Non-Beliebers: Skeptics question Justin Bieber's humble new image
Is bad-boy singer exhibiting a genuine change, or is it merely a media makeover?
After a years-long absence from the MTV Video Music Awards, Canadian singer Justin Bieber closed the first live performance of his new single by wiping tears from his eyes.
About a week later, What Do You Mean? made its debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Bieber seems to be refocusing on his music career, and the performance and hit debut have been hailed a comeback for the embattled Canadian singer, whose legal woes have been centre stage for the past few years.
But, despite a months-long redemption tour of managed media appearances, Bieber still has some crying foul about his new, humble image.
'The secret' is music
What Do You Mean? is Bieber's first No. 1 Billboard single. Previously, he'd come closest with when Boyfriend fell short by one spot in April 2012.
I've done some things that may not have been the greatest.- Justin Bieber, on
Back then, the former YouTube sensation still had a squeaky clean image, and he expertly side-stepped his only potential scandal when a fan alleged he was the father of her child.
Soon after, though, Bieber started racking up a long rap sheet.
It started as childish antics. Bieber walked through an airport shirtless, urinated in a bucket in a nightclub kitchen, and appeared to spit on fans from a balcony.
His questionable behaviour soon escalated to alleged driving under the influence and assault, as well as a misdemeanor vandalism conviction.
Bieber made headlines for "everything but his music," says Howard Bragman, chairman of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations.
Now, it seems, Bieber's focus has shifted from bad-boy antics back to music. As he gears up for the release of his new album, rumoured for mid-November, headlines about his legal woes have slowed, save for the star pleading guilty to assault charges this past summer.
"That's the secret," according to Bragman. A tarnished reputation can be overcome in two steps, he says: A period of media silence while the star is on their best behaviour, and then a focus on the release of new music.
Britney Spears is the poster child for this strategy, following her downward spiral in 2007-08 that included the former Mousketeer being placed under a psychiatric hold.
She then mostly fell out of the public eye for her erratic behaviour and focused on her career. In late 2013, Spears started a four-year gig headlining a show in Las Vegas.
"I think (Bieber) is growing up and understanding that this is what he needs to do if he wants to continue to make music," Bragman says.
Many of Bieber's devout 'Beliebers' — his Twitter account is the second most followed in the world, with 67.9 million fans — have stuck by the embattled celebrity and taken his Video Music Awards moment as proof the starlet had outgrown his bad-boy phase.
'Softer' TV appearances rehabilitate image
The pop star's image redemption started months ago with a string of curated media appearances.
Bieber surprised Ellen Degeneres on her daytime TV show for her birthday in January. He admitted he was nervous, having shied away from TV appearances for awhile.
"I've done some things that may not have been the greatest," Bieber said at the time. He said he wanted to "just own up" to some of his past.
That evening, Bieber uploaded a public apology. In the video, he explains he was nervous on the show because he "didn't want to come off arrogant, or conceited or basically how I've been acting" over the past year and a half.
The seemingly newly humble celebrity went on to endure a Comedy Central roast, where other entertainers poked fun at the star, and reappeared on Degeneres's show several times, mostly to surprise fans or play pranks.
'Out of control' clients make redemption hard
These "softer" and "more fun" appearances help Bieber's image, says Ronn Torossian, president and CEO of public relations agency 5wpr, who has represented celebrities including Pamela Anderson, Hulk Hogan and Nick Cannon.
But not everyone's buying into Bieber 2.0.
"Would anybody be shocked if Justin Bieber was to be arrested for a DUI? Would anybody be shocked if Justin Bieber was to be arrested for something, you know, stupid?" asks Torossian, who says the star is still not able to stay completely out of trouble.
In a recent Snapchat video, Bieber instructed fans on the proper etiquette for asking him for a photo. "The way that you ask or approach me when you want a photo with me is gonna determine if I take a photo or not," he said.
Some criticized the video, although others, like Bragman, insist that it didn't qualify as bratty.
Bieber also made some contentious statements in a Complex magazine interview intended to shed light on his new adult outlook on life. At one point, he appears to insult other musicians.
"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?'" the singer said. "I have such great music that I want to share with the world."
The comments did not impress Torossian.
From a public relations professional's point of view, he'd like to see the pop star's image softened even more by securing him a mature girlfriend (neither of the younger Jenner sisters make the cut), arranging a few Sunday brunches with his mother and hiring security that protects him rather than allegedly fighting others on his behalf.
But, even with the best PR team in the world, Torossian says it's not always possible to revamp a celebrity's tarnished reputation without their buy-in.
"If your client is out of control, it's very hard ... to help that person."
It would seem Bieber still has some work ahead of him to make Beliebers out of the skeptics.