Christmas comes early: Justin Bieber is 'retiring from music'

The 'Boyfriend' singer told an LA radio station that he is planning a 'step back'

Wednesday 18 December 2013 11:03 GMT

Justin Bieber shocked fans by announcing his plans to retire (Getty Images)

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The news will either make you rejoice or sob into your mince pies. Probably the former, as Justin Bieber has announced his retirement from music on a Los Angeles radio station.

The 19-year-old Canadian pop star answered a question about his future with the statement: "Um, I'm actually retiring man".

Scroll down to see how Bieber's fans are reacting

Power 106 FM then tweeted further quotes from the "Baby" singer, with one reading: "I want to grow as an artist and I'm taking a step out, I want my music to mature" - @justinbieber #JustinBigBoy106."

Whether Bieber was joking in the interview remains unknown, but a video clip posted by the station this morning seems to shows him speaking with a straight face.

His UK representatives were unavailable for comment and the singer has yet to confirm the news on his Twitter account.

Update: Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun has dismissed the singer's remarks and confirmed that he will not be retiring after all.

Bieber went on to assure fans he is not as "arrogant" as people think, telling Power 106 that he has "always been a caring and giving person".

"I'm 19, I'm gonna make mistakes, it's inevitable," he said, referring to the string of recent controversies connected to him.

How his 47 million Twitter followers will react should the singer truly be planning a break could be interesting, as the 'Beliebers' are renowned for being one of the most dedicated fanbases in the world.

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Tweets have already been flooding in from shocked, worried and despairing fans. Yes, there are many out there:

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Christmas comes early: Justin Bieber is 'retiring from music'

The 'Boyfriend' singer told an LA radio station that he is planning a 'step back'

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