Justin Bieber, popular Canadian singer, known for his most famous songs such as Baby or Sorry, initiated a major ‘comeback’ in 2026. 

In February 2022, Bieber’s Justice World Tour officially began. But in June, Bieber announced that he was suffering from Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (RHS), a rare, painful, neurological disorder caused by a virus that resulted in partial facial paralysis. The tour that was supposed to run through 2023, was officially cancelled early that year due to his health issues, the final show being early September 2022. 

Bieber took a break from music as the shows took a toll on him and focused on his mental health. In December of 2022, it was revealed that Bieber had sold a hundred percent of his publishing rights to Hipgnosis Songs Capital—a private partnership between Hipgnosis Song Management and Blackstone—that was worth approximately $200 million. Though not directly stated by Bieber, it was speculated that he sold his entire music catalog because of a ‘financial collapse’ and debts from the cancellation of his Justice World Tour. 

Throughout 2023 and 2024, Bieber stayed mostly out of the public eye, though he did have a few surprise appearances such as the Rolling Loud Festival in March 2023, and Coachella 2024. During Coachella weekend one, he joined singer Tems and Wizkid on stage to sing their co-labelled song Essence, which was marked as one of Bieber’s first major performances in almost two years. 

Bieber did face some public scrutiny, public confrontations, and fan concerns regarding his absence and mental health, but 2025 was the official start of his sudden comeback. On July 10th, Bieber launched a new fashion brand, SKYLRK. The next day, he drops a surprise album titled SWAG, making it his first full-length project in four years. The album was successful upon its release, dominating streaming platforms and debuting at number two on Billboard 200. It was seen as the “weirdest comeback of 2025”. Later that year, Bieber dropped the following album, SWAG II, in September. Though not as successful as SWAG, receiving a few mixed reviews, it achieved commercial success by debuting number one on the Global Spotify album charts. 

In 2026, Bieber’s comeback soared with his record-breaking performance at Coachella–labelled ‘Bieberchella’– headlining both weekends. He opened with ‘All I Can Take’ off his SWAG album, and continued with more songs of both SWAG and SWAG II. Further in, he performed a ‘sing-along’ with some of his old songs like One Less Lonely Girl and Beauty and a Beat playing from youtube. He also occasionally went through old memes and videos of his younger self. Though it was not what the crowd was expecting, Bieber’s laid-back, “Youtube themed” performance became one of the most-viewed Coachella performances and he became the highest-paid headliner, earning over $10 million. Along with his brand, SKYLRK, selling about $5 million in merchandise during only the first weekend. The brand drastically surpassed the previous Coachella merchandise of $1.7 million. 

Justin Bieber’s performance wasn’t over the top dramatic; instead, it was a calm, nostalgic performance for many Beliebers taking them back to ‘Old Bieber’. It was seen as a healing moment for Bieber to reconnect with his past self, especially seen when he sang along to That Should Be Me. There were mixed reviews about Bieber’s performance, some online comments saying that they’re not happy with his performance, and that it was “lazy” and “lacked effort”. Others say that his performance was for the ‘true belieber’s’ and was a successful comeback to stage since his tour cancellation in 2022.

Even though his merchandise and Coachella performance became massively popular, his new albums give a better insight on how and where he’s been during his absence. 

“It’s taken me years to bounce back from all the terrible decisions, fix broken relationships, and change relationship habits,” said Bieber from an honest post on instagram. Though Bieber faced negative comments, he continued with his music, albums such as Changes (2020), or Justice (2021), holding more maturity and really revealing Bieber’s hardships. Justice was his last album before his four year break. 

SWAG, releasing July 11, 2025, was unexpected. The album only had subtle teasers amongst billboards with the word ‘swag’ on them the night before. The album consists of 21 tracks and was followed by the sequel, SWAG II. SWAG II was released September 5, 2025, consisting of 23 tracks and tracks from the first album, split into ‘Disk 1’ and ‘Disk 2’. Compared to SWAG, as it holds a more laid-back, chill melancholy vibe, SWAG II pops more with its bright, baby-pink cover, and overall more upbeat sound track. Both albums hold similar themes and meaning, exploring Bieber’s life as a husband, new father, his faith, and finding his inner self. SWAG and SWAG II are viewed as Bieber’s most emotional and personal albums. Overall, it sounds like Bieber is settling down and focusing even more on his personal life. Which leaves a lingering question: Where does that lead his career?

“I’ve been touring for so long, even the idea of touring at this point in my life sounds super daunting,” said Bieber.

Due to his performance at Coachella, there have been speculations about Bieber having a possible tour in 2027, but considering the route he seems to be taking, that doesn’t quite fit the case. Instead, Bieber spoke about having a few spot-shows rather than a tour. In late October 2025, Bieber had  twitch streams with friends and collaborators, which resulted in a few deep conversations amongst each other. One conversation, between Bieber and two friends relaxing in a ball pit, Bieber spoke openly about his life’s past and current struggles, and relationship with God. 

In 2019, Bieber wrote a message, posted to instagram, about the struggles in his career, and how he became one of the most hated people in the world. He wrote about his past decisions regarding his relationships, actions, and drug/alcohol addiction. As of today, it appears that Bieber is taking a shift to a more reflection-like route, and he’s going to focus more on himself and family, rather than fully building back the ‘pop-star’ title. But, there are some fans who don’t seem to follow through with that plan Bieber is setting for himself. 

It’s like there’s two sides within the Beliebers fan base. One side, who supports Bieber’s change in his career. The fans here see what he’s doing with this turn, and don’t have any negative comments to say about it. To them, there’s still ‘Old Bieber’, but he’s including honesty, and they’re understanding of that. While there’s the other side where they just want old, pop-star Bieber back. With how they take Bieber’s change, it’s easy to ask: can they really be counted as a true fan? They want to see him back on the big stage, even after he openly said he doesn’t quite want to do any big shows. They seem to support, but still proceed to expect Bieber to go backward rather than moving forward. Bieber shows that he wants to stray away from that part of his life, or at least try to show that, that’s not who he wants to be known for anymore. 

Of course, fans want to see that pop-star Bieber again. That was the highlight of his career and what so many people know him for. But just like us, they have lives and struggles outside of their public persona. Their lives are different because they have to go through it publicly, with some people who try to pry at their private business. And that’s what a lot of fans, not only Beliebers, need to see. The public should learn that not everyone continuously wants their past brought up or their private lives out in the open. 

What a lot of the public can’t seem to understand, just because they’re famous and you are their fanbase, does not mean you need to know everything about them. 

Over time, celebrities will have some type of change within their career, and that’s okay. People are allowed to change. Celebrities are allowed to change. As a fan, you should be able to support if the route they take is different from what everyone knows them for. And if you don’t support it and wish for them to stay the same, then it might be best not to say anything at all. Celebrities should not be ridiculed or put down for their decisions, or change in career, because the image they uphold is what the public expects from them.