A shirtless Justin Bieber, only in his underwear and socks, strolled onto the Grammys stage Sunday with a purple guitar strapped around his neck.
The audience erupted in cheers the second Bieber’s soulful vocals filled Crypto.com Arena. The pop star took the Grammys stage for the first time in four years.
Bieber gave an early performance during the 68th Grammy Awards with a stripped-down rendition of his Grammy-nominated song “Yukon.” The 31-year-old singer was up for four awards, including album of the year and pop vocal album for his R&B album “Swag.”
“Yukon” was up for R&B performance but lost to “Folded” by Kehlani earlier in the day. He’s also nominated for pop solo performance for “Daisies.”
Bieber’s intimate performance stood out from the more elaborate sets of the night. He sang softly into the microphone, his arms crossed across his chest and eyes closed during most of it.
When the song came to an end, the pop singer strolled right off the stage, leaving a stunned audience behind.
Bieber’s Grammys performance marked a comeback for the singer, who has scarcely performed live since he canceled his Justice world tour in 2022, citing health concerns. He is set to headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April, which will mark his first U.S. concert since then.
“Swag,” the singer’s seventh studio album, dropped in July — a surprise release for fans and Bieber’s first album since “Justice” in 2021. The album strays away from the pop genre that first put him on the charts and instead leans into a more soulful, R&B-infused sound.
Sunday’s performance comes after a relatively quiet few years for the “Peaches” hitmaker, who welcomed his first son, Jack Blues Bieber, with wife Hailey Bieber in 2024.
Bieber last took the Grammys stage in 2022, when he performed “Peaches” from the album “Justice,” which received eight nominations, including album of the year.
Bieber’s hiatus from the stage, however, did not stop the consistent public scrutiny regarding his personal life and marriage. The singer and Hailey Bieber have been under a microscope since the couple wed in 2018.
Discourse surrounding their relationship only heightened when Selena Gomez, Bieber’s ex-girlfriend, announced her engagement and eventually tied the knot with music producer Benny Blanco last year.
The camera panned to Hailey Bieber, who flashed a smile as she watched Bieber perform.
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