Justin Bieber On Rebelling, Romance & Past Mistakes In ‘Seventeen’
Justin Bieber’s residency in headlines over the past year and some prompted a series of apologies from the singer for the first three months of 2015. The 21-year-old continues to make amends in the June/July issue of Seventeen magazine, which features two shots of the heartthrob on the cover.
Admitting to his unhappiness during this turbulent arc, Bieber tells the teen publication, “I was rebelling a little bit.”
“I was getting cockier and cockier. I didn’t have people to check me. I looked back and I was disappointed in myself,” he recalls.
The Canadian, who spent impressionable years in the spotlight when his career exploded at age 15, repeats that he has drawn a line under his past behavior, saying, “You have to own up to the mistakes.”
Bieber adds, “You have to say, ‘I’m sorry if I’ve let you down.'”
Elaborating, he goes on to say, “I always want to be honest and let people know that those mistakes aren’t who I am. Who I am is someone who really cares about people.”
For many Justin Bieber fans, the “Where Are U Now” singer proved he was ready to step up when he was skewered in the “Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber” back in March.
“I turned a lot of people off over the past few years, but I know I can still turn out good music and turn everything all around,” he said, at the end of his roast rebuttal speech. “I’ve lost some of my best qualities. For that, I am sorry.”
In Seventeen’s profile, Bieber reveals he is getting better at dealing with the judgment he receives on social media.
“For a while, I was busy looking at my Instagram likes,” he confesses, then adds, “And if a post didn’t get a certain amount, I was like, ‘Aw, they didn’t like the photo.'”
Bieber muses, “But there’s always a choice: You can let Instagram or stuff on the Internet affect your day, or you can choose to not be bothered by it.”
Post his much gossiped over relationship and breakup with actress-singer Selena Gomez, the singer shared his thoughts on where he’s now at emotionally. He insists he now wants to make considered choices about the people he has around him and a future girlfriend.
“I need healthy relationships with people I can feel safe with. People I can say whatever to, and I’m not going to be judged,” Bieber notes.
On that special someone, the Biebs explains, “In a girl, I want someone who’s confident in herself and honest. I have to find her very attractive and as someone I can see myself with for the rest of my life.”
Is that still Gomez? Bieber was seen on video telling paparazzi and fans outside Rihanna’s Met Gala after party soirees that Selena “looked gorgeous” at the New York City ball.
The jury’s out on that. But, regardless of that ongoing speculation, Justin Bieber is letting it be known he is sorry for his past missteps, and his intention to continue to move positively beyond them.
For more from the icon, click to Seventeen.com. The issue hits newsstands May 19.
[Images via Anthony Mandler/Seventeen]
