Justin Bieber 'officially changes name' after sending hint to fans before issuing worrying response

Justin Bieber changed his name online and subsequently worried fans with his actions.

The 'Love Yourself' singer has been among the headlines recently for his behaviour, including an apparent online spat with wife Hailey Bieber.

Bieber, 31, has always used his own name as his Instagram handle, but on Thursday (26 June), he confused fans online when he changed his account name to 'lilbieber' with no explanation at all.

Following the change, the Canadian singer also posted a number of bizarre black-and-white posts, a day after sharing a post about getting the 'silent treatment.'

Fans on social media suggested that it may be linked to his marriage to Hailey Bieber, but nothing has been confirmed, as his followers have been completely left in the dark.

It was suggested by some that the artist changed his name in tribute to Lil B, a California rapper known for hits like 'Swag Like Ohio' and 'Cooking Dance.'

Just two days before the name change though, on 24 June, Bieber captioned one of his posts 'lil bieber', with basketball and padlock emojis, in what looked like a hint to the change.

The artist addressed the comments from fans, replying to a post that reported on his new username.

"We love to categorise and box people in and it's hurting us," he wrote, in yet another mysterious comment.

He has also posted a number of ominous snaps with cryptic captions under his new handle, including a rare snap of his 10-month-old son, Jack Blues, which was captioned with three standing men emojis.

It is especially out of the ordinary, given that both him and Hailey agreed to keep their son relatively shielded from the public eye.

Bieber has also posted an out-of-focus picture that was accompanied with nine monkeys as its caption, with followers left scratching their heads after a number of black-and-white self portraits and context-free photos were posted.

Following the change, a new account appeared under the original @justinbieber handle, though it was set to private.

The odd moves come following an admission from the star that he's 'broken' in a post that he put up on his Instagram story on Monday 16 June.

Writing online, he said: "People keep telling me to heal. Don’t you think if I could have fixed myself, I would have already?

"I know I’m broken. I know I have anger issues...

"I tried to do the work my whole life to be like the people who told me I needed to be fixed like them."

The 31-year-old went on about how 'tired' and 'angry' he was getting, stating that 'Jesus is the only person who keeps me wanting to make my life about others', as he is becoming 'exhausted with thinking about myself.'

In May this year, Bieber also made a left-field comment about Mother's Day, Hailey's first after giving birth to their son in August 2024.

Taking to Instagram, he said: "Love u moms but mothers day sucks a**."

It looked like it was a shot at his wife, though it looked like she got her own back in a comment that has now been deleted.

Posted on Father's Day (15 June), it read: "Father's Day sucks a**."

LADbible has reached out to Justin Bieber's representatives for comment.