The immediate impetus for this post is the internet popping off because Justin Bieber seemingly unfollowed Hailey Bieber on Instagram. And if this was an isolated incident, sure, there’d be cause for concern. In context though, it’s probably not as big of a deal. Because over the last few days, JB has been sharing a lot of Hailey content on social.
Over the weekend there was an IG story with a photo of Hailey and a caption:
"The greatest woman I have and will ever know."
He’s also posted several carousels to his feed. In this carousel, posted just two days ago, second photo, Hailey and JB are skating.
There have also been several sets of pap shots from the last three or four days of them snowboarding in Aspen. Kendall and Kylie Jenner have also popped in to spend time with Hailey.
With all of that in mind, I’m not sure there’s anything here, at least with respect to their relationship. The gossip, then, might not be related to Hailey but to music. Seems like JB’s been in Aspen not just to relax but, maybe, to work. He’s included images of himself jamming and sound mixing in multiple carousels, like this – scroll through:
In one shot in this carousel, he’s on the drums:
There appears to be a healthy entourage joining him in Aspen, all indications that new music might be on the way. And this is what’s most noteworthy considering JB’s been on a looooong hiatus. One of the reasons for his prolonged break from releasing music and performing is that, well, the way his career was managed before didn’t work for him. He’s revealed that it was a struggle for him, especially touring. This kind of recording session – surrounded by friends and his wife and new baby – huddled in the mountains, with trips to the ice rink and the occasional cold plunge…
It's not how his work like was structured in the past. This might represent a new creative process and, if so, it’ll be so interesting to see what it yields. And how soon we might hear it. Especially as it relates to the rumours about why he might be making a comeback – not just for artistic expression but, perhaps, financial concerns?
That’s what Matthew Belloni reported at Puck last week in his list of 25 probable predictions for 2025:
“Bieber hasn’t toured or released new music in more than two years, citing health issues. During that time, he fired most of his team, cut ties with longtime manager/business partner Scooter Braun, and started posting bizarre stuff on social media, sparking rumors about whether he’ll ever return to the stage. But now, despite the $200 million sale of his catalog in 2023, I’m told Bieber needs the money and wants to work. (He still owes AEG a ton for his canceled tour, among other pop star expenses.) To aid the comeback, if that’s the right term for a 30-year-old who took a few years off, he’s got a new attorney in Michael Rhodes to make deals.”
I know that the “needs the money” part is probably what most people might fixate on. But I do like that that’s followed up with “wants to work”. Wanting to work and needing the money at the same time is a lot more comforting than “he’s only working because he needs money”. The fact that he’s sharing that he’s at work, given how reticent he’s been about sharing anything about himself for so long, might also be a good sign that he’s excited about it.
And, really, that’s what we all want for Justin Bieber. Being preoccupied with the status of his marriage (which seems fine) might actually be distracting from what the real story is about his music.
