Is Justin Bieber the Next Kanye West?

“Don’t have a care in the world.” Oh, Justin, we can tell.

From bizarre choices in self-branding to unsettling appearances in the public eye, we worry that our pop star boy crush, Justin Bieber, isn’t as we remember him to be. The Justin we plastered on our bedroom wall is long gone, replaced by someone unpredictable. Time and again, the internet has collectively watched a star unravel, much like one in particular. Is Justin Bieber the new Kanye West?

Kanye’s fall from sanity became clear in 2016 after he was involuntarily held at UCLA Medical Centre. This came after months of unusual and erratic behaviour, including threats to boycott shows and political outbursts. Nine years later, we now watch “Ye” with a grain of salt, casting our opinions on Australian wife Bianca Cinsori, and reflecting on events we now laugh over and roll our eyes over.

Justin’s recent rebranding, displaying “lilbieber” on Instagram, shows imagery of reposted memes, videos, and screenshotted text conversations… reminding you of someone? Bieber’s feed has begun to spark that same uneasy fascination with fans splitting between defending his “artistic expression” and being concerned that something deeper is going on behind the smiling, beanie-wearing selfies (Almost like Brittney Spears without the conservatorship or Kanye as… well just Kanye).

“Yo this reminds me when Hailey and I got into a huge fight,I told hails that she would never be on the cover of vogue.”
Justin Bieber

Justin and Hailey Bieber spotted at Coachella with Hailey Driving a Golf Cart – People Magazine

Justin’s Post about Hailey Bieber- Yikes indeed, pookie. I don’t know about you, but I was enraged. This follows after Coachella, where fans caught Justin in the back seat of a golf cart, whilst Hailey was driving. Was he unwell, rude, upset, or tired? Like Kanye’s public appearances in the years after 2016, Bieber’s outings now carry an additional layer of scrutiny.

Bieber confronting Paparazzi in June 2025 – Page Six

The plot deepens as Justin snaps at photographers, accusing them of chasing money over respect. The moment was heated and unfiltered, and had us wondering… was it justified frustration, or another sign of instability? Either way, it mirrors the paparazzi encounters Kanye had in post-2016.

Then came Daisies. I felt like my once-pop boy crush had come crawling back to fans in reassurance; however, I can’t help but worry our man is going through it. Are we watching an artist evolve creatively, or witnessing the same public unravelling we once witnessed in Kanye?

References:

I Don’t Care- Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran: https://open.spotify.com/track/28Nau7p8TIgcK3WGw5Cn85

Wikepedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Bieber

Vice Magazine: https://www.vice.com/en/article/5150-psychiatric-hold-kanye-west-hospital/

E News: https://www.eonline.com/news/804088/why-kanye-west-is-threatening-to-boycott-the-2017-grammys

Med Page Today: https://www.medpagetoday.com/popmedicine/celebritydiagnosis/87581

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/19/kanye-west-changes-name-ye

Instagram- Bianca Censori: https://www.instagram.com/biancacensori/?hl=en

Instagram- Justin Bieber: https://www.instagram.com/lilbieber/?hl=en

The Sydney Morning Herald: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/celebrity/the-dark-side-of-britney-s-fame-20210206-p5706h.html

BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53494405

The Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14732547/justin-Bieber-slammed-wife-hailey-vogue-cover.html