber also became a new dad to a baby boy named Jack Blues Bieber with his wife, Hailey Bieber. Justin took to Instagram to announce the news on August 23, 2024.