Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Justin Bieber cancels Purpose world tour due to 'unforeseen circumstances'

Bizarre report claims cancellation is so pop star can form his own church - more likely it's due to burnout from his relentless touring for the past two years

Roisin O'Connor
Music Correspondent
Tuesday 25 July 2017 09:05 BST
Comments
Australian reporter claims Justin Bieber cancelled tour dates to 'start his own church'

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Justin Bieber has cancelled the remaining dates of his Purpose World tour, citing "unforeseen circumstances".

The pop star apologised to his fans after the announcement, which affects 14 dates in Asia and North America which were due to take place over the next three months.

A statement on Bieber's website read: "Justin loves his fans and hates to disappoint them. He is grateful and honoured to have shared that experience with his cast and crew for over 150 successful shows across six continents during this run.

"However, after careful consideration he has decided he will not be performing any further dates. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase."

Most of the remaining dates were in the US, but the singer was also due to perform in Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia.

A rather bizarre report by an Australia-based Channel Nine entertainment reporter claimed that Bieber was quitting his tour because he wanted to start his own church.

Richard Wilkins claimed he had received the information from an inside, unnamed source.

"We know that Bieber was in [Australia] a few weeks ago having meetings and attending the big Hillsong convention that they had here. He's very close to a lot of the Hillsong people," Wilkins said.

"Whether he's looking at teaming up with them in something of a more permanent situation or doing some sort of religious activity on his own - starting his own church - we're not quite sure, but that's the word from an inside source."

The more likely reason is simply that Bieber is suffering from burnout after being almost constantly on tour for the past two years.

Amazon Music logo

Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)

Sign up
Amazon Music logo

Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)

Sign up

Speaking to TMZ he said: “I'm sorry for anybody who feels disappointed or betrayed. I have been on tour for two years. I'm looking forward to just resting, getting some relaxation and we're going to ride some bikes.”

Bieber was recently banned from mainland China for what Chinese officials called "bad behaviour". He headlined this year's British Summer Time festival in London - you can read our review here.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in