Justin Bieber sings ‘Lonely’ to inmates at a California state prison

Artist sang ‘three or four’ songs to a small crowd of prisoners

Justin Bieber was filmed performing to a small group of prisoners in a California state prison last month.

Footage of the Canadian singer-songwriter singing an acoustic rendition of his 2020 single “Lonely” (a collaboration with Benny Blanco) was acquired by TMZ and shared online.

Bieber was visiting the prison with his pastor, in support of the facility’s faith-based schemes.

TMZ reports that Bieber sang “three or four” songs, with a focus on “slower tracks” that worked better as acoustic numbers.

Per the outlet’s report, the short set was well-received by the onlooking inmates.

Bieber is far from the first musician to have performed in an American prison. Bob Dylan, BB King, The Sex Pistols and Frank Sinatra are among the well-known artists to have gigged inside prison walls.

The most famous example, however, belongs to Johnny Cash. Cash played many prison concerts throughout his career, with performances at Folsom Prison (in 1968) and San Quentin (in 1969) being recorded and released as two of his best-loved albums.

Earlier this month, Bieber spoke out in criticism of pastors who had been placed on a “pedestal”, and discussed how religion could become a form of celebrity worship.