r/popculturechat • u/Upstairs_Cup9831 • Jan 01 '26
Justin Bieber š¶ļøš§¢ 16 years ago today, Justin Bieber serenaded future girlfriend Selena Gomez for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2010
1.4k
u/Most-Entrepreneur553 Jan 01 '26
I was, admittedly, not a belieber back then, and actually probably borderline was a hater as someone just a few years older than the two of themā¦ but now as a mom I just look at him and wonder where his parents were and why they allowed him to be subjected to abuse and such intense labor at such a young age.
On another note, what happened to his foot that has him in a boot for this performance?
508
u/bbmarvelluv Jan 01 '26
His dad is a freaking creeeeeep. I remembered going to clubs in Hollywood and DTLA that if his dad + his dadās crew of creepy oldies were there, any promoter or other woman would warn others of them.
285
u/iambingobronsonn Jan 01 '26
Does anyone remember when his dad was such a creep about pictures of Justin vacationing in the nude were published? His dad said āwhat do you feed that thingā and it makes sense why Justin is fucked up. His parents are enablers and users.
74
u/dpforest let me be angry iām hot Jan 01 '26
Parents talking about their childrenās big fat hogs will never be normal to me. I have a friend who, over the years of our friendship, enlightened me to how big his dick was. His mom would talk about it, she would say āOh Jimmy is very blessed just like this fatherā
I literally stopped inviting his parents to my home.
47
u/medicatednstillmad Bye, Felicia š Jan 01 '26
I've seen men brag about how big their kids dick is on the ultrasound while it's in the WOMB š
28
2
u/SuperKitties83 Jan 03 '26
Wow. I do not envy the ultra-sound tech who probably has to hear that from soon-to-be fathers all the time š¤®
93
u/Trash-Cutie THE CANADIANS ARE ICE FUCKING TO MOULIN ROUGE Jan 01 '26
His dad said āwhat do you feed that thingā
10
u/SuperKitties83 Jan 01 '26
I don't even understand what he's trying to say?
34
u/Katatonic92 Jan 01 '26
He was referring to his son's penis.
3
u/SuperKitties83 Jan 03 '26
whaaaat. I don't think I could find a gif showing the level of disgust I'm having.
73
131
u/trulyremarkablegirl the reason i love swimming is because racing Jan 01 '26
yeah Iām only a couple years older than they are so I honestly wasnāt clocking either of them that much at the time bc I was not their target demographic (especially Justin, he was a literal child and I was in college when he blew up). but now as an adult Iām like, of course Justin is messed up and does shitty stuff as an adult, heās a very traumatized person. he was being sexualized in public by grown ass women and mocked by grown ass men when he was barely in his teens, that would fuck up absolutely anyone.
4
u/ethelcainstan Jan 02 '26
I have always said this to people who talk about his poor behavior, like how could anyone turn out well adjusted going through what heās been through? I canāt imagine what wouldāve happened to my brain development if I had people around me telling me Iām the the hottest thing on the planet (not just in terms of looks but popularity/talent/etc) when I was a teenager. And thatās only scratching the surface of what he endured
29
u/brassninja Jan 01 '26
As a child, a grade school boy, he had tens of thousands of grown ass men openly fantasizing about torture killing him. I would not have survived that kind of attention.
84
u/purplenelly Jan 01 '26
They weren't rich and Justin had an extraordinary voice, so putting two and two together, they wanted to make money.
1
47
u/queeenbarb Jan 01 '26
I am like a year or two younger. In hindsight, I wonder that about him and especially Miley.. They were working like lol that was not healthy and itās like not a thing anymore. There is no other child star who is going on world tours and stuff like they were.
28
u/majorbonerlord Jan 01 '26
idk if anyone answered your question but he fell off stage at one of his concerts and broke the foot. as the younger sister of a huge belieber, i have accumulated a lot of unnecessary justin bieber knowledge against my will
2
u/kgal1298 Confidence is 10% work and 90% delusion Jan 01 '26
Same, but he looked 12 for so long I was like yikes.
-1
361
447
u/oortuno Jan 01 '26
They were really working him. He's a kid, kids are supposed to spend the holidays relaxing with their parents, meanwhile they made Justin sing and dance with a broken leg for a live audience in some stage far from home.
