"There was really no preparing me for this life. I was thrown into this at 12 years old and I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. There's been moments I'm really proud of, and a lot of moments I look back and I'm pretty disappointed in myself for.
"But the things that I've done really don't define who I am. I'm a kindhearted person who loves people. And through it all I lost some of my best qualities. For that, I'm sorry. But what I can say is I'm looking forward to being someone that you guys can all look at and be proud of.
"I want to say thank you so much for taking this journey with me and I'm excited for you to see what's next. Thank you, God, for your grace and for never giving up on me."
A good, clearly scripted speech. But can everyone actually move on?
Bieber has endured one of the rockiest "teen pop star" to "real pop star" roads in recent memory.
It all started pretty well - in 2007 his mother uploaded a video to YouTube that showed him performing at a local singing competition in Ontario, Canada. Bieber was 12 at the time and the performance went viral. Talent manager Scooter Braun spotted the video and signed him soon after with his business partner, R&B superstar Usher. In 2009, Bieber released his first singles One Time and One Less Lonely Girl, and the following year, his debut album went No1.
Things moved quickly after that, with platinum-selling albums and unstoppable momentum.
As he got richer, older and even more famous, the problems began. In late 2010, when Bieber was 16, there were reports of an alleged assault against a 12-year-old at a laser tag facility. Then there was a reckless driving charge in 2012, right after his album Believe was released.
There were reports of Bieber walking shirtless through airports and allegedly attacking his neighbour.
So, not great. Things spiralled in 2013 with headline after headline: Marijuana found on a tour bus; a lawsuit for allegedly beating up a paparazzo; charged with defacing a building in Brazil. Last year Bieber kicked off with "felony egging", an arrest for drag racing and driving under the influence. That autumn, he was arrested again and charged with dangerous driving after crashing a quad bike.
It's a lot to take in, though his fans, (61 million on Twitter), have shown time and again they will stand by their idol. It appears, however, Bieber is ready to be taken more seriously.
"I turned a lot of people off over the past few years, but I know I can still turn out good music and turn everything all the [way] around. You have my word I will not end up broken, pathetic, bitter or sitting on a dais of somebody else's roast."
