Beliebers, you may need to sit down for this.
In light of the recent $200 million sale of his music catalog, coupled with tour cancellations and various health struggles, rumors have started to swirl that Justin Bieber might actually be planning to retire from the music industry.
Here’s what has led to the speculation:
Earlier this month, Bieber announced he would be cancelling the remaining 14 dates of his Justice World Tour. While no official reasons were given, Bieber has recently been open about dealing with multiple health issues.
Back in September, in a now-deleted video posted to his Instagram, Bieber opened up about his struggle with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a condition that has caused him facial paralysis. In the video, he revealed he would be heavily focusing on his health for the foreseeable future.
Following the video, Bieber announced he would postpone his tour to a later date in order to “make [his] health a priority.”
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) September 7, 2022
On top of those physical health issues, Bieber has also been open about struggling with a variety of mental health issues for years.
Back in 2016, Justin canceled meet and greets on his Purpose World Tour, citing the “pressure of meeting people’s expectations” was too much to handle.
“I enjoy meeting such incredible people, but I end up feeling so drained and filled with so much of other people’s spiritual energy that I end up so drained and unhappy,” he explained on Instagram. “Want to make people smile and happy but not at my expense and I always leave feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point of depression .. The pressure of meeting people’s expectations of what I’m supposed to be is so much for me to handle and a lot on my shoulders. Never want to disappoint but I feel I would rather give you guys the show and my albums as promised. Can’t tell you how sorry I am, and wish it wasn’t so hard on me.. And I want to stay in the healthy mindset I’m in to give you the best show you have ever seen.”
That was one of the first signs Bieber was needing to take a step back from things — until he then fully cancelled then Purpose Tour, too, saying he wanted his “mind, heart and soul to be sustainable.”
After going silent for a few years, Bieber was spotted in 2018 crying in a car with his wife, Hailey Bieber, an insider told US Weekly, “Justin has become a recluse and a changed person. He has no interest in being a celebrity and an artist. He has withdrawn again, much like he did a couple years ago. He started recording music, but just stopped.”
Later that year, he posted a lengthy comment on his Instagram detailing his personal struggles with anxiety.
“I haven’t believed the truth about myself,” he wrote. “I haven’t believed I am loved. I haven’t believed I am forgiven. It’s a hard thing for me to wrap my head around. I hang my head in shame and I wallow in sadness about the the people who have betrayed me.”
When he finally returned to music in 2021 with his new album Purpose, many fans believed it was a sign he had entered a new , healthier chapter of his life. But an insider told RadarOnline.com revealed that Bieber has continued to struggle with the pressures of the music industry.
“Justin hasn’t felt right with the world for some time, and his stardom weighs heavily on him,” the insider said. “Even his therapist says if what he’s doing makes him unhappy, he should make the hard decision to set it aside.”
And it seems like Bieber is gearing up to do just that. Earlier this year, Bieber officially sold his entire music catalog for a whopping $200 million — the largest sale of any artist of Bieber’s generation. Bieber sold his catalog to Hipgnosis, the music rights investment company.
Scoot Braun, Bieber’s longtime manager, said Bieber made the decision to “preserve and grow [his] amazing legacy.”
“For over a decade now Justin Bieber has entertained us and moved us with some of the biggest songs in the world,” Braun said. “I’m so proud of him and all those involved over the years in helping amass this incredible body of work. Justin is truly a once in a generation artist and that is reflected and acknowledged by the magnitude of this deal.”
And while plenty of artists have sold their music catalogs and continued to make music afterwards, Bieber’s years-long struggle in and out of the music industry have many people believe his music career might actually be in his rearview mirror — and that ultimately he could be much happier and healthier for it.