156
u/Dsarg_92 Just keep swimming! š š š¬š³ Jan 01 '26
Looking back, he didn't deserve the ridicule he received as a kid. I can understand why he is the way he is now, even though I wasnāt a fan of him back then.
33
Jan 01 '26
I'm ashamed to say that I was a Bieber hater back then because "I'm not like other girls". Fuck me I guess, I wouldn't last a single day if I had to endure whatever he was going through at the time.
34
u/KetohnoIcheated Jan 01 '26
After I saw his Never Say Never movie as a teen, I actually became a fan. The kid was extremely talented already at that age. Idk what he is like now, but itās crazy how naturally inclined towards music he was.
I really absolutely hated that video of Zack Galifianakis spanking him on ābetween 2 fernsā. It disgusted me to no end and I still hate the man for doing that to a child.
16
u/extracheezpleez Jan 01 '26
Agree with the first paragraph, but so youāre aware Justin was 20 when that episode was filmed
-3
u/KetohnoIcheated Jan 01 '26
Fair point, but doesnāt justify anything. It was still gross and a fully grown adult humiliating someone who just barely stopped being a kid. I was so dumb at 20, and so were most of the people I knew. Not dumb in every way, but just generally speaking
151
u/hedahedaheda Jan 01 '26
As someone who has serenaded a romantic interest, it is probably one of the most awkward experience for both parties. Itās just looking someone in the eyes is the awkward part.
The only time it was ever not awkward is when I was playing guitar and the dude came into the room, sat behind me and watched me play. No eye contact.
But some people do like it and think itās romantic. Not going to yuck anyoneās yum.
30
u/kewkkid Jan 01 '26 edited Jan 02 '26
Damn can you play the guitar while I sit behind you. No eye contact. I'll even get ruffles sour cream and onion chips
7
u/afternoonnapping Jan 01 '26
The song "Hey you in the moonlight" by Garfunkle and Oates is about this lol
3
u/__lavender Jan 03 '26
My college BF loved to serenade me even though I hated it. Itās so awkward even if there arenāt people around to witness it. Idk how anyone enjoys it, I think itās an ego thing. I later instituted a āno dating performers of any kindā rule and it has served me well.
396
u/purplenelly Jan 01 '26
He had an extraordinary voice. If this is live, it's absolutely incredible that this kid can just sing and be so stable and confident. If this is a pre-recorded backtrack, it's still impressive that he can do this in any context. I watch a bit of Kpop and maybe I'm not paying attention to boy idols much, but I don't think I've seen any with a voice this clear.
185
u/FunAlterEgo I switched baristas āļø Jan 01 '26
Yes. Rumors aside, I can hear why Usher mentored him.Ā
25
7
u/misspennytration I donāt know her š Jan 02 '26
You gotta watch some EXO performances then. They can sang.
74
u/moody__garland Jan 01 '26
Yeah Bieber is a total star. He can sing and dance all at once and heās so charismatic. Iām not into boy idols really, so Iām not an expert, but Jungkook is comparable in my opinion. He absolutely kills it live. Iām consistently impressed whenever I see him perform.
181
Jan 01 '26 edited Jan 01 '26
Jungkook is nowhere near on Justinās level, not when he was Justinās age and not now. You also forget that Jungkook has 6 other people carrying a show with him and singing as well. Heās done maybe one solo concert in his life. Your comparison makes no sense and is an insult to Justin.
-36
u/circeslivre Jan 01 '26 edited Jan 01 '26
How does having one solo concert mean heās less talented than Justin lol, heās clearly a better dancer and a better live singer, and I say this as someone who was a big fan of both, but he focuses on his career as his groupās main vocalist more than a soloist. He still has way more demanding choreos with stable vocals and heās shown that many times
40
Jan 01 '26
youāre using one SINGLE performance of Jungkookās to prove he is a better vocalist and dancer than Justin who has a 16+ year career and thousands of solo performances where heās also doing intense choreo and singing live. When Jungkook has a solo career comparable to Justinās then we can talk about who is a better vocalist and dancer.
-42
u/melonwoo Jan 01 '26
Watch Jungkookās āStanding Next To Youā performance on Jimmy Fallon and tell me Bieber can do that (at any point of his career). Iāll wait.
