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Baby, baby, baby ooh: Time for Justin Bieber to grow up?

 

Arj Singh
Tuesday 05 March 2013 11:34 EST
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Justin Bieber performs live on stage at 02 Arena on March 4, 2013 in London, England.
Justin Bieber performs live on stage at 02 Arena on March 4, 2013 in London, England. (Getty Images)

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Some might say Justin Bieber, who was recently photographed wearing two watches, has had too much time on his hands - and last night's delayed performance added to a string of recent controversies that have tarnished his squeaky-clean image.

In January, the pop star was pictured smoking what appeared to be a hand-rolled cigarette, causing outrage among some of his fans, known as "Beliebers", after it was alleged he might have been smoking cannabis.

A day before the pictures were supposedly taken, a paparazzi photographer was killed by a passing car just after snapping shots of Bieber's white Ferrari, although the singer was not in the car.

Since he arrived in the UK for his tour last month, Bieber has been photographed on a string of nights out, including one appearance in which he was seen outside topless in chilly weather.

In late 2011, the "Baby" singer was forced to deny allegations that he fathered a child after an alleged brief encounter backstage at one of his concerts, deriding the claims as "crap".

The Canadian mega-star has enjoyed a meteoric rise to global fame and is the most popular person on Twitter - with well over 35 million followers.

Bieber's career began in 2007 after YouTube videos of him singing in competitions in his home town - Stratford, Ontario - went viral.

They were spotted by record label executives and in October 2008 he signed to Island Records after Usher won a label bidding war with Justin Timberlake, according to Bieber's official website.

Since then he has released three studio albums, with last summer's effort Believe the first to grab the number one spot in the UK charts.

In his short career he has enjoyed an on-off relationship with actress and singer Selena Gomez - currently off - and has regularly featured on magazine covers.

Bieber's heart-throb status is not in doubt - he has been featured in Glamour magazine's list of the world's 50 sexiest men for two years running.

And he has amassed a small fortune - earning 55 million dollars (over £36 million) in just one year between May 2011 and May 2012, according to Forbes magazine.

PA

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