Justin Bieber gives fans a peek behind the curtain of his life’s Next Chapter in a brand-new YouTube Originals documentary, which premiered Friday (Oct. 30) and sheds light on what the star has been up to since the world shut down in March.
Bieber reunited with director Michael D. Ratner for the doc, just eight months after the duo worked together for the singer’s Seasons docuseries. “I think the last chapter filled in so many holes, with fans wanting to know what he’s been up to and where he was at mentally and health-wise and physically and everything,” Ratner tells Billboard of the difference between the two documentaries. “It left on such an exciting note with the Changes album coming out, and then he was set to go on tour. I think his fans specifically were really interested to know what he’s been up to these past eight months.
“It’s been a big pivot and, granted, as Justin says himself, there’s many larger issues going on in the world for people losing their jobs and whatnot, but I think there’s a real curiosity as to what somebody like Justin would be up to during this time,” he continues. “For the first time in his life, he has a moment to sort of settle down as the universe forces you to stay in one place, and then to juxtapose that with he was supposed to be city-hopping on the Changes Tour. It’s really interesting. I think it was a different style of doc, whereas the other one was very on the run, this one was a little more singular and in his home because that mirrors what’s going on in the world for everybody right now.”
Throughout Next Chapter, Bieber discusses how he’s been healing himself physically, mentally and spiritually — a growth Ratner says was even more evident in person. “He was really in the middle of working through a lot of that stuff during Seasons, and that’s what made that so powerful,” he explains. For the director, it’s also no surprise that Seasons set the record for the biggest YouTube Originals debut ever with more than 32 million views in its first seven days.
“I think that his willingness to be vulnerable in that doc is what made it so powerful,” Ratner says. “You rarely see someone who is a global superstar on that sort of stage be so vulnerable. In this documentary, as Justin says, nobody has arrived, nobody is done growing, but I think you see that process begin to really pay off here. You can tell by his confidence, you can even tell by the way he looks. Even from the trailer release, you see a lot of his fans posting side-by-side photos from that classic, direct-to-camera interviews from Seasons to now. They’ve been putting them side-by-side and just commenting on his mannerisms, his physique and the healthy way that he looks, looking like he’s really come a long way. I did see that, both in the things he was saying and also naturally, just looking at him.”
As a director, that continuation and progression is something truly exciting. “One of the interesting things while making Seasons is that it was so hyped, and so many people were so excited for finding an end or a conclusion to a kid that just turned 26 and has his whole life ahead of him; it’s a false ending. It’s just a moment in time,” he says.
“Justin and I spoke about that. There’s just so much more to tell,” he adds. “Even a week goes by and there’s a lot more happening with Justin. I think that continuation is always something that fascinated me, because he’s constantly going to evolve and you would need to wait years and years and years and years to tell his complete story.”
Ratner also attributes the vulnerability Bieber shows on camera to a trust and bond the duo have formed through working on past projects, also including the Changes visual album and the “Intentions” music video. “I think when you do have that trust between director and artist, you can make really powerful art,” he says. “When you get that work flow, all of a sudden, you get just a really, really authentic viewpoint into his life. That’s when we get that special content.”
So what part is Ratner most excited for fans to see? The preparation and meticulousness that went into the pop star’s Saturday Night Live performance. “That was a really cool thing to see, [Bieber and Chance the Rapper] working some of that stuff out for ‘Holy.’ We also cut in the transitions to them onstage,” he says. “I also thought the prep Nick DeMoura was doing with Justin for the ‘Lonely’ performance was just incredible, deciding how they were going to light Justin and then Benny Blanco. Then you see that actually come to fruition. An inside look at how this all happens and the collaboration and the hard work that goes into it — I would say it’s extreme talent, but it’s when there’s such hard work that you become a superstar.
“I also think that seeing the team, the same people around him through the ups and downs, Justin and his team and Scooter [Braun] and Allison [Kaye] and Ryan Good — these people have been through it all,” he says. “You see them there reflecting on all of the times. They all get together that one day at the house and they’re watching videos and sort of kicking it, and it’s really cool to just see that incredible loyalty and perseverance. The team is still together.”
Ratner also executive produced the documentary through his OBB Pictures. Justin Bieber: Next Chapter was produced by Bieber Time Films, SB Projects and OBB Pictures. Justin Bieber served as an executive producer. Scooter Braun, Allison Kaye and Scott Manson served as executive producers for SB Projects and Michael D. Ratner, Scott Ratner and Kfir Goldberg served as executive producers for OBB Pictures.
Watch it below.