Canadian singer, Justin Bieber spoke about his mental health struggles revealing that there was a time he was suicidal as a teenage superstar. In a new YouTube documentary, “Justin Bieber: Next Chapter” which gives viewers an exclusive look into the singer’s life during the coronavirus pandemic, he spoke about his life, fame and depression.
Bieber said:
“I think there were times where I was really, really suicidal. Like, man, is this pain ever going to go away?”
“It was so consistent, the pain was so consistent. I was just suffering. So, I’m just like, man, I would rather not feel this than feel this.”
At 13 years old, Justin Bieber was discovered by talent manager Scooter Braun who watched his YouTube cover song videos. He released his debut studio album My World 2.0 (2010), which contained the hit single “Baby” when he turned 16. This brought him into the spotlight but with fame came insecurities.
“I had no idea that I would get sucked up by all this stuff,” Bieber recalled. “There were just so many people who were so mean. Random people who were like, ‘You suck,’ ‘You look like a girl’.
“I would shake it off and act like it didn’t bother me, but that stuff bothered me and then it affected how I acted and how I treated people. It’s like this ongoing cycle of like, hurt people hurt people. I was just this young kid.”
He stated it is important for lonely people to express their feelings to people to get over their mood.
“I just would encourage people, like, ‘Hey, if you’re feeling lonely, talk about it. Say it out loud.’ There’s a freedom in that. I could have avoided a lot of pain.”