Justin Bieber says he was in a ‘dark place’ but insists he’s turned over a new leaf

JUSTIN Bieber says he has turned over a new leaf in his life and his biggest change of all is his “eyes”.

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JUSTIN Bieber says his life is “not easy,” but insists he’s turned a corner.

Days after his Comedy Central Roasting, the 21-year-old has given an interview to USA TODAY, insisting that he has a new-found maturity and perspective on life.

“I’m growing, figuring some stuff out,” he said in the exclusive interview. “As you do when you grow up. You figure out what type of man you want to be, that’s where I’m at.

“I lost hope for a while, I was in a dark place, but it’s about getting out of that rut. It’s about knowing there’s sunshine on the other side.”

Justin Bieber attends his Comedy Central Roast.

He acknowledges his bad-boy behaviour and party hard attitude has badly hurt his image but says there was no single incident that made him want to change.

“I had to see the downs to appreciate the ups, and know what I want. I’m the type of person who has to learn the hard way,” he added. “Sometimes I just have to see what it feels like. But I got to the point where I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t who I wanted to be. Now, I’m around some pretty awesome people who are supporting me and have my back. So that’s pretty cool.”

He says his biggest change of all is his “eyes”.

“You know how you can tell a person by their eyes, their intentions and where they’re at? Well, my eyes changed, they got softer and brighter. They’re open. I have more of a grasp of who I am at this point.”

Justin Bieber and his mother Pattie Mallette.

Bieber added he has changed some of his “entourage”, leaving behind some people who didn’t have his best interests at heart.

As for love?

“Well, at this point in my life I’m so focused on myself that I’m not looking for a girlfriend. I’m just trying to make sure I’m 100 per cent so I can add to the person I want to be with. I want a girl I can trust, who I can lean on. This business is hard, and I want someone I can confide in.”

He says he is working on his relationship with his mother as well.

“We lost our relationship for awhile. She couldn’t really tell me anything; she would try, but I wasn’t listening to anybody and that sort of sucked. But our relationship is getting better now; we’re getting it back.”

Originally published as Justin Bieber says he was in a ‘dark place’ but insists he’s turned over a new leaf