Justin Bieber Thanks 41 Million Fans Amid Mounting Legal Struggles

Justin Bieber, otherwise known as the world’s most famous teenager, passed 41 million followers on Twitter Thursday (June 27), after making history earlier this month with a 40 million milestone.

As usual, no slouch in the social media department, the reigning Twitter King retweeted a message about being #41MillionStrong.

In addition, Bieber’s monosyllabic Instagram tease (“soon”) for his previously announced upcoming anticipated single “Heartbreaker” dropped earlier today.

Inevitably, it became a world wide trending topic after the pop star posted the Instagram link to his Twitter account, while the original post is heading north of 493,000 ‘Likes.’

Added to his 54 million Facebook ‘Likes’, these are staggering numbers, superhero numbers.The instinct to run riot with them if you’re an impulsive, 19-year-old who lots of people are talking and writing about must be irresistible.

Yet, Bieber has been markedly restrained on Twitter since pulling back after online burns in March.

The “Boyfriend” singer’s days of excessive Twitter venting appeared to cease after it became clear that it only fueled media comment.

Debate about whether Bieber is being bullied in the press, targeted in spurious lawsuits or whether he invites public censure — continues.

In a Teen Vogue April interview, Bieber told the magazine:

“I don’t need to address every speculation. Remember when Cam’ron dissed Jay-Z? Jay-Z didn’t even respond. Why didn’t he respond, because he’s Jay-Z.”

Back in March, Bieber’s tweets about “fake stories” in the press, statements about only God having the right to judge him, and his right to disrobe at will, were widely mocked and generally went over like a lead balloon. Then came the Lindsay Lohan tagged, then deleted, Instagram on March 14 — and all hell broke loose.

Even before the saga of Mally the monkey, Anne Frank firestorm, a tour bus drug raid by Swedish police, the singer’s growing tally of police investigations and lawsuits, a gossip-site generated rehab rumor — and, most recently — a video of the pop star allegedly kissing a still married (and reportedly separated) Las Vegas waitress at an indoor skydiving center he is now banned from for alleged non-payment for a group session; Bieber was doing battle with the (mostly) UK media on his social media accounts.

During the London leg of his Believe world tour the singer attempted to talk directly with the media after disputing the widely reported “two-hour delay” at his first London 02 Arena show, complaints about his constant shirtlessness, accusations he was having a meltdown after a clash with a British paparazzo, and criticism over his complaints about his aborted 19th “worst birthday.”

It got worse. Selena Gomez’s ‘cry’ missive on David Letterman’s show was followed by the opening of battery investigation after one of Bieber’s Calabasas, CA, neighbors claimed the singer spat at and threatened to kill him during a March 26 argument over alleged reckless driving and parties in the gated community.

Since then, Bieber and his bodyguards have attracted more paparazzi-related police investigations and lawsuits that, unsurprisingly, increased as tabloid interest in the singer snowballed.

Due to the teen star’s hemorrhaging public image, ongoing world tour, and a likely determination to prove the Billboard Music Award booers wrong, it’s safe to say Bieber — who’s just been hit with a new lawsuit stemming from a 2012 alleged assault and battery of a paparazzo — will not be following X Factor USA judge Simon Cowell’s advice to “take a year off” anytime soon.

The Brit media mogul recently shared his opinion on Bieber’s struggles, telling Fox News:

“If I ever thought one of our artists was being overworked or over-promoted you would just have to say to them, ‘You’ve made enough money – take a year off,'” Cowell said. “You have to be sensible about it.”

Many would probably agree. After pulling in $57.6 million dollars this year, adding to his estimated $100 million fortune, Bieber recently made the Top Ten on Forbes Magazine’s 100 most powerful celebrities list. He was ranked ninth.

Relentless touring on and off since 2010’s “My world Tour” (June 2010 – October 2011), which also included promotional chores for the almost $100 million grossing concert-movie Never Say Never, then press for his 2011 Christmas Under The Mistletoe album, followed by a September 2012 start to his ongoing Believe world tour, has filled Bieber’s coffers but has it drained the artist?

It would seem not. In recent weeks a deluge of tweets about new, upcoming music, a Believe-tour inspired movie (which will be helmed by Never Say Never’s Jon M. Chu) and recently extended tour dates, indicate the Canadian star is on something of a mission.

Manager Scooter Braun and mentor Usher perhaps provided a key reason as to why their protege is so driven when they contributed to a Rolling Stone Bieber profile last August, before the various crises of today.

“I think Justin’s competition is himself,” Braun told the magazine. “I know how bad he wants this and how bad he wants to last, and I know how much it would kill him if he lost it.”

Locked into the tour until it wraps in Perth, Australia on December 8, Bieber briefly addressed the glut of negative headlines engulfing him at his first return-to-tour show in San Diego last Saturday.

During the show encore songs, “Boyfriend” and “Baby,” the singer asked the 9,800-strong crowd to quieten then said:

“There’s something I want to get off my chest,” before adding, “a lot has been said [about me] over the past few months. All I want to say is: ‘I do this all for you.'”

Scroll to 5:30 for Bieber’s brief message:

Bieber has since repeated that message twice on Twitter, and it seems his fans feel the same way.

At each of his tour stops in San Diego, L.A. and San Jose, thousands of fans held up signs that read: “Unbreakable,” “Love,” “We will always Be Here” and “We Hella [a heart image] Kidrauhl.”

Showing his appreciation to those who continue to support him in the most hazardous period of his career to date, last night Bieber essentially told the soon to be 41 million he knows they’ve got his back.

got sent this from last night. pretty incredible you guys printed out all those signs for that moment. Thank u. pic.twitter.com/XdLSdLfWTB

— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) June 26, 2013