Jacob Tremblay plays a young Justin Bieber in 'Lonely' music video

Justin Bieber has enlisted the help of a fellow Canadian star for his latest music video. Actor Jacob Tremblay plays a younger version of Bieber in the new video for the beautifully understated and deeply personal “Lonely.” Bieber also makes a small cameo in the video, which addresses the painful downside of fame and fortune.The video opens with Tremblay wearing Bieber’s Never Say Never ensemble of white jeans and a white denim jacket with a purple hoodie and matching sneakers. Sitting alone backstage in a large theater, Tremblay is told it’s time to perform by Benny Blanco, who produced “Lonely” with Bieber. Tremblay grabs a nearby hockey stick and makes a few passes before slowly making his way up the stairs to the stage, pausing to collect himself and practice a few of his dance moves. Tremblay eventually makes it to the stage where he faces an empty audience and sings a few words from the song's chorus. As the camera pulls back, the viewers see that Bieber is the only person in the audience watching his younger self.The new song features an organ piano as the only accompaniment for Bieber's raw lyrical content. “What if you had it all but nobody to call? / Maybe then you’d know me / ‘Cause I’ve had everything / But no one’s listening / And that’s just f–king lonely,” sings Bieber in “Lonely’s” pre-chorus.Bieber addresses his many public embarrassments and legal issues from his younger years, as well as his recent diagnosis with Lyme disease, which came with side effects that led to many media outlets reporting that the Stratford native was abusing drugs. “And everybody saw me sick / And it felt like no one gave a shit / They criticized the things I did / As an idiot kid,” sings Bieber. Speaking to etalk's own Liz Trinnear earlier this week, Tremblay said he was nervous to play the music icon, but found his nerves being calmed after a phone call from Bieber. “I had actually never played a real person before,” said Tremblay. “I’ve always played made-up characters, so I just really wanted to make sure that I had the feelings of the song and how Justin wanted me to feel. I really got to understand, it’s a bit more of a serious song but I’m really excited for people to hear it, so they can see the story. It’s really good.”Sharing the video at midnight on October 16, Bieber said that “Lonely” is a difficult song for him to hear. “To be honest the song is hard for me to listen to considering how tough it was to get through some of these chapters,” tweeted Bieber. “I believe it is powerful to express vulnerability and that’s why I believe this song is so powerful.”[video_embed id='2056227']RELATED: Jacob Tremblay tells us how he ended up in Justin Bieber's 'Lonely' video[/video_embed]The singer also praised the 14-year-old Room, Good Boys and Wonder actor on Twitter following the video’s release, writing “Jacob Tremblay is so talented. It was emotional to see him play me from the outside looking in.”Fans are celebrating Bieber’s latest single, which has reframed some of his past lyrics in a new light.

At what age did you find out that 'Purpose' is the suicide letter where Justin Bieber said goodbye to his friends, family and then turned it into a song? Lonely hits harder when you remember that ... #lonely pic.twitter.com/Kme7EmsaQ3

— mica- lonely (@rhodbiebs) October 16, 2020

Justin Bieber has been humiliated, scrutinized, and crucified by the media since he started his career. Had the biggest downfall in history, almost lost himself but still managed to comeback stronger than ever. He deserve more LOVE and RESPECT #lonely pic.twitter.com/Y0cF45pNEG

— Indah (@ferarribieber) October 16, 2020

you all owe justin bieber an apology for booing him on stage..this breaks my heart pic.twitter.com/OWlvGUEQ3s

— ??? is lonely ? (@bizzlebaddi) October 16, 2020

Bieber’s mother Pattie Mallette also congratulated her son for releasing the personal track.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful vulnerable heart with us Justin. You are so loved and loveable! I’m sorry you have ever been sad or hurt for one second EVER! Reminder we ALL get #Lonely sometimes. I’m so proud of you my son. Keep going! I love you so much. #NoWhereButUp ?

— Pattie Mallette (@pattiemallette) October 16, 2020

“Lonely” is the latest song from Bieber during a year that has included some of his most powerful and introspective work. Dropping his fifth studio album Changes in February, Bieber released music videos for the singles “Intentions” and “Yummy” and debuted the unfiltered YouTube series Seasons, which included Bieber speaking honestly about his past drug use and his struggles with his mental and physical health.  In September, Bieber starred in Drake and DJ Khaled’s “Popstar” music video, which feels like the stardom flipside to his work with “Lonely.” Also in September, Bieber dropped the single and video for “Holy” featuring Chance The Rapper.Bieber is scheduled to make his fourth appearance as the musical guest on SNL this weekend, which will be hosted for the first time by Issa Rae.

 

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A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) on Oct 2, 2020 at 11:00am PDT

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