Bieber Fever Is Back

More stories from Sabrina Riley

Remember when Justin Bieber claimed he was retiring from music in 2013? Well, now he is back [even though he really never left] and more than ready to perform for his Beliebers.

It was a rough Christmas for Bieber fans back in December 2013, when Justin Bieber announced his retirement. After the release of his newest album Journals on Dec. 23, Bieber told L.A. radio station Power 106 that he was calling it quits, according to ABC News. He was done with making music and wanted some time for himself.

Two years later and Bieber is back. This past August, Bieber performed at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater for the Billboard’s Hot 100 Festival. When he walked on stage, he wanted to make sure his Beliebers were still out there and asked the crowd, “You guys miss me?” according to Billboard.com. The roaring response from the audience at the Long Island venue gave Bieber exactly what he was looking for. Not only was this satisfying for Bieber, but also for his manager, Scooter Braun. Braun told Billboard, “We knew that the only way this was going to work was if we made it about the music again.” Bieber and Braun want to move away from sensationalism and focus on the most important thing: music.

Looking back on Bieber’s previous career, he was the youngest artist in history to have five No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart. After he made a name for himself in the music industry, he made a public name for himself [and not a good one]. Bieber’s immature actions led to many unflattering tabloid headlines. He has been working on improving his behavior over this past year. The first half of 2015 was basically a breeze for Bieber after he apologized for his “arrogant” behavior on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

People thought the music was going to be the hardest part for Bieber’s comeback, but that changed with his song “Where Are U Now.” This electro-pop song was sent to the No. 8 spot on the Hot 100 chart. “Where Are U Now” was originally made to lead Bieber’s next album, but ended up being the second single on Skrillex and Diplo’s collaborative album, according to Billboard.com. From hearing the song on the radio to making singing appearances, he stumbled into his comeback hit.

Braun believes that this record gave Bieber the confidence he needed in order to move forward. He has now found the lane he wants to take for his music: that song you can’t get out of your head and just want to dance to. His new single, “What Do You Mean” is exactly the type of music Bieber will be producing.

Ladies and Gentleman, Bieber is officially back.