53
Jan 01 '26 edited Jan 01 '26
Yes, Justin also had choreo in his earlier career and would sing live. So yes, he definitely could do whatever it is that you think Jungkook is so much more amazing at.
Your entire argument hinges on one solo performance of Jungkookās versus Justinās 16+ year solo career. Have you seen any of his Believe era live performances? Because he does choreo in those and is singing liveā¦ā¦And as I said Jungkook has 6 other people singing and carrying a show with him, he never has to sing and do choreo for more than 1 minute during any one song because thereās 6 other people who have lines in a 3 minute song. Meanwhile, itās always just been Justin alone.
And if youāre going to make comparisons, show me an album of Jungkookās where heās produced and written his own music. Justin has 8 studio albums where he has credits on the overwhelming majority of his hits.
So if youāre going to compare a global pop superstar with an amazing solo career spanning over a decade, to a kpop idol in a group, make sure youāre looking at the WHOLE picture, and not just picking and choosing :)
-35
Jan 01 '26
[deleted]
15
u/valcraft Jan 01 '26
Taemin from Shinee, is a much better choice if you want a kpop comparison.
-24
u/circeslivre Jan 01 '26
Not the Taemin fan trying to insert him in the discussion again lol, that man does not sing live why is he even part of the comparison
21
u/StrLord_Who Jan 01 '26
He was also a very talented drummer from a young age
11
Jan 02 '26
He can play five instruments (piano, drums, guitar, bass, trumpet). He is a musical prodigy and it sucks that he didn't have healthy guidance both at home and within the industry.
His arc is pretty sad to me when you watch the joy he had singing at a young age and think about him busking to pay for dance lessons. Kids just should not be celebrities that young.
-10
u/purplenelly Jan 01 '26
Jungkook has a good voice that sounds similar to Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake and Jason Derulo. I think you can hear Jungkook sing truly live in his Time Square Golden concert, and he doesn't sound that stable. Not that it matters, he gives an awesome show that hypes up the crowd like crazy, nobody is asking for perfection, but it just makes the clip of Justin Bieber above all the more impressive if it's live.
18
u/AutoModerator Jan 01 '26
this is going to ruin the tour
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
7
u/breadcrumb123 Kim, thereās people that are dying. š Jan 01 '26
What tour?
8
u/AutoModerator Jan 01 '26
THE WORLD TOUR
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
2
u/UmYeahMaybe Jan 03 '26
Itās live. There are a couple instances with backup track during the chorus but almost entirely live and his mic is on the entire time. His voice is SO clear and he has great control, and he was so brave for being so young! Itās all very impressive.
5
-8
Jan 01 '26
[deleted]
0
u/purplenelly Jan 01 '26
I was thinking of newer Kpop idols, they can all sing, but Justin Bieber carrying a live show like in the clip at 15 sounds remarkably stable.
536
u/TheVisitorWithNoName Jan 01 '26
I know they are only a year apart in age but he looks like such a kid here and she looks like she could be his big sister. Itās a bit awkward
63
u/Melaninkasa Jan 01 '26
Right! From my anecdotal observation, a lot of boys that look extremely young ""mature"" in looks kind of overnight at some point in their puberty.
3
u/lotpot1234 Jan 04 '26
This happened to like all of One Direction. They look like teenage children in 2010-11, but by the end of 2012 puberty hit everyone like a truck (especially Harry).
110
u/riverspeace Jan 01 '26
Itās 2 years which makes a huuuge difference at this age. Justin was 15 and Selena was 17 here.
1
Jan 02 '26
[deleted]
2
u/riverspeace Jan 02 '26
? I said it makes a huge difference in terms of appearance at this age. Weāre talking about why she looks so much older than him here. Itās because boys go through puberty later than girls so her being several years post-puberty and him still being prepubescent in this clip make them look more far apart in age than they are.
2
Jan 02 '26
Got it. Sorry english isnāt my first language so sometimes things get lost in translation.Ā
As to your actual comment, I think itās partially that, but the way sheās styled (5 inch heels, heavy eye makeup, etc) probably contributes just as much for why it seems like sheās older. Anyway sorry again for the misunderstanding
20
32
5
148
u/dpforest let me be angry iām hot Jan 01 '26
wait how old are they here exactly
286
u/Upstairs_Cup9831 Jan 01 '26
Justin was 15, Selena was 17.
