Pop singer Justin Bieber, in a heartfelt social media post, opened up about his struggles with growing up in the spotlight, including being “resentful” and using “heavy drugs.”
The chart-topping performer, who became an international sensation as a teenager, commented that early fame led him to make “every bad decision.”
Bieber began his lengthy note by saying that he understands what it feels like to be overwhelmed by life, job, responsibilities, family, finances and relationships.
“When it feels like there is trouble after trouble after trouble,” Bieber wrote.
He then talked about what happens when a child is thrust into the spotlight like he was.
“Have you noticed the statistics of child stars and the outcome of their life? There is an insane pressure and responsibility put on a child whose brain, emotions, frontal lobes (decision making) aren’t developed yet,” he wrote. “No rationality, defiant, rebellious, things all of us have to go through. But when you add the pressure of stardom, it does something to you that is quite unexplainable.”
The singer-songwriter, who has more than 100 million followers on Instagram, further shared that being constantly told how great he was as a teen sensation only made things worse.
“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,” he shared. “You hear these things enough as a young boy and you actually start believing it. Rationality comes with age.”
Bieber elaborated that because of his immaturity, he turned to drugs and was abusive in his relationships.
“I started doing pretty heavy drugs at 19 and abused all of my relationships. I became resentful, disrespectful to women, and angry,” he wrote. “I became distant to everyone who loved me, and I was hiding behind a shell of a person that I had become. I felt like I could never turn it around. It’s taken me years to bounce back from all of these terrible decisions, fix broken relationships, and change relationship habits.”
He concluded by crediting his marriage to Hailey Baldwin with helping him learn “patience, trust, commitment, kindness, humility and all of the things it looks like to be a good man.”
Justin signed off saying, “Even when the odds are against you keep fighting,” and love people by “God’s perfect, unfailing love.”
