Justin Bieber had a rough time over the past few years. He’s had to grow up in the public eye, having his mistake-filled, adolescent years captured by the media. His questionable decisions made the most ardent Belieber raise their eyebrows and maybe even worry. But 2015 gave fans a few reasons to believe again.
The turning point came in March when he appeared on The Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber. First, he conducted himself with maturity, being open about his mistakes. Apparently he requested the roasting. Second, he looked mature in a slim fitting blue suit with a black tie. Third, he allowed some of the top comedians in the world to say things that many people have always wanted to say. The roast was something akin to a public stoning. Once Bieber got what many people thought he deserved the public seemed to let up on him and directed their focus elsewhere.
Then during the Summer he had a highly successful collaboration with Jack Ü. Their hit Where Are Ü Now got them the Best Collaboration award at the American Music Awards. They beat out Kanye, Rihanna, and Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, and Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth. Impressive.
Then in August he released the lead single from his upcoming album. What Do You Mean? was a new sound for Bieber and it was well-received by both fans and critics. At some point Justin Bieber was becoming more known for his bad decisions and relationship woes. This single was a fresh reminder of why he’s the superstar that he is.
In November, he released his fourth studio album Purpose which debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200. This was his sixth number-one album to date. It was streamed over 200 million times on Spotify in its first week.
Justin Bieber’s resurgence this year should be a case study in how to properly get your career back on track. He made some wise decisions, smart career moves and great sounding tracks that should’ve at least turned a few haters into Beliebers.
If you’ve hit a wall and need to make a comeback as a creator, here are a few lessons we learned from the Biebs in 2015:
- Admitting your mistakes and poking fun at yourself can change public perception for the better
- Leveraging collaborations with respected people in your industry can earn you respect as an artist
- Creating at a high level is the best way to remind people why you’re a top talent
