“Seasons” in Review
Justin Bieber’s 2020 docu-series shines a light on his “dark season” of mental health
By Kylie Hynes, Contributing Writer
The voice. The hair. The face. The boy that had millions of girls around the world wanting to be his “baby.” I was, and am still, not immune to the bright smile, catchy lyrics, charisma or undeniable talent that have brought Justin Bieber record-breaking success over the years. However, what the cameras didn’t capture was the boy underneath it all who was seeking the same love, support and stability that we all crave. Cameras were always flashing, bright lights were always shining and girls were always screaming at a deafening volume wherever he went. He never got a break—and it almost destroyed him.
At the young and impressionable age of 14, Justin Bieber was thrust out of his tiny apartment in Stratford, Ontario and into the bright lights, flashing cameras and relentless pace of the music industry. It all started in 2008 when he was discovered on YouTube by Scooter Braun, an unknown name in the music world at the time, but someone who would eventually become Justin’s manager and life-long friend (Schwabel, 2011). Scooter kept up Justin’s content-creation on YouTube to build his fanbase, all while introducing him to Usher and signing him to their joint venture before securing him a record contract with famed producer L.A. Reid with Island Records in the same year (Schwabel, 2011).
Justin’s career only went up from there. From his first album in 2009 (“My World”) to his most recent (“Justice”) release in March of this year, Justin has sold over 70 million albums worldwide in a little over a decade and seems to be breaking records left and right these days. As of Aug. 2021, he is the youngest solo musician to have eight No.1 albums, a prestigious title previously held by Elvis Presley (who was 29-years-old when he broke the previous record) for 56 years (CBC News, 2021). He is also the first solo male musician to simultaneously hit No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart and the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with “Peaches,” his seventh No.1 song on the Hot 100. Additionally, he is the No.1 artist on YouTube and currently has the most monthly listeners on Spotify—a whopping 83.3 million (Ting, 2021).
From the outside looking in, Justin seems to have had it all. He admits in his heart-breaking song “Lonely” that “[he’s] had everything in life that people strive for,” but even in the midst of such success, felt emptier and lonelier than ever. After a decade of experiencing the juxtaposition of soaring career highs and the most challenging personal lows, Justin was ready to show the world what he learned from it all.
He appropriately titled his ten-part documentary series with YouTube, “Seasons,” with each of the ten episodes representing the narrative of a different season/time in his life or of his process of making his 2020 album, “Changes.” Told with raw and painstaking honesty from Justin and the people closest to him, this documentary brings viewers through Justin’s journey in a way that is inspiring, heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once.
As a longtime fan, not only of Justin’s music but also of who he’s progressively become, “Seasons” gave me all the feels. Watching him make music with the passion and precision of someone who truly loves their craft, not to mention is crazy talented at it, gave me chills. Hearing the story of how he fell in love with his best friend, married her, and found healing as a result put tears in my eyes and a smile on my face that I didn’t even know was there until the episode was over and my cheeks hurt.
It was episode five, the poignant climax of Justin’s journey, appropriately titled, “The Dark Season,” that brought tears to my eyes. The world might have guessed that Justin was broken from the endless stream of disappointing headlines he made during his teenage years in which his party boy lifestyle, slew of women and frequent run-ins with the law were exposed, but what we didn’t know was just how close he came to shattering completely.
“I felt like I was, like, dying…people don’t realize how scary it got.” Justin recalled the days when his security would come into his room at night to check his pulse; of the days when the first thing he would do in the morning was pop pills and smoke a blunt. Drinking lean, popping pills, doing molly, shrooms and any other substance he could get his hands were his way of coping with fame and the crippling anxiety, depression and loneliness that came with it. His reckless lifestyle was only adding addiction to his already long list of mental health concerns.
It’s not hard to imagine that growing up in the spotlight with the pressure and loneliness that accompanies fame on your shoulders—along with watching your mistakes be broadcasted on the covers of magazines—would be difficult. What Justin claims was the root of his reckless behavior and poor decision-making during that time was the lack of tools his parents gave him to succeed when he was young. “I never had the reliability and the accountability and all these things that make you understand the way the world works (Episode Five, 14:49).” The unstable foundation on which his life was built, when standing against the hurricane of challenges fame and fortune brought, was always bound to break.
What few people saw coming though was the way Justin would bounce back. The cancellation of his “Purpose” tour to focus on his health or the two-year hiatus that followed seemed to come out of nowhere, but it was the best decision he could have made. He spent those two years relentlessly pursuing healing: getting sober, going to therapy, detoxing his body and getting to the root of why he was acting the way he was all those years. Justin credits his recovery and continual process of healing to his faith in God and to his support system which includes his wife, doctors and close friends within his management team.
Flash forward. It’s 2021 and Justin Bieber has been back and better than ever in every sense. He consistently uses social media and his platform to passionately advocate and educate his followers, not only on mental health but also about his Christian faith. These days he can be seen performing for sold-out stadiums on his “Justice” tour, releasing new songs, decked out in Drew House apparel or professing his love for his wife—oftentimes all at once.
Sources:
Bieber, J. (2020, February 3). The Dark Season-Justin Bieber: Seasons, 14:49, YouTube.
CBC/Radio Canada. (2021, March 30). Justin Bieber just broke another record held by Elvis Presley | CBC Music. CBCnews.
Schawbel, D. (2011, April 15). Inside the brand of Justin Bieber: An interview with manager Scooter Braun. Forbes.
Ting, J. (2021, August 30). Justin Bieber breaks all-time Spotify record. PAPER.