I’m sure all of you know of Justin Bieber. He is a singer/songwriter from Canada who was discovered on YouTube. The first song that he released through iTunes was called "One Time." The first time I heard this song, I thought a girl sang it. Sorry, Justin. I was not a 2010 Belieber. I did not think Justin Bieber was cool. Unlike many others, I cannot say that I have been his supporter throughout his entire singing career.
Justin Bieber got in a lot of trouble through December 2013 to August 2014. Between hitting people, egging houses and illegal street racing, these are just some of the reasons Justin Bieber was in hot water with law enforcement. Not cool, Justin.
We were all getting tired of seeing Justin getting in trouble. He was on the news every week, it seemed. He went from a cute boy with a nice voice to a conceited teenager who didn’t know how to handle fame. Even when all of this stuff was on the news, I didn’t really pay much attention. I didn’t care.
May 2015 is when Justin Bieber really caught my attention. First of all, at this point, he had passed that awkward stage of puberty where he still sounded like a kid but his pants sagged below his butt and he wore too much jewelry. This is when he started to own up to the stuff he did. Who knows why he did it, but he turned around his attitude and showed his fans that he was sorry for his behavior. He did this in a couple different ways.
We were all excited for Justin Bieber’s roast, right? I know I was. Even though he was being made fun of for all of the stupid stuff he did, I really appreciated the way he put himself out there. Yeah, he acted stupid and he finally realized it. So now, he was ready to move past it. And the best way to do that is to laugh about it so that we can get over it. It worked pretty well.
Justin Bieber’s roast was pretty funny. Most people found some kind of comic relief from it, even if they weren’t fans. It featured many other celebrities including Martha Stewart, Snoop Dog, Shaquille O’Neal, Will Ferrell, etc. This is when I noticed Justin Bieber. Because it doesn’t take much to act like a cool, conceited teenage celebrity, but it takes a lot to recognize your mistakes and put yourself in a vulnerable position the way that he did.
Shortly after this, Justin released the song “Sorry.” It hit #1 in 13 different countries. This song is pretty self explanatory if you haven’t heard it. But it serves as an apology. Take it as you wish, but I know that myself and many other Bieber fans heard it as an apology to his fans for all of his bad behavior. It includes the lyrics, “Is it too late now to say sorry?” and “Yeah I know that I let you down, is it too late to say I’m sorry now?”
Well, I accepted Justin Bieber’s apology. It may be partially because he is good looking and a great singer, but the main reason that I have fully embraced his comeback is because I am a firm believer in second chances. All of us make mistakes. And as cliché as it sounds, not all of us are in the spotlight, but his mistakes were broadcasted for all to see. That does not mean it’s acceptable, but it puts things in a little more perspective.
I don’t stand behind everything Justin Bieber says or does. I am definitely a “post-arrest Bieber fan,” but it is not just because of who Justin Bieber is; it is because I know what it’s like to have to reinvent yourself. I can only imagine how hard it is with millions of critics watching your every move. I fully embraced Justin Bieber’s comeback because he is working to better himself. We can’t ask everyone to be perfect, but I support him in his career. I admire the efforts he has made to apologize to his fans and to set a new example that better represents who he really wants to be.
I am a Belieber because I believe in second chances. I forgave him. Will you?
