Behind the Fan: @iflirtbieber 🥰

Written by: Jadon King

This week on Behind the Fan, we had the pleasure of talking to Anna, the proud owner and operator of @iflirtbieber on Instagram! We covered everything from her early days in the fandom at just thirteen years old to her favorite thing about being part of such a special community. Read on to learn more about Anna’s journey as a Belieber!

Anna is a longtime Belieber and it’s easy to see how Justin’s music has affected her. “His music helped me regain hope and courage in difficult times.” She told us, citing “Be Alright” as a particular favorite. “It’s often helped me through difficult times. I don’t remember a specific time but it always brought me comfort.” That said, Anna doesn’t just associate Justin’s music with hard times. “It’s also accompanied many great moments. I have a particularly strong emotional connection with the song ‘Backpack’.” She tells us. “It's not about the lyrics, but about the moment I heard this song. I was visiting a friend in the US at the time and Justin's album ‘Journals’ came out while I was there. I distinctly remember us sitting on her bed and listening to ‘Backpack’ together.” This friend from the States also gave Anna her rarest piece of memorabilia: Justin’s autograph! Friends that stan together, stay together. 🤝

While on the topic of her fellow Beliebers, we asked Anna how she met others within the fandom. For the most part, she keeps up with people on Instagram. “The fan base is one of the biggest reasons why I am still so active on Instagram. The friends I met on Instagram mean a lot to me and enrich my life.” And like all fandoms, Anna and the Beliebers love to try and predict what their favorite artist will do next. “We’re already discussing what the new album could look like.” She admits. “I would like the album to be in a blue style. In terms of the musical style, I’d like it to sound similar to Purpose.” 😇

When we asked Anna what Bieber era she would go back to for a day if she could, she couldn’t resist the classics. “Either his Purpose Era in 2015-2016 or his early days in 2009-2010. I wish I could have gone to his My World Tour in Germany. I was only 13 years old at the time and had just started to like him, I didn't know he would mean so much to me.” This struck a chord with us, as missing out on a concert in retrospect is something nearly all stans have experienced. 🥲

Next, we asked Anna which Justin Bieber music video was her favorite. “‘Beauty and A Beat’.” She says without hesitation. “I remember Justin pranking us before the video came out. He had said at the time that the music video and personal recordings were leaked and therefore he couldn’t release the full video. When the video came out we realized that it was all just a promo. I love how Justin dances in the MV and that it was filmed at a huge water park.” We’re partial to the "Baby" music video, but "Beauty and A Beat" is definitely a respectable choice! 😄

After that came a hot take question: Which Justin Bieber song do you think is underrated and deserves more attention? “I think one of his most OVERRATED songs is ‘Love Yourself’.” She tells us. “It’s such a popular song but in my eyes, other songs would deserve the success way more. For example those songs: ‘Lifetime’, ‘Hailey’, ‘Take You’ or ‘Common Denominator’.” 💿

Anna also told us that she loved Justin’s acoustic covers. “I think it would be really cool if he covered songs by Miley Cyrus or Billie Eilish, who are my favorite artists besides Justin.” We then asked Anna if there was a new genre she hoped Justin might explore in the future. “I would like Justin to rap more. He has shown in the past that he has the talent for it and I always really like the short rap parts in his songs.” 🎤

Anna hasn’t met Justin, but if she did she’s curious about one thing. “If I had the nerve I would ask him if he knows my account. I’ve been on Instagram since 2013 and Justin was really active back then.” She explains. “There is a possibility that Justin has seen my page once. Billie Eilish liked my post back in 2014.” We then asked what she admired about Justin outside of his music. “His strength,” Anna told us. “He wasn't exactly born into the best family circumstances and his childhood was anything but filled with wealth and happiness.” She said that she admires him because, despite his early fame, he remains down to earth and tries to be a better person every day. Anna also noted that his tattoo, which reads “Better at 70”, is intended to remind Justin to work towards the best version of himself. Now that’s the kind of stan we love to see! 😍

Finally, we asked Anna to predict what was next for her idol. She’s hoping for a summer album but doesn’t think he’ll be touring, globally or in the States. “There are rumors he’s planning some concerts in Las Vegas but we don’t know if it’s true though.” She admits. Outside of that, she thinks family life is next. “I feel like Justin will start his own family in 2024 or 2025, and he and Hailey can enjoy their little family in privacy. I just hope he will continue making music even when he is a father!” 💜

We loved getting to know Anna and hearing about the course of Anna's fanhood throughout her life, from wide-eyed thirteen-year-old to the owner of a fan page! It's always inspiring to see how music can impact someone over a long period of time and how fans like Anna continue to express their love for an artist. If you want to hear more stories like Anna's, check out our Behind the Fan blog series and follow us on X, TikTok, and Instagram!

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