Watching U! Justin Bieber gave a high-energy performance of his song, “Love Yourself,” as well as his smash single “Where Are Ü Now” alongside co-collaborators Diplo and Skrillex at the 2016 Grammy Awards on Monday, February 15.
Watching Bieber perform from the crowd inside the Staples Center in L.A. was his most famous ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez, and other high-profile music insiders. The pop heartthrob, 21, and his fellow performers were introduced by Big Bang Theory actress Kaley Cuoco. Biebs then kicked off his performance with an acoustic version of his song “Love Yourself.”
On standby was a string quartet and percussion group that slowly transitioned into the EDM hit “Where Are Ü Now.”
Bieber was joined on stage by his co-collaborators, and the entire troupe went wild. In response, the crowd roared, and Bieber stripped off his jacket as he reveled in the moment. The smash hit, which was released last summer, was one of the songs to be nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 2016 Grammys.
His ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez was seated beside her best friend, Taylor Swift. Though the cameras didn’t pan over to Gomez, Bieber previously divulged that she inspired a lot of his most recent work.
Bieber memorably told Ryan Seacrest last April that much of the inspiration behind his latest album, Purpose, was, in fact, the beautiful brunette. The two dated for three years until finally ending their relationship for good in 2014.
“It was a long relationship that created heartbreak and created happiness and a lot of different emotions that I wanted to write about,” Bieber said of the pop princess. “There’s a lot of that on this album.”
