What happened to Justin Bieber?

For years Justin Bieber was a titan of the music industry, the man was practically unstoppable. However, for the last couple of years we’ve been practically Bieberless, so what happened to the former teen star? And can we expect a return any time soon?

It feels like only yesterday the charts were filled with hits from the up-and-coming teen star, Justin Bieber, being discovered by Usher at a young age resulting in him shooting into the stratosphere with hit after hit and tons of money and fame. Anyone who lived through that time will likely have the tune to “Baby” seared into their brains and whether you adored him or despised him there’s no denying the chokehold Bieber had over the whole of the 2010s. But it’s been a while since we heard from the singer with his last album being Justice in 2021. Aside from that, he featured on a SZA track in 2023 but that’s about it.

Where is Justin Bieber?

Fans grew concerned for the 29-year-old around June 2022 when concert dates for his Justice tour started being postponed according to Bright Side. Bieber would reveal the reason behind this in a post on Instagram on the 10th of June. In the video, he revealed that he was suffering from an illness known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome. The symptoms can include facial paralysis and loss of hearing in the ears. The Mayo Clinic attributes the cause, apparently, the syndrome “occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one of your ears.” 

It’s the same virus that causes chickenpox, which continues to live in your nerves even after the chickenpox has cleared. It can then reactivate causing the syndrome to manifest, meaning that if you’ve ever had chickenpox, you’re at risk of suffering Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Bieber’s video explaining his condition has 64 million views on Instagram and you can see his symptoms on full display. One side of his face looks unnaturally still and one of his eyes isn’t blinking properly. Obviously, he’s had to take some time to recover as it would be practically impossible for him to perform. This all came two years after the singer revealed he was suffering from Lyme disease.

Have things gotten better?

It is possible to recover from Ramsay Hunt syndrome so long as there isn’t too much nerve damage. Bieber was lucky, as it would appear that his symptoms have subsided; a video posted to his story last year shows the singer moving both eyes and smiling as proof of his recovery.

Will Justin Bieber return to touring?

Earlier this month Bieber performed for the first time in well over a year. According to Teen Vogue, he sang stripped-back and acoustic versions of his old material during an NHL All-Star party in Toronto. Whilst that doesn’t exactly confirm a return to the stage, it certainly bodes well for the future.