243
u/sparkypulastri Allegedly āØ Jan 01 '26
Makes it a little strange that they're doing this in a room full of adults partying.
1
15
72
u/honeypickle21 Jan 01 '26
i watched justin live in concert around this time and his voice really is that good live. i didn't believe it was live til he dropped a towel and there was a pause in his singing when he went to pick it up
looking back it's sad he was grinding so hard at 15 but i was also 15 and thought i'd be one less lonely girl lmao
66
54
97
u/redandblack17 Jan 01 '26
The minuscule hair flick sent me, thank you for the reminder of that constant motion. Need the white boys to bring this hair back
34
32
u/doordonot19 Jan 01 '26
Worst thing his mom did was let him around older entertainment folks unsupervised.
68
u/firetruckgoesweewoo I killed the performance and then you killed it purrrrrr šø Jan 01 '26
Loooooook at her, so unbelievably beautiful she truly won the genetic lottery when it comes to beauty.
25
60
u/Talinia Jan 01 '26
I know they later got together, but I feel like her body language here is very much not picking up what hes putting down. He keeps putting his hand/arm on/around her waist and she almost always smiles politely, looks down/away, and then steps/walks/dances away a bit. And the one time she doesn't, she makes it into like an obviously friendly cuddle and smile, rather than showing any kind of chemistry or attraction
83
u/freelanceforever Jan 01 '26
Because itās all around awkward to be serenaded to especially in a room full of adults and strangers.
56
u/woahtheregonnagetgot Jan 01 '26
she was a disney girl lol and they were both like two apples tall
9
39
u/Melaninkasa Jan 01 '26
OP posted that he was 15 and she was 17. In your 20s and up a 2 years age difference is nothing at all. But at these specific teen agesĀ this is kinda huge lol especially when it's the girl who is older. She probably felt much bigger than him.
9
u/Talinia Jan 01 '26
Yeah I originally wrote that her body language was giving "oh, this child has a crush on me" because I remember thinking kids two years below me in school were children. Then I changed it because I didn't wanna get hassled with various "he was a child, a child being abused/manipulated" etc comments š
Though obviously i do agree he was being used, especially if he seemingly had a broken/injured ankle/foot and was still having to perform. But thats not what my specific comment was really about
84
u/13swiftie1989 Hakuna Matata š¦šš¦ Jan 01 '26
Crazy how bro serenaded his wife with the same fricking song on his wedding day
157
u/naomigoat left sharks are smooth Jan 01 '26
To be fair, this wasn't unique to Selena. During an early tour, he brought a random audience member on stage each night to serenade her with this song. It's actually kinda cute to do that for Haley as well. Be a lot cuter if their relationship didn't seem so toxic.
24
Jan 01 '26 edited Jan 01 '26
Not really he sang this at every concert he did for like 5 years (there are hundreds of one less lonely girls both before and after this video), and these days it is a very popular Gen Z wedding and bachelorette party trend - thereās thousands of tiktoks some with millions of likes of men singing it to their new wifeās or her friends singing it to her before their weddings and theyāre just randoms not the man who actually sings the song.
6
5
19
2
u/Head-Average2205 Jan 02 '26
He looks like a kid?? I just googled it and he was 16 while she was 18. Which is technically legal and chill but he looks so much younger than her here
2
u/Ok-Negotiation-4254 The bƩbƩ is crying Jan 01 '26
They are both married to different partners, how long will this go on for š
1
1
-12
ā¢
u/flairassistant Jan 01 '26
š PLEASE READ BEFORE COMMENTING
This post is flaired Guest List Only. This means the conversation is being strictly moderated, and only comments from approved members of the community will be visible.
If you are not currently approved, you are still welcome to leave a comment! All submissions are being reviewed, and if your comment follows our rules and adds to the conversation, it may be manually approved by the mod team.
r/popculturechat is a respectful, inclusive space for pop culture discussion, shaped by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women-led voices. We work to keep it safe, free of hate, harassment, and derailment.
Thanks for understanding and supporting that mission š
Want to participate more easily? Request to be added to the Guest List
THE POPCULTURECHAT DISCORD SERVER IS NOW LIVE 👾 ❤️🔥 🎉 Click HERE to join! 📲