Justin Bieber Talks Trust Issues, Trying To Be His ‘Best Version’ & New Love

Justin Bieber is back with new music and a rejuvenated state of mind.

Following a turbulent couple of years away from the spotlight, during which he reportedly began seeking help in the fall of 2014, the superstar spent the first quarter of 2015 apologizing for mistakes. First, there was his candid self-filmed video in February, apologies in magazines, the The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and a funny but brutal Comedy Central Roast in March.

Now, with just one day to go until his new single “What Do You Mean?” from his upcoming album drops on August 28, and a follow-up performance at MTV’s Video Music Awards on August 30, the Biebs swung by New York radio station Z100 for a chat with Elvis Duran. The singer talked about his past mistakes and how he moved on from them. Us Weekly magazine got a preview of the interview.

Bieber opened up to Duran about his efforts to stay grounded amid the pressures of fame and fixations of haters.

“I just want to be around people who I feel are supporting me,” the 21-year-old told Duran, “uplifting me, and making sure I’m the best version of myself because there are so many people in this industry who just want to keep seeing me fall.”

Asked if he would do anything differently, Justin mused, “Would I do anything different? I would probably stay away from Miami,” he quipped, referring to where he was arrested on suspicion of DUI last January.

On more serious note. Bieber admitted he had found it hard to realize he needed to make changes when he was in the thick of his troubles.

“It has to be on you. You have to make the conscious effort, because for me, so many times it was good people coming in my life and tugging at me, but I wasn’t ready,” he explains.

The heartthrob added, “They’re like, ‘Justin, come on.'” The singer went on, “But I wasn’t ready to take that leap and be like, ‘Okay, this is what I want to change, this is who I am, and this is not who I am.'”

“It takes moments of clarity to be like, ‘Oh, that’s why I’m not like this. That’s why I shouldn’t do this.'”

Of those clarity moments, Bieber says he had to learn the hard way and from his own experience.

“I mean, maybe I’m a bad influence,” he told his host. “But for me I was like, no, I’m going to do this until I feel like I shouldn’t be doing this.” Ruefully perhaps, he added, “Maybe I was wrong, but that’s how I learn, and I feel like I’m much better for it.”

The young entertainer also confessed that his heart is taken. “Yes. I am in love. Her name is Esther, she’s my little puppy!” he said of his four-legged companion. “She’s adorable. She’s a Silky Terrier. She makes me smile.”

During the interview, Bieber said he is more careful now about who he puts his faith in. “Trusting people is hard, especially for me,” he said. “I’ve trusted people who I probably shouldn’t have trusted before and they’ve hurt my heart.”

Elaborating, he added, “I’m a pretty sensitive guy, so I’ll lay it all on the line, and they’ll kind of pull it. So now I’m figuring out there’s certain people I can’t do that with.”

But the singer says he doesn’t want to become cynical and distrust everyone he meets. “Here’s what I’ll tell the people: Don’t let someone who ruined your trust ruin that next person’s chance to gain that trust. I think I let that affect me and change the way I looked at people for a while.”

He continued, “There’s so many beautiful and amazing people who will encourage you, who will love you, who will not judge you. But I didn’t see that because I completely put myself over here.”

He added, “I still have moments where I’m like, ‘Yeah people suck.’ And then I’ll have those moments of like, ‘No, people are awesome, and this is why I do what I do in the first place,'”

Meanwhile, Bieber’s countdown to the release of lead single e“What Do You Mean” continues. Following Wednesday’s stars: Steven Tyler from Aerosmith, Jaden Smith, and Kevin Hart, an unofficial add arrived in the shape of 16-year-old Brooklyn Beckham, early Thursday morning.

Thanks @brooklynbeckham pic.twitter.com/hdrKkwXaHv

— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) August 27, 2015

The Biebs also tweeted a video reveal of his preparations for the MTV VMAs, showing off dance moves and a vibey mashup of his promo trail.

Duran’s interview with the singer airs Friday, August 28, at 7:40 a.m. on Elvis Duran and the Morning Show.

Are you ready? #WhatDoYouMean #VMAs I'm back ? pic.twitter.com/MKAPEdu9jx

— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) August 27, 2015

[Images via Getty Images]