Justin Bieber is owning up to his mistakes...and he's shirtless, too!
The 21-year-old singer shows off his fit physique on the cover of Men's Health's April issue. He's candid about wanting to move past his troubling 2014, saying, "I do aspire to be a class act."
"This has really been a big year for me, as far as figuring stuff out," he says. "This is almost like a full 180 from how I was. Yesterday—a year from yesterday—I was in jail." (In January 2014, cops pulled Justin over in Miami after suspecting he had been involved in a street race; he was detained on suspicion of drunk driving, resisting arrest and driving without a valid license. Hours later, he posted bail and was released from jail. In August 2014, he pleaded guilty to reduced charges of misdemeanor careless driving and resisting arrest, reaching a plea deal with prosecutors and avoid jail time.)
And while the Biebs does hold himself accountable, he attributes some of his acting out to having spent all of his teenage years in the spotlight. "I had to grow up so quick," he explains. "And it was almost like I grew up for the public but I didn't necessarily grow up. There were things I had to do, as far as the way I had to make relationships, and conversation, but as far as actually growing up, there were a lot of things I missed out on."
Justin is eager to leave some most of his immature behavior in the back, but he also admits, "There's a part of me that I don't ever want to grow up."
"I want to always remain...to have that sense of purity inside of me where I don't...I don't want to lose that sense of purity," he says.
He says the biggest misconception people have about him is "that I'm self-centered," calls himself "very much a relationship guy," and lists Ben Affleck as his man crush because, "I think his vibe is cool."
Ben is a pretty cool dude, but it's going to be hard to crack that Matt Damon bromance! Justin does have a good shot, however, at putting his past behind him. As Men's Health's Editor-in-Chief Bill Phillips writes, "Time and paparazzi will tell" whether the Biebs actually turns his life around, "[b]ut if the first step is self-awareness, then Bieber has started down the right path."
For Justin's complete interview, pick up the April issue of Men's Health on stands March 10.