"8 is generous"— Netizens react as Hailey Bieber calls out Billboard over Justin Bieber's ranking on greatest pop stars list
A screenshot of Hailey Bieber reacting to Billboard ranking Justin Bieber at 8th place on their Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century series went viral on November 21.
Billboard posted Justin's ranking on their official Instagram page on October 23. They wrote:
"The greatest teen-pop phenomenon of the early 2010s ultimately made the jump to true adult superstardom, blazing a new trail for young 21st century hitmakers in the process."
Billboard further called Justin a "megastar" and credited him for delivering "some of the best and biggest pop music". However, Hailey, seemingly dissatisfied with her husband being placed in the 8th spot, took to the comments:
"Billboard is a f***ing joke as per usual!!"
A screenshot of Hailey's comment under the Billboard post made the rounds on social media, spurring more reactions from the singer's fans and others. One Reddit user, @MindyEJ, commented on a repost in the r/popculturechat community and alluded to Ariana Grande, Adele, Usher, and Bruno Mars's rankings— 9th, 10th, 11th, and 20th respectively:
"He’s above Adele, Ariana Grande, Usher, and Bruno Mars. 8 is generous."
Several others agreed that Justin's 8th rank is justified. Some disagreed with Hailey Bieber to a greater extent, and wrote that Justin's ranking should have been lower.
"no she’s right he should actually be lower…," joked one X user.
"Exactly he shouldn't even be on the list they are a joke," another chimed in.
"they were so generous to put him at 8! he’s a huge popstar but everyone above him definitely deserves to be above him," one person wrote.
"She needs to shut up Justin Bieber had a good run in the early 2010s till 2017 then he went downhill," commented another.
"She’s allowed to have an opinion, even if it’s wrong," joked one more person.
Others echoed Hailey Bieber's opinion:
"as much as you can hate justin u have to admit she’s right. justin shaped pop culture," wrote one.
"i don't like justin but she's right" said another.
One X user opined that 8th place on Billboard was not that bad of a ranking.
"Yeah he should’ve been higher up but 8th isn’t horrible??" they wrote.
Justin Bieber hasn't released an album since Justice (2021)
Despite having a widely perceived successful pop career, fans haven't had new music from Justin Bieber since 2021. The pop star released his sixth studio album Justice on March 19, 2021. The album featured some hits including Holy, Off My Face, Peaches, Die For You, Hold On, and Ghost.
In a New York Times interview published in September, producer and songwriter Mk.gee revealed he was working on new music with Justin Bieber. The 28-year-old said Justin Bieber was "searching", adding:
"Anything that comes out of his mouth: That’s pop music. You can really do pretty wild stuff behind that, just because it represents something."
It is to be noted that in June 2022, Justin Bieber revealed he had Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which caused full paralysis on one side of his face. The Sorry hitmaker had to postpone some of his tour dates to focus on his health.
Aside from his music career, Justin's latest life update includes his fatherhood. Hailey Bieber and the singer welcomed their son Jack Blues Bieber on August 22, 2024.
In an October interview with Medium, Stephen Baldwin, Hailey’s father, he revealed that the new parents were spending “sweet, private time with Jack”.
