Justin Bieber on his faith, his arrest and his new album

JUSTIN Bieber has opened up about his faith, his arrest, his ‘genius’ new album and that whole pissing in the bucket thing.

Bieber kept it casual on the Hit Network rooftop.

“JUST respect the fact I came to sing for you guys,” said the world’s most famous 21-year-old.

Justin Bieber had only just started performing his first of five songs yesterday on The Hit Network’s rooftop in Melbourne when he paused mid-song and told the 300 competition winners in the audience to stay quiet and let him do the singing.

Was it more of the bratty behaviour we’re so used to seeing from the Canadian or was it just a musician wanting his songs to be heard in an acoustic environment without being drowned out by the screams of adoration that follow him wherever he goes?

Either way, as I watched him perform at the radio station yesterday I couldn’t deny that he is an incredibly talented individual.

That talent doesn’t stop him making the headlines for the wrong reasons however.

A model who was partying with Bieber at a venue in Melbourne on Sunday claims she was drugged after having a shot with the star, reports the Daily Telegraph.

In a statement posted on Facebook, 18-year-old Baily Scarlett said she was told to pour herself a drink, then she “did a shot with Justin, and was poured another drink.

“I started feeling overly drunk and not right at all. My vision was ridiculously blurred.

She added she was disappointed by Bieber’s reaction.

“Justin tried to calm me down, saying ‘look into my eyes, you’re OK’ ... then to my disgust he told his crew I was faking, trying to do this for attention.”

It is not suggested that Bieber spiked Ms Scarlett’s drink.

The model’s claims are the latest in a long string of controversies for the star, who says his talent has been both a blessing and a curse.

He addressed many of these “issues” in an interview in Complex magazine released today.

“Growing up, I literally got my identity through being good at stuff,” he said.

“I think that also got me in trouble when I was young, because people don’t like when people are good at stuff. They just hate on it, and that has a lot to do with my hate in general.”

The Baby singer will be hoping that despite the “hate” that haunts his career, his new album will still be a worldwide smash when it’s released in November.

Hamish and Andy hyped up the crowd before Bieber’s appearance.

“I’ve done probably three or four albums that I haven’t released yet,” he said.

“I’ve gotten all of these different modes, and try to dive into different ideas, and I finally came up with something that was pretty genius.

“I’ll hear songs on the radio, and I’m not really a fan of what’s going on right now in music. I’ll hear it and go, ‘Ugh, why is this being played so much right now?’ I have such great music that I want to share with the world.”

Bieber also opened up to the magazine about his 2014 arrest and he remains adamant that he did nothing wrong.

“The police, they just wanted press; they wanted attention. I never was speeding; I never was drag racing,” he said.

“The cop supposedly wanted to be famous for arresting celebrities, and someone had heard him say that prior to that ...

“I was like, ‘Officer, what’s going on? What did I do?’ And he was like, ‘Put your hands on the hood!’ I was like, what? I lifted my hands and I was like, ‘What do you mean, what’s going on?’ He was like, ’I told you, put your hands on the hood! Now you’re under arrest for resisting arrest!’ I felt it, dude.”

Bieber later pleaded guilty to careless driving and resisting arrest and was ordered to attend anger management counselling and make a large donation to charity.

It was another damaging blow to the singer’s reputation after he was filmed urinating in a bucket in a New York restaurant kitchen in 2013.

“Honestly, I think the pissing in the bucket wasn’t as big as people made it seem,” said the star to Complex.

It was all just a little too much for some people at yesterday’s performance.

“Imagine, you hear that f**king Ozzy Osbourne pisses backstage. Immediately, ‘Oh, he’s a freaking rock star!’ As soon as I do it, ‘He’s being a brat.’ Dude, what is bratty about pissing in a bucket? I had to go piss — we all have to pee.”

Over the past 12 months, Bieber’s been attempting to rebuild his public image.

He apologised on Ellen for his bad behaviour, he subjected himself to be the butt of jokes on a Comedy Central Roast and he’s starting to talk more about his faith.

“I want to share what I’m going through and what I’m feeling and I think it shouldn’t be ostracised,” he said.

“I just wanna honestly live like Jesus. Not be Jesus — I could never — I don’t want that to come across weird. He created a pretty awesome template of how to love people and how to be gracious and kind. If you believe it, he died for our sins.

“Sometimes when I don’t feel like doing something, but I know it’s right, I remember, I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t feel like going to the cross and dying so that we don’t have to feel what we should have to feel.”

It’s easy to write Bieber off and to think he’s just an arrogant punk.

But watching him perform yesterday, I got a brief glimpse into his life and it was overwhelming.

Two drones hovered overhead recording his every movement. Residents in the apartments across the road from the radio station were out on their balconies with binoculars trying to get a glimpse. There were hundreds, if not thousands of fans blocking the streets below, screaming every time he leaned over the balcony to wave hello to them.

It was exhausting for me and I only experienced it for 30 minutes. He has to live it 24/7. I’m surprised that I’m about to say this, but perhaps we should cut the kid a bit of slack.

This is Bieber’s life. No thanks.

Justin Bieber for Complex Magazine. Picture: Complex Magazine

Originally published as Justin Bieber on his faith, his arrest and his new album