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Justin Bieber Opens Up About Feeling Like He’s ‘Drowning’ in ‘Hate’

"WE CAN ONLY LET HATE GO BY FIRST ACKNOWLEDGING ITS THERE," the singer wrote.

Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Evan Paterakis

Justin Bieber is ready to “let hate go,” according to a heartfelt message he penned on Instagram Stories Sunday (March 16).

Writing in all caps, the pop star began by sharing, “I WAS ALWAYS TOLD WHEN I WAS A KID NOT TO HATE … BUT IT MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WASNT ALLOWED TO HAVE IT AND SO I DIDN’T TELL ANYONE IVE HAD IT.”


Going on to say that the shame of harboring hate in his heart has made him feel like he’s “BEEN DROWNING FEELING UNSAFE TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT,” the “Peaches” singer added, “I THINK WE CAN ONLY LET HATE GO BY FIRST ACKNOWLEDGING ITS THERE.”

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“HOW COULDN’T WE FEEL HATE FROM ALL OF THE HURT WE HAVE EXPERIENCED?” he concluded the post, which he aptly paired with SZA’s 2022 single “I Hate U.”

The next day, Bieber followed it up with a much shorter message: “If they aren’t talking s–t U must not be goin brazy enough.”

The posts come just days after the Grammy winner leveled with fans about a similarly vulnerable subject, with Bieber writing on his Story March 13 that he feels “unequipped and unqualified most days.” “I personally have always felt unworthy,” he elaborated at the time. “Like I was a fraud. Like when people told me I deserve something. It made me feel sneaky like. Damn if they only knew my thoughts. How judgmental I am, how selfish I really am. They wouldn’t be saying this.”

He’s also spoken to fans about it being “time to grow up” in recent weeks, writing in February that he was working on “letting go and remembering the weight isnt on me to change.”

“The weight is on God,” he added. “So I give all my insecurities and my fears to him this morning. Because I know he gladly takes it. Asking Jesus to genuinely help me with simply the next step today.”

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Bieber hasn’t released an album since 2021’s Justice, which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He has been teasing this year that he’s working on new music, sharing occasional photos from the studio on Instagram.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.

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Tate McRae
Igor Pjörrt
Tate McRae
Pop

Tate McRae Is No. 7 on Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of 2025

While 2025 pop was mostly led by established A-listers with already-minted legacies, one still-rising star danced her way into their ranks, building her own legacy in real time.

For this year’s update of our ongoing Greatest Pop Star by Year project, Billboard will be counting down our editorial staff picks for the 10 Greatest Pop Stars of 2025 all the next two weeks. Last week, we revealed our Honorable Mentions artists for 2025 as well as our Rookie of the Year and Comeback of the Year artists. Now, we reach No. 7 on our list with an artist who earned her way to pop superstardom the old-fashioned way, with big singles, bigger videos and electrifying live performances: Tate McRae.

Listen to our Greatest Pop Stars podcast discussion about Tate McRae’s breakout year here.

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