Justin Bieber’s fans are ready for new music!
Photos shared on Instagram by the pop star, 29, this week have his supporters wondering if he could be teasing a new project.
In two separate carousels, the “Never Say Never” singer shared content of himself in the studio and rehearsing on a microphone with bandmates. “Justin’s back 🥳,” Instagram’s social media account commented on one set of photos.
On both posts, fans asked if Biebs was warming up for a Super Bowl performance — a theory not out of left field, as his mentor and collaborator Usher is the scheduled halftime performer.
Before this week, the “Yummy” artist had seemingly been focusing on endeavors outside of the music world such as his recent Drew House and Adidas collab for this year’s NHL All-Star jerseys.
The collaboration “brings a culturally-relevant streetwear collaboration to the NHL All-Star Game while respecting the invaluable tradition of each individual NHL team through the incorporation of a team shoulder patch,” a press release stated earlier this month.
Drew House was co-founded by Bieber and he owns the fashion brand with his friend Ryan Good.
Before that deal, the Grammy winner had taken time away from social media. He returned from his three-month hiatus in August with a sweet photo of himself, wife Hailey Baldwin Bieber and the couple’s niece Iris, who is the daughter of Hailey’s sister, Alaia Baldwin.
The trio were all smiles as the singer’s spouse, 27, held the toddler. “😘,” Bieber simply captioned the upload.
If his studio posts from this week are an indication of his musical return, it will be long-awaited.
Following a Ramsay Hunt syndrome diagnosis in June 2022, he postponed several dates on his Justice World Tour, then canceled all of his remaining shows to focus on his health.
“Earlier this year, I went public about my battle with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, where my face was partly paralyzed,” Bieber wrote in a statement shared on his Instagram Story in September 2022. “As the result of this illness, I was not able to complete the North America leg of the Justice Tour.”
He added that despite being cleared by doctors to pick the tour back up in Europe in July, after his shows in Brazil, it felt like he could no longer continue.
“It took a real toll on me,” he wrote. “This past weekend, I performed at Rock in Rio and I gave everything I have to the people in Brazil. After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I need to make my health the priority right now. So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being. I’m going to be OK, but I need time to rest and get better.”
Bieber concluded his announcement by thanking his fans for their “prayers and support.”
“I love you all passionately!”