And The Grammy Goes To…
“I grew up in a system that rewarded my gift but didn’t always protect my soul. There were moments I felt used, rushed, shaped into something I didn’t fully choose. That kind of pressure leaves wounds you don’t see on stage. I’ve been through pain that shaped me before I had the words to name it…But I’m not speaking as someone still broken…I’m speaking as someone…healed” (Bieber, 2025). After four years, the Canadian pop sensation resurfaces into the spotlight. Justin Bieber. A household name sufficient of his own sentence. A celebrity status that conditions immediate cognitive resonance. Even away from the stage, his fame sustained in his footsteps; A foreshadowing to the message he most recently made at the Grammy Awards this February. Here, he decided it was time to reframe the negativity that became his fate. In reconciliation with the unwanted realities of his life-long stardom he strips down from the pursuit of success, with a storytelling statement. Namely, that at his core, he too, is just a soul, and not a lifeless product to be sold.
Amidst the outspoken performances of this year’s Grammys, Bieber rewrote his script. As presumed, the stage presence of his fellow nominees was widely produced. From dancers, to set designs, and dazzling attire – his artistic trajectory was trail blazingly minimalistic. Some would say lackluster, others would say strategically symbolic. He didn’t walk in the industry’s expectations of oversaturation but instead paved a path of his own declaration - to be seen in his truth, unveiled from his songs. Where less was more, where less was loud. In purple boxers and black socks, Bieber stepped foot on to the stage unclothed from the mass manufacturing the music industry craves. Accompanied by an electric guitar, he sings an acoustic rendition of “Yukon”, from Swag, his latest album. With a drum pad and loop pedal he composes a live production, sampling and layering sounds. Bieber defied the norms of noisy distraction through a one-man show, fully self-sufficient in unison with his music – making simplicity, newly outspoken.
Justin Bieber performs at The 68th Annual Grammy Awards | Getty Images
His rendition was powerfully suave, purposeful, and slow-paced. With his body language serving as its own instrumentalist. For one, Bieber’s gaze rarely sought the audience and rather looked away, close-eyed. A subtleness, as if to maintain a sense of solitude between him and his fame. Declaring that it is no longer something he cares for, even if he still chooses to partake. Because acceptance means more than ignoring the inevitability of your truth. Especially when it will only remain engrained, freedom is a choice, residing within your response. And as for his half-naked frame, well this was an act of armor, a rebellious rejection to the music industry. This was a man empowered in his healing, from what had harmed him. Through the same skin once exploited for profit and prize. Shredding him down in his vulnerability, only now it’s under his own right. As he embraces the mankind, they tried to weaponize for monetization.
Justin Bieber performs on stage during his "Purpose" tour at Madison Square Garden | Getty Images
“From its inception the music industry has operated in a manner that systematically disadvantageous artists “(Quezada, 2025). From navigating life under perverted structural protection, to the lack of mental health resources in exchange for reputation – its world is built for “success”, not for safety. And to face public pressure, while screaming as a voice in the void can only create a loneliness as deep-rooted as it sounds. This, along with other perpetrations, alarms the break celebrities often take. Justin Bieber is a survivor of a carnivorous framework that had no intention to shield him. Instead, he was malnourished in his identity, as an objectified entity. A puppet. A robot. A brand. A face. From child star to teen craze, he was nurtured in the maternal milk of misuse. With a team behind him, waiting for wins, rather than holding him close throughout associated struggles. What is the point of being a best-selling artist, when no one sees you beyond your songs? With such sentiment, his hiatus commenced – where walking out of the industry alive, arguably became his biggest career high.
“What happened to me was real. But it doesn’t get the final word... I’m not a product. I’m not what the industry demanded. I’m a son. Because I am healed, I can forgive – not to excuse injustice, but to make sure it doesn’t keep reproducing itself through me. I don’t want to burn the music industry down. I want to see it made new – safer, more honest, more human. Healing doesn’t make me silent. It makes me free to tell the truth without hatred. Jesus didn’t heal me for myself. He healed me so I could help change what once hurt me. I didn’t come out of this untouched I grew up inside a system that took more than it guarded. That pain was real – but it doesn’t define me anymore…I’m not speaking as a victim still bleeding – I’m speaking as someone restored” (Bieber, 2025).
Justin Bieber performs onstage during the 68th GRAMMY Awards | Getty Images
Justin Bieber’s, “Yukon”, was an emotionally raw depiction of his current stance in the music industry. It was a quiet call to change, heard with anything but silence. It was a plea for more authenticity rooted in raw passion, rather than the papier-mâché of public embrace. It was a true testament of artistry in the act, and the man in the reflection of his own name. Justin Bieber. With the only prop on stage, being a full-length mirror angled his way, introspective of his unfiltered talent. Here, it looks back at him as an honest homage of his purpose – absent to anyone but himself and his music. The atmosphere imitated the process of creation, at peace from the audience, and liberated in his own haven. Bieber’s performance urged self-reflection, for both himself, and the industry. One of awareness, and accountability of the all-encompassing caretaking that failed him.
Bieber’s final flex was a humble f- you, as he walked off the stage, as the final beat played, only to come back shortly after to turn it off himself. His manual intervention was a clear accreditation of his own control for his artistic take. Untouched by the external influence of others. As the music falls silent, he sets down his guitar and walks away once more. Reaffirming an aura that was nonchalant, rebelliously uncaring, and rejective of praise. Afterall, he didn’t do this for the hype, he did it for his humanity. With the intimate intent of proving the point, that he has nothing left to prove at all. For no Grammy, or accolade could ever amount to the success of his independence, in which the singer redefines winning as subjective. Justin Bieber. He doesn’t need to say anything more or anything less to be a household name. He already is, and always will be. Only now he’s on a mission of integrity, setting a standard for realness. As he reveals himself to the masses of the man behind the discarded machine. And oh boy, has his message been received – as he leaves the industry with an aftertaste of where they can no longer intervene.
References:
Justin Bieber, [@lilbieber]. (2025, December 24). I grew up in a system that rewarded my gift but didn’t always protect my soul. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DSp8VEVD4sA/?img_index=1
Quezada, Aury. The Unconscionability of 360 Contracts in the Music Industry , 2025, scholarship.shu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1675&context=student_scholarship.
Strike Out,
Kynda Kailea Green
Miami
Kynda Green studied in the field of Communications and Media. She enjoys exploring her artistic expression through creative directing, writing, and film. Her passion pursuit includes her poetry page on Instagram. Here, she reflects on the relatability of the human experience while connecting through art. In addition to her self-published work, you can find her frolicking in nature, venturing new places, and taking photos with friends